It was December 27th, 2009.The Colts were undefeated taking on a surging Jets team that was fighting multiple teams for the final playoff spot. For the final spot, it was the Jets, Dolphins, Texans, Jaguars, Broncos, Steelers, Titans, and even the Bills (just kidding about that last part) knocking each other around for the 6th seed in the AFC. The Jets had one of the longer shots to nab the spot, as it was looking more and more like the Steelers or Texans were posed to take the spot. The Jets had to defeat an undefeated team on the road and then take on a rough Bengals squad in the final game. Chances were slim. On the other hand, all the Colts had to do was win at home, and then take on the laughable Bills. With those two wins, they would become only the third team in NFL history with an entire season without a loss. In the postseason, they would become the most feared team in all of football.
It was the third quarter and the Colts held a nice 15-10 lead. It was close, but the Colts had the edge in momentum and also in experience—plus they had Payton Manning. And then the Colts decided to stop pursuing perfection, much to the disdain of the fans that went to the game. The Colts fans wanted to see their team attempt a plateau rarely before accomplished. The Colts had the offsensive firepower, experience, and skill set to be able to win all 16 games—at least. But, in order to avoid potential injury, and since they already had clinched the conference, the coach pulled all the key players.
The Jets had their chance to hit. Before you know it, the Jets ended the Colt’s undefeated streak. All of a sudden, a new life burst into the franchise as they suddenly had a great chance of entering the postseason over the likes of the Steelers and the Titans. The momentum for the Colts took a much heavier hit than recently anticipated.Not only did they finally lose, but they lost at home, and the fans were furious at the results. They looked vulnerable—especially after losing to the Bills in their following game. In the meantime, the Jets destroyed the Bengals and all of a sudden, they surged past the better-looking Texans, Steelers, Dolphins (whom beat the Jets twice that season), and Broncos to enter the postseason in surprising fashion. We were no longer looking at the Colts in the playoffs. Instead, the playing field leveled. We no longer had the 16-0 Colts. We had a 14-2 Colts team in the playoffs with the tough Ravens, tough Patriots, and a nasty Jets team that had just defeated the Bengals AND the Chargers in the playoffs. It became an AFC power switchover.
The Colts would eventually top the Jets in the playoffs, but enough damage was done. The Colts did not look invincible when they entered the Super Bowl. The Jets on the other hand had a new attitude, a new look, a new positive outlook towards the upcoming season. Behind their interesting quarterback Mark Sanchez, they felt more than accomplished going as far as they did. The Saints would defeat a Colts team that had very little intimidation, and very little fear factor towards the opponent. If they had won their game against the Jets like they should have with Payton Manning and their offensive squad, then it would have been the Saints getting the harsh job of topping an undefeated team. While the Giants did meet the challenge against the Patriots, that was because the Patriots had underestimated their opponent. The Saints won, and questions began surrounding Payton Manning.
Right here, the AFC would shift into the firestorm that it is today. Most of you will disagree and say that what happened the season before has minimal effect on what is going on today. But just look at what is going on. The Jets are suddenly on top of the world with an 8-2 record, and this was essentially the same team from last year (with the exception of a re-energized Tomlinson). You telling me they improved as a team? Not really, but with an easier schedule than most squads and with a fresh new attitude, they’ve been winning their close games, and their cockiness has yet to let them down.
Now, the Dolphins (you can say injuries also affected the record—but they were starting a downward spiral before the hurt players), Titans, Bengals, Broncos, and most importantly the Colts are struggling a bit right now. And they all have generally the same exact squad from the year before. The Colts have been hammered with injuries as well, but from week 1 they were exposed to be a team with minimal change, and now the rest of the league is catching up. After getting trashed by the Texans (see the running team run over the Colts like a train taking out a leaf?), the fear of facing the Colts just wasn’t there anymore. The Jets now look like a powerhouse team, when just a year ago they should not have even entered the playoffs—but a team literally quit to preserve the players.
Bottom Line: The point of this random article is that after a simple football game nearly a year ago, a brand new powerful AFC team emerged, and another one began showing signs of age. With this switch of power, the Jets and Colts turned the AFC upside-down, as suddenly the Jets, Jaguars and Chiefs are leading their divisions, the Raiders are actually looking decent, and even the Cleveland Browns showed some signs of life after two upsets and a near third upset.
At the same time, the Colts are 6-4; and this was a team that a year ago was on a winning tear. Meanwhile the Bengals are in a dismal place at the bottom of the rankings, the once-promising Texans are just an afterthought, and the Broncos despite its promising young coach are a joke. The younger, lower-key squads are playing better because the Jets proved that anybody can indeed beat anybody, with or without a plethora of stars. Teams like the Browns no longer just get kicked around by the high-profile teams like the Patriots; every week has been a brutal battle amongst everyone involved. The AFC is now wide open for the taking, as all of a sudden the usually-successful teams like the Patriots, Steelers, Ravens, and Colts can be brought down, any given Sunday. And this craziness all started on that one afternoon.
On December 27th, 2009.
"You play to win the game!!"
~Herm Edwards
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