On This Day in Sports: January 21, 2007
On January 21, 2007, the Indianapolis Colts finally broke through against the New England Patriots with a 38–34 victory in the AFC Championship Game. The rivalry had become the defining struggle of the conference, and New England had repeatedly blocked Peyton Manning’s path to the Super Bowl. Early in the game, that familiar story seemed ready to repeat. The Patriots built a 21–3 lead, helped by Asante Samuel’s interception return for a touchdown, and carried a 21–6 advantage into halftime at the RCA Dome.
Indianapolis transformed the game after the break. Manning directed a touchdown drive that he finished with a one-yard sneak, and defensive tackle Dan Klecko caught a short scoring pass to help erase the deficit. A two-point conversion tied the score at 21, and from there the teams traded blows through a breathless fourth quarter. New England regained the lead more than once, while the Colts answered with drives that showed a patience and resilience often missing from their previous playoff meetings.
Trailing 34–31 with 2:17 remaining, Manning moved Indianapolis 80 yards in seven plays. Rookie running back Joseph Addai powered across the goal line from three yards out with one minute left, giving the Colts their first lead. Tom Brady still had time for a final response, but cornerback Marlin Jackson intercepted him near midfield and fell to the turf as the dome erupted. Indianapolis had completed the largest comeback in conference championship history at that time after once trailing by 18 points.
The result changed the reputations of a quarterback, a coach and an entire franchise. Manning had thrown for 349 yards and led an offense that generated 455 total yards against a defense built to frustrate him. Two weeks later, the Colts defeated the Chicago Bears in Super Bowl XLI, giving Manning and coach Tony Dungy their first championships. The January 21 comeback remains the emotional center of that title run—a game in which Indianapolis confronted its greatest rival, absorbed a disastrous start and finally found the closing drive that years of expectation had demanded. It also shifted one of the NFL’s greatest rivalries from an obstacle into a defining triumph. The atmosphere inside the RCA Dome matched the stakes. Years of postseason frustration had made every New England score feel ominous, while each Indianapolis answer increased the belief that this night could be different. Players and fans later described the winning interception as a release of accumulated pressure, the exact instant an excellent regular-season team became a championship team.
New England raced to a 21–3 lead, including Samuel’s interception return, before Indianapolis began its second-half comeback.
Manning scored on a quarterback sneak and later threw a touchdown to defensive tackle Klecko as the Colts tied the game.
The teams combined for 32 fourth-quarter points in a dramatic exchange of leads at the RCA Dome.
Addai’s three-yard touchdown with one minute left completed an 80-yard drive and gave Indianapolis the winning points.
Jackson intercepted Brady on New England’s final possession, sealing the Colts’ long-awaited victory over their rival.
Indianapolis went on to win Super Bowl XLI, turning the comeback into the signature game of its championship season.
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