Indianapolis Colts Tickets

The Indianapolis Colts fought their way to a 14-0 mark before deciding to rest their starters instead of making a run at perfection, which certainly caused a major uproar.

The move didn't come without criticism, which was especially harsh from the team's season ticket fanbase. Fans were furious that they paid to watch the Colts throw reserves out on the field when an amazing feat was at their fingertips. With all of the hoopla surrounding the decision, many have forgotten how the Colts marched their way to 14 straight wins despite a change at the head coaching position after last season.

Quarterback Peyton Manning has obviously already established himself as one of the greatest of all time, but he really took his game to another level this year. The first eight to ten games of the season, Manning could do no wrong. He was fitting passes into unbelievably tight windows and seemed to lead a fourth quarter comeback almost every week.

While it's great that Manning was able to orchestrate so many fourth quarter comebacks, there has to be some legitimate concern about the number of close games the Colts played this year. It's good to know that they have the ability to come back at any time, but there was also a lot of luck involved in some of those wins, several of which came against below-average opponents.

They may have been able to get away with playing down to their competition in the regular season, but the playoffs are a completely different story. If they continue to let other teams hang around or get off to slow starts, it is going to eventually come back to haunt them.

One impressive thing about the Colts this year has been their ability to overcome the season-ending injury to wide receiver Anthony Gonzalez. Rookie wideouts Austin Collie and Pierre Garcon have really stepped up, and the offense hasn't missed a beat.

Indianapolis still doesn't have much of a running game. In fact, they pretty much run the ball just to keep the defense honest. They don't even really care about how many yards they gain. Running back Joseph Addai has bounced back after a disappointing 2008 campaign, but his numbers were held down by the presence of rookie Donald Brown.

The defense has been surprisingly good this year despite a bunch of injuries to the secondary. As much kudos as the offense gets, it's surprising that more people don't show some love for the defensive side of the ball.

The Colts have been here and done all of this before, so they certainly have the experience it takes to make a run at the Super Bowl. Manning already has one ring and would love to add another to his collection, and other than the Chargers, his path to the big game looks pretty easy. This could be his best chance to get it done.