Ron Borges

FOXBOROUGH, Mass. - Peyton Manning understood nothing was settled for him and his Indianapolis Colts Sunday night even after they'd defeated their nemesis, New England, 27-20, on the Patriots' home turf because the yardstick measures differently for them.

The Colts are the last undefeated team still standing in the NFL for the second year in a row and have defeated the Broncos and Patriots on the road the past two Sundays to make a loud statement about what they are capable of. Yet, Manning understands not even those impressive wins will quiet his critics or end the doubts about his team. Not now. Not until January turns to February and his team is still standing. If it is.

"All people want to talk about with this team is 'What are you going to do in the playoffs?''' Manning said after throwing for 326 yards and two scores to beat New England for the second straight year. "It's a legitimate question but at the same time it's important for us to enjoy these wins and enjoy the journey along the way.

"No question what our goals are and our destination is, but still, it's guy's careers. You've got to enjoy it. When you go up to Denver and New England (and win), I'm going to enjoy this one for a little bit.''

Manning entered this nationally televised Sunday night showdown 2-7 against Bill Belichick and 1-6 against Tom Brady but the fact is he had played well in each of his previous four regular-season outings against the Patriots. Well, but not well enough because he still ended up 1-3. So when one takes those losses and adds in two dismal playoff defeats to the Patriots it was a sorry record, although one that has been improving to the point that in the last five regular-season confrontations, including Sunday night's win, Manning has thrown 12 touchdown passes and only four interceptions, including five TD tosses in his last two games in New England.

He has played so effectively in fact that where once the talk was of how Belichick was in his head, now one can legitimately ask if the converse might be the case. Is Manning now in Belichick's head after twice frustrating his best plans and schemes in the face of intense pressure both from the Patriots' pass rush and a larger public obsessed, it seems, with pointing out what he and the Colts have not done while minimizing what they have accomplished?

"They were coming (tonight),'' Manning said of the Patriots. "You could tell that was their plan. I think last year in the game here they were close on a couple of pass rushes. I think they kind of made that assessment too and said, 'Hey, let's do it again. Let's try to get there this time.'

"They can give you the full gamut. They can give you the seven-man blitz, they can give you the eight-man coverage and they do a good job of making them all look the same so you kind of call plays that you hope are good vs. both. It's hard to go back to games past but they were definitely, to start the game especially, bringing it and I thought we did a good job answering. I felt we had a good read on what was going on out there. I mean, my eyes aren't closed back there.''

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His eyes were wide open Sunday night and perhaps they opened the eyes of a few of his detractors and those of coach Tony Dungy, who has regularly been saddled with the claim that he "can't win the big one'' either. Exactly what the big one is has never been fully determined since they're all big ones once the playoffs start, but as Manning alluded to, until he and the Colts win the final "big one'' they will be measured by that.

Yet the fact remains they are the only undefeated team left in the NFL and are coming off back-to-back victories against two of the AFC's best teams in their own houses. Those were statement games and Manning and the Colts made them loudly. So loudly even the Patriots reluctantly acknowledged them.

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"They are the greatest team in football and that's what happens when you're the greatest team,'' Patriots' linebacker Rosevelt Colvin said. "Same old Colts. They are the greatest team in football. They proved it. They came in here and gave it to us and they're going home happy.''

Indianapolis went home 8-0 and holding a two-game advantage over its nearest competitors in the AFC — New England, Denver, Baltimore and San Diego. With eight games to play many things can happen but the Colts are in the driver's seat for the most important thing one can win in the regular season — homefield advantage and a opening week bye in the postseason. Take a few missteps and that could all dissolve away but for the moment the Colts and Peyton Manning hold the tiebreaker advantage over both the Broncos and Patriots and fully understand that while they mouthed all the right words about the season only being halfway through they knew what they did Sunday night at Gillette Stadium was what they needed desperately to do.

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"It's big,'' offensive lineman Ryan Lilja admitted. "Everyone wants to play in front of the home crowd (in the playoffs). No one wants to go into Foxborough and play in front of these folks, or go to Denver.''

If the Colts don't take care of their business the rest of the year they could still end up having to do that, but for now they are in control of how things will go in the AFC because these past two Sundays Peyton Manning has been in control of the situation. Against the Broncos that is not all that unusual for him, but Sunday night in Foxborough was a different story. He was facing his personal nemesis and wanted to show, needed to show really, that the monkey was finally off his back.

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