With under 30 seconds to go, the Colts appeared to have converted a third-down play at midfield by just inches. A review, however, went San Diego's way. That made it fourth down.

It is a measure of the composure of the Dungy way that, during the extended break during which the referees were reviewing the video evidence, he, Manning and the rest were calmly reviewing their options.

It is also a measure of the Colts' emotional fortitude that when the call didn't go their way, the response on the Indianapolis sideline was to shrug and say, OK, let's go line it up.

Instead of a fourth-down plunge into the line, the Colts went for yards, isolating Marvin Harrison on the left side of the field. The pass went for 14 yards, to the San Diego 34.

Now the Colts let the clock run, all the way down to 15 seconds. Why bleed so much time? Because no way a Dungy-led team would allow for the possibility, no matter how remote, that a bizarre mistake might afford an opponent a chance.

With everyone expecting pass, the Colts called a run play, Joseph Addai up the middle, to the 33.

The clock, of course, kept running. Would Indianapolis now have enough time to get set so Manning could spike the ball? Saturday, the Colts' standout center, was long gone from the game, replaced by Jamey Richard.

No problem.

The Manning spike came with but two seconds to go.

On came Vinatieri, who last year here missed what could have been a game-winning kick.

Given the chance Sunday night for redemption, he nailed it.

"Making that kick," Vinatieri said, "was pretty sweet."

There's a lot going on right with the Indianapolis Colts right now. Don't ever forget -- it's by design.

"We talked about it last night," Dungy was saying late Sunday, recalling the team meeting here Saturday.

"This game would tell us a lot about where we are in our preparation for the playoffs. Because we're going to play a team that had to win, a team that is very talented, in a tough environment.

"So for our young guys and how our team in general, how would we respond? It was going to be close. It'd be a game where you'd have to make plays in the fourth quarter. And they did.

"They stayed composed. A lot of momentum shifts but we made the plays that counted in the fourth quarter."

He also said, referring now to the course of the season with an eye toward what lies ahead, "We've been tested. And we're passing the tests."

Also on NBCSports.com Rosenthal: Steelers’ struggles could sink their playoff hopes Circling the Bases: Dodgers unlikely to land Halladay Inside the Irish: Clausen reportedly involved in fight Opinion: So far, Nowitzki is NBA’s MVP  |  Fan Ranker Twitter: Follow us @nbc_sports

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