Peyton Manning has always been known for big-time plays and delivering in crucial moments. But has he ever done it with his legs?
Facing a 3rd and 2 with 1:39 left and the Oakland Raiders out of timeouts, the Indianapolis Colts needed only one first down to wrap this game up. So what's the last thing you'd expect? Manning to take off and run, right?
You can see the clip on NFL.com, or you can see it after the jump.
(via thebsoreport)
You can see that Matt Shaughnessy baited inside to prepare for the inside dive...and completely gave up the outside contain for Manning. Great playcall by offensive coordinator Tom Moore...or Manning, who is known for calling the plays himself. Wouldn't be surprised if he audibled into perhaps the first game-clinching naked bootleg of his career.
The Internets are aflame with furious fantasy owners, because a Manning touchdown would probably have helped them win their fantasy football championships. Manning was probably trying to protect himself from Shaughnessy catching up with him from behind and didn't kneel down on purpose (a la Brian Westbrook), but that's probably cold comfort for the thousands of spuds out there who needed more from the future Hall-of-Famer. And I'm guessing Manning could care less about the vast fantasy implications his actions had on said spuds.
The Colts kneeled down to end the game and win 31-26; they're one win away from another AFC South title. Check out the SB Nation Bay Area storystream on the game for more.