Peyton's Turn

Unlike a lot of the blogosphere, we don't hate Peyton Manning.

In fact, we like him.

Of course, a large reason is that he's the quarterback on our fantasy team, but even when he wasn't, we still liked him.

That's why, still drunk on the Bears' victory over the Saints, we were happy to see him finally win the "big game" that everyone long wondered if he was capable of.

Early in the second quarter, it seemed certain that wasn't going to happen. When Asante Samuel was returning an interception 39 yards to give the Patriots a 21-3 lead, we couldn't help thinking, "Christ, Peyton really is screwed in these games."

Then the Colts came out in the second half and staged the biggest comeback in championship game history.

Still, the Patriots led the Colts for the first 59 minutes of the game. But with one minute left Joseph Addai walked into the end zone to give the Colts a 38-34 lead.

Sixty seconds to see if Tom Brady could do it again.

He couldn't.

Marlon Jackson intercepted a Brady pass with 17 seconds left, and sent the Colts to the Super Bowl.

It's a wonderful story for Peyton Manning, Tony Dungy, and the rest of the Colts.

But we're hoping their wonderful story ends the same way the Saints' did.

And now begins the longest two weeks of our lifetime.