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January 18 is a good day in Patriots history, with the Pats beating the Colts in the AFCCG not once, but twice.
Having heard about Colts tight end Marcus Pollard's proclamation that if the Colts kept playing well, the league "might as well just hand us the rings," Belichick disdainfully told his players, "Nobody hands you a ring. I don't care how much money you have, you can't ****ing buy one. You have to play, and you have to earn it." Then, pulling out his 2001 Super Bowl ring and raising it high above his head, Belichick continued, "This has to be earned, and there's only one way to do that. Either they kick your ass, or you kick theirs."
Sunday January 18, 2004 at 3:06
2003 AFC Championship Game at Gillette Stadium
New England Patriots 24, Indianapolis Colts 14
Head Coaches: Bill Belichick, Tony Dungy
Quarterbacks: Tom Brady, Peyton Manning
Odds: New England 3½-point home favorites
TV: CBS. Greg Gumbel, Phil Simms; Armen Keteyian, Bonnie Bernstein
Cloudy, occasional light snow; 32º, 100% humidity, 2 mph wind
Referee: Walt Coleman; time: 3:05; paid attendance: 68,436
Game MVPs: Ty Law, Rodney Harrison, Jarvis Green, Adam Vinatieri
Pats improve to 16-2; advance to Super Bowl 38 vs Carolina
Colts finish season with a record of 14-5, and an AFCCG participation banner
Key Stat I:
The Colts turn the ball over five times, including four interceptions by Peyton Manning. Ty Law had an amazing day with three picks, and Rodney Harrison had another.
Key Stat II:
Marvin Harrison was limited to just three receptions for 19 yards, plus had one turnover on a fumble (Rodney Harrison once again. He too had a great game, with ten tackles (7 solo), an interception, a forced fumble and a deflected pass).
Key Patriot Stats:
- Manning was sacked four times; Brady sacked zero times
- Antowain Smith: 22 carries for 100 yards
- Troy Brown: 7 receptions for 88 yards
- David Givens: 8 receptions (on 9 targets) for 68 yards and a touchdown
Rodney Harrison picks off a pass intended for overly confident TE Marcus Pollard in the first quarter
A few notes on this game. First, the final score should have never been this close. The Patriots settled for five field goals - the first four all in the red zone, after the Patriots had first downs on the 16, 13, 12 and 6-yard lines - allowing Indy to stick around. The Pats also had a 1st-and-goal at the eight-yard line, but on third down on the three, Brady was intercepted - another red zone blunder.
The Colts scored with 2:30 to go, then Christian Fauria recovered the onside kick attempt. However, incomplete passes on second and third down meant the Colts only had to use one of their timeouts in that sequence. Ken Walter's punt went into the end zone, a net of only 24 yards. Indy took over with 2:01 to go and two timeouts, but Manning threw four straight incompletions (fittingly the last two were to Pollard). The Colts had to burn their final two timeouts as the Pats played it same, and Vinatieri kicked his fifth red-zone field goal of the game to clinch it.
The five field goals tied an NFL record for most field goals made in a single postseason game (broken by Pittsburgh's Chris Boswell in 2017). It remains a team record for either postseason or regular season. There have only been two other times in franchise history that there have even been five attempts. On Dec 28, 1963 Gino Cappelletti was 4-5 at Buffalo (28, 12, 36, 35, short from 45) and on Dec 28, 1985 Tony Franklin was also 4-5 at NYJ (33, 41, 20, wide left from 41, 26).
The other thing worth mentioning is that this was the game that the Colts complained to the league about how the Patriots were defended against Indy receivers, and GM Bill Polian - who happened to sit on the NFL Competition Committee - heavily influenced the 2004 rule emphasis crackdown on defensive contact. The change would become known as the Ty Law Rule.
Below is an excellent post-game article from Sports Illustrated, from back in the day when SI provided magnificent reading material.
Jarvis Green with one of his three sacks on Peyton Manning
Box Score, Halftime & Full Game Summaries, Team & Individual Stats, Drive Charts and Full Play-by-Play:
Patriots Starting Offense:
83 WR Deion Branch
72 LT Matt Light
71 LG Russ Hochstein
67 C Dan Koppen
63 RG Joe Andruzzi
68 RT Tom Ashworth
88 TE Christian Fauria
87 WR David Givens
12 QB Tom Brady
32 RB Antowain Smith
31 FB Larry Centers
Patriots Starting Defense:
91 LDE Bobby Hamilton
92 NT Ted Washington
93 RDE Richard Seymour
55 LOLB Willie McGinest
54 LILB Tedy Bruschi
95 RILB Roman Phifer
50 ROLB Mike Vrabel
24 LCB Ty Law
37 SS Rodney Harrison
26 FS Eugene Wilson
38 RCB Tyrone Poole
Patriots Special Teams:
4 K Adam Vinatieri
13 P Ken Walter
66 LS Lonie Paxton
33 KR Kevin Faulk
80 KR Troy Brown
35 KR Patrick Pass
80 PR Troy Brown
Today in Patriots History
Ty Law picks off Peyton Manning three times
Antowain Smith rushes for 100 yards
Adam Vinatieri kicks team-record five field goals
Pats win 14th straight, 24-14 in 2003 AFCCG
Ty Law picks off Peyton Manning three times
Antowain Smith rushes for 100 yards
Adam Vinatieri kicks team-record five field goals
Pats win 14th straight, 24-14 in 2003 AFCCG
Having heard about Colts tight end Marcus Pollard's proclamation that if the Colts kept playing well, the league "might as well just hand us the rings," Belichick disdainfully told his players, "Nobody hands you a ring. I don't care how much money you have, you can't ****ing buy one. You have to play, and you have to earn it." Then, pulling out his 2001 Super Bowl ring and raising it high above his head, Belichick continued, "This has to be earned, and there's only one way to do that. Either they kick your ass, or you kick theirs."
Sunday January 18, 2004 at 3:06
2003 AFC Championship Game at Gillette Stadium
New England Patriots 24, Indianapolis Colts 14
Head Coaches: Bill Belichick, Tony Dungy
Quarterbacks: Tom Brady, Peyton Manning
Odds: New England 3½-point home favorites
TV: CBS. Greg Gumbel, Phil Simms; Armen Keteyian, Bonnie Bernstein
Cloudy, occasional light snow; 32º, 100% humidity, 2 mph wind
Referee: Walt Coleman; time: 3:05; paid attendance: 68,436
Game MVPs: Ty Law, Rodney Harrison, Jarvis Green, Adam Vinatieri
Pats improve to 16-2; advance to Super Bowl 38 vs Carolina
Colts finish season with a record of 14-5, and an AFCCG participation banner
Key Stat I:
The Colts turn the ball over five times, including four interceptions by Peyton Manning. Ty Law had an amazing day with three picks, and Rodney Harrison had another.
Key Stat II:
Marvin Harrison was limited to just three receptions for 19 yards, plus had one turnover on a fumble (Rodney Harrison once again. He too had a great game, with ten tackles (7 solo), an interception, a forced fumble and a deflected pass).
Key Patriot Stats:
- Manning was sacked four times; Brady sacked zero times
- Antowain Smith: 22 carries for 100 yards
- Troy Brown: 7 receptions for 88 yards
- David Givens: 8 receptions (on 9 targets) for 68 yards and a touchdown
Rodney Harrison picks off a pass intended for overly confident TE Marcus Pollard in the first quarter
A few notes on this game. First, the final score should have never been this close. The Patriots settled for five field goals - the first four all in the red zone, after the Patriots had first downs on the 16, 13, 12 and 6-yard lines - allowing Indy to stick around. The Pats also had a 1st-and-goal at the eight-yard line, but on third down on the three, Brady was intercepted - another red zone blunder.
The Colts scored with 2:30 to go, then Christian Fauria recovered the onside kick attempt. However, incomplete passes on second and third down meant the Colts only had to use one of their timeouts in that sequence. Ken Walter's punt went into the end zone, a net of only 24 yards. Indy took over with 2:01 to go and two timeouts, but Manning threw four straight incompletions (fittingly the last two were to Pollard). The Colts had to burn their final two timeouts as the Pats played it same, and Vinatieri kicked his fifth red-zone field goal of the game to clinch it.
The five field goals tied an NFL record for most field goals made in a single postseason game (broken by Pittsburgh's Chris Boswell in 2017). It remains a team record for either postseason or regular season. There have only been two other times in franchise history that there have even been five attempts. On Dec 28, 1963 Gino Cappelletti was 4-5 at Buffalo (28, 12, 36, 35, short from 45) and on Dec 28, 1985 Tony Franklin was also 4-5 at NYJ (33, 41, 20, wide left from 41, 26).
The other thing worth mentioning is that this was the game that the Colts complained to the league about how the Patriots were defended against Indy receivers, and GM Bill Polian - who happened to sit on the NFL Competition Committee - heavily influenced the 2004 rule emphasis crackdown on defensive contact. The change would become known as the Ty Law Rule.
A Brief History of Patriots-Influenced NFL Rule Changes
The Patriots’ dominance of the past 17 years has transformed the NFL landscape in a number of ways. First, their constant iron fist rule over the Dolphins, Jets and Bills has sent all three t…
www.patspropaganda.com
They called it the ‘Ty Law Rule' … and that was OK with him
CANTON, Ohio – I can still hear the sound of Bill Polian’s fist slamming and feet stomping in the Gillette Stadium press box. It was Sunday, January 19, 2004, and even though the Patriots had completely outplayed Polian’s Colts, Indy still had a chance, down 21-14 with two minutes left and in...
www.nbcsportsboston.com
Pats Win 24-14
Houston, here we come! Ty Law intercepted Peyton Manning three times, and Adam Vinatieri was a perfect five-for-five in field goals, as the Patriots punched their ticket to Super Bowl XXXVIII.
www.patsfans.com
Supreme Law Of Gillette: It’s Party Time
You know, nine million against the cap isn’t so bad, is it?
www.patsfans.com
Below is an excellent post-game article from Sports Illustrated, from back in the day when SI provided magnificent reading material.
Cold Blooded PATRIOTS 24 COLTS 14 Playing in its favorite weather, New England mercilessly pounded Peyton Manning and Indy's vaunted attack to earn a second trip to the Super Bowl in three years
Pretty ladies, some of them not even blood relatives, wereflitting around Tom Brady's victory party like butterflies onthe first day of spring, but the host
vault.si.com
Just ask Indy quarterback Peyton Manning, the league's co-MVP, who spent the first two weekends of these playoffs merrily toying with overmatched opponents. On Sunday the Patriots' Lycra-tight pass coverage and vigorous pass rush often made Manning (23 of 47, 237 yards) resemble a marionette dancing to mariachi music. Thus a Colts team that had not punted while rolling up 79 points in its first two postseason games was bullied into committing five turnovers, including four Manning interceptions.
Chief among the Peyton Punishers were All-Pro cornerback Ty Law and strong safety Rodney Harrison. Law had three interceptions and put forth one of the most dominating performances by a defensive back in championship game history. Harrison forced a fumble by Indy wideout Marvin Harrison (no relation) and with an end-zone interception on the Colts' first drive allowed New England to seize control less than 12 minutes into the game. Arguably the league's most important off-season acquisition, Harrison, a 10-year veteran, signed with the Patriots in March after being released by the San Diego Chargers, whose front-office employees will soon be receiving thank-you notes from grateful Pats in Houston.
"When you watch the Colts' offense on film, they make it all look so easy," Harrison said after the game. "But we were determined not to let them come out and ram it down our throats, and that meant we had to beat them up. When I saw our game plan, I knew it was going to be a long day for Peyton."
As always, the blueprint conceived by New England coach Bill Belichick and his brainy defensive coordinator, Romeo Crennel, contained more wrinkles than a Rolling Stones tour jet. Reasoning that Manning does not throw nearly as well when he can't set his feet and step into his throws, the Pats' twin wizards came up with a 4-2-5 nickel alignment that would pressure Manning by featuring backup defensive end Jarvis Green as a second tackle alongside mammoth veteran Ted Washington. Green, a fourth-round draft choice in 2002, had two sacks and 17 tackles during the entire regular season, during which his twin brother, Jason, and cousin Howard (both former LSU teammates) repeatedly chided him about his lack of impact.
On Sunday the 6'3" 290-pounder became Jarvis Green the Sack Machine, getting three of the four takedowns of Manning--the first time in Manning's six-year career that any defender has dumped him three times. It helped that the Colts' receivers were getting press coverage like a Michael Jackson court date. "Peyton was patting the ball and then holding it," Green said. "On film you don't see him do that, but our secondary caused him to." Willie McGinest and fellow outside linebacker Mike Vrabel provided additional resistance by peeling back into coverage.
Jarvis Green with one of his three sacks on Peyton Manning
Four Interceptions, Three by Law, Cool Off Manning, Colts in Patriots' 24-14 Win
Through their first two playoff games, the Indianapolis Colts hadn't punted, hadn't been intercepted, hadn't committed an offensive penalty, hadn't encountered a defense that could slow quarterback Peyton Manning ...
www.latimes.com
“The whole week, we were ticked off,” said safety Rodney Harrison, who joined the Patriots this season and will make his second trip to the Super Bowl after doing so with the San Diego Chargers in the 1994 season. “No one gave us the credit, the opportunity. It was all about Peyton Manning. And, like I said before, one guy cannot win a championship. It’s a team.”
The score would not have been as close had the Patriots been able to capitalize on all their opportunities. They scored only one touchdown, on the opening drive, picking up the rest of their points on a safety and a playoff-record five field goals by Adam Vinatieri, who was unfazed by the sporadic snow flurries throughout the afternoon.
If only things were so easy for the Colts, whose first eight drives ended like this: interception, interception, safety, fumble, touchdown, punt, interception, interception.
The ending was abrupt and excruciating for a Colt team that amassed 913 yards and averaged 39.5 points in playoff victories over Denver and Kansas City.
Peyton Manning's 4 INTs give Pats 14 straight wins
FOXBORO, Mass - On a cold day in New England, Ty Law and the Patriots put Peyton Manning on ice. Law intercepted the previously flawless Colts quarterback three times, Rodney Harrison added another…
www.gainesville.com
On a cold day in New England, Ty Law and the Patriots put Peyton Manning on ice.
Law intercepted the previously flawless Colts quarterback three times, Rodney Harrison added another, and the Patriots beat Indianapolis 24-14 to advance to their second Super Bowl in three seasons. Jarvis Green had three of New England's four sacks as the constant pressure made the NFL's co-MVP look very average.
Had New England been able to score down close, it would have been no contest. The Patriots had only one TD, settled for five field goals by Adam Vinatieri and lost the ball at the Indy 5 early in the fourth quarter when Tom Brady threw his first interception in 10 home games this season.
Things were so bad that when the Colts finally had to punt for the first time in the playoffs, the snap went over the punter's head and resulted in a safety.
Except when he got close to the goal line, Brady was almost as good in the cold weather as Manning had been in his first two games under far more ideal conditions. He finished 22-of-37 for 237 yards and a 7-yard TD pass to David Givens on the first drive of the game and Antowain Smith added 100 yards on 22 carries.
The Patriots improved to 16-2 by winning their 14th straight game, the best single-season streak since the perfect Miami Dolphins did it in 1972. With the victory, coach Bill Belichick is 5-0 in the postseason with the Patriots, who won the NFL championship two years ago by beating St. Louis.
New England dominated early, taking the opening possession right down the field for a touchdown on the pass from Brady to Givens. It was 15-0 at the half on two of Vinatieri's field goals plus the safety on the botched punt.
Patriots humble Peyton Manning to reach Super Bowl - The Boston Globe
New England beat Indianapolis 24-14 for its 14th straight win while picking off Manning four times on a snowy evening at Gillette Stadium.
www.bostonglobe.com
Colts vs Patriots 2003 AFC Championship
5:54 Highlight Video
THROWBACK: Brady vs. Manning in the 2003 AFC Championship Game | Patriots
7:13 Patriots Highlight Video
2003 AFC Championship Colts vs Patriots Highlights (CBS Intro) 1st Playoff meeting Brady - Manning
16:32 Highlight Video
2003 AFC Championship Game: Patriots vs Colts
2:04:32 Full Game
5:54 Highlight Video
THROWBACK: Brady vs. Manning in the 2003 AFC Championship Game | Patriots
7:13 Patriots Highlight Video
2003 AFC Championship Colts vs Patriots Highlights (CBS Intro) 1st Playoff meeting Brady - Manning
16:32 Highlight Video
2003 AFC Championship Game: Patriots vs Colts
2:04:32 Full Game
Box Score, Halftime & Full Game Summaries, Team & Individual Stats, Drive Charts and Full Play-by-Play:
AFC Championship - Indianapolis Colts at New England Patriots - January 18th, 2004 | Pro-Football-Reference.com
Indianapolis Colts 14 at New England Patriots 24 on January 18th, 2004 - Full team and player stats and box score
www.pro-football-reference.com
January 18, 2004 - AFC Championship - Indianapolis Colts at New England Patriots Box Score and Game Statistics
The most complete, accurate and reliable reference source for January 18, 2004 - AFC Championship - Indianapolis Colts at New England Patriots boxscore and game statistics.
www.profootballarchives.com
Patriots Starting Offense:
83 WR Deion Branch
72 LT Matt Light
71 LG Russ Hochstein
67 C Dan Koppen
63 RG Joe Andruzzi
68 RT Tom Ashworth
88 TE Christian Fauria
87 WR David Givens
12 QB Tom Brady
32 RB Antowain Smith
31 FB Larry Centers
Patriots Starting Defense:
91 LDE Bobby Hamilton
92 NT Ted Washington
93 RDE Richard Seymour
55 LOLB Willie McGinest
54 LILB Tedy Bruschi
95 RILB Roman Phifer
50 ROLB Mike Vrabel
24 LCB Ty Law
37 SS Rodney Harrison
26 FS Eugene Wilson
38 RCB Tyrone Poole
Patriots Special Teams:
4 K Adam Vinatieri
13 P Ken Walter
66 LS Lonie Paxton
33 KR Kevin Faulk
80 KR Troy Brown
35 KR Patrick Pass
80 PR Troy Brown
