Sanders' impact has reached mythic proportions, but reality was quite different. Indy's run defense was just as lousy with Sanders that regular season as it was without. What changed in the playoffs was that they changed the responsibilities of the DEs. Instead of playing pass and rushing upfield, they crashed down and played run first. I suppose someone could say that Sanders' return allowed this change, but they didn't do it with Sanders earlier in the year.
The other big factor is that Indy faced unimaginative offenses with meager passing attacks. Neither KC or Baltimore seemed to notice the change. KC, in particular, didn't run play action a single first down all game. It was embarrassing to watch even as someone with no real rooting interest. It was also clear that, had Indy faced San Diego, they were going to get steamrolled, Sanders or no Sanders.
