Colts overcome road, #1 defense

The Inianapolis Colts proved that they're not out yet. The Colts - maybe moreso Peyton Manning than anything else - overcame some of the bugaboos that have plagued them over recent NFL playoff seasons.
The first obstacle that they overcame in their 15-6 victory over the Baltimore Ravens was the building. If you know your NFL history, then you know that Robert Irsay and company moved the Colts out of Baltimore and to Indianapolis via the Mayflower moving company literally in the middle of the night.
The Colts had been in Baltimore since their inception into the league in the 1950's, and the fans were loyal from the days of Johnny U and Lenny Moore right up to the days of Bert Jones and Roger Carr.
So, with that said, it's fair to say that when the Colts come to town, Ravens' fans give their guests perhaps the nastiest welcome that they can come up with, and they keep it up throughout the game. Rightfully so.
But the Colts overcame that, and they mustered up enough communication among themselves to get 15 points on the scoreboard.
The second problem that Tony Dungy's team incurs in the post season is the road itself. Historically, the Colts are a dismal road team and their record away from Indy proves it.
Somehow the Colts overcame that, too, and came away with a rare playoff road win.
The third reason that Baltimore was supposed to win this game was the fact that they held the #1 defense in the NFL. They give up the fewest points, and all reports were that statistically speaking, this Ravens' defense was even better than the one that beat the Giants in the Super Bowl. And we all know the old saying that defense wins championships.
If you need a fourth reason why the Colts should have lost, it was their defense. Indianapolis had the worst rushing defense in the league, and if Baltimore would have been able to establish a rushing attack, they could have won. Establishing the run against the Colts is like establishing a disappearing witness at a mob trial. It's usually a pretty easy thing to do.
But not today. After last week, when Indy stuffed the Kansas City Chiefs in the RCA Dome, the skeptics were not convinced.
Even though the Colts D held the Chiefs to 0 first-half first downs and less than 200 yards in total offense for the game, and held Larry Johnson to a mere 32 yards, some questioned whether the Colts would unravel once they were away from home. Today they stuck to the script like pros, and the Ravens, heavily favored in the minds of fans as well as experts, if not on the betting line, were left to watch Peyton Manning beat the odds and knock Baltimore out of the playoffs.
They played tremendous defense, they scored the points that they needed, and they beat the crowd and the road. That is the determination that Peyton Manning has got to have is if he is going to slay the playoff ghosts that haunt him.