After two straight regular-season wins, Manning & Co. finally came through when it mattered most.

New England came to Indy for the AFC title game, and promptly opened up a 21-3 lead in the second quarter after Asante Samuel intercepted Manning and returned it for a 39-yard touchdown. But the Colts staged the biggest rally in NFL championship game history -- and got a monster of a monkey off their back.

Manning threw for just one touchdown, but finished with 349 yards on 27-of-47 attempts. Most impressive was his poise when the Patriots took a 34-31 lead with just under four minutes remaining. Manning drove the Colts 80 yards and capped the drive with a 1-yard plunge from running back Joseph Addai.