Tom Brady is known as the comeback king of all QBs, finishing his career with 55 fourth-quarter miracles. Right behind him, as perhaps the second most clutch QB of all time, is The Sheriff, Peyton Manning, with 45 fourth-quarter comebacks. It was a calling card of the Indianapolis Colts’ QB, as teams could never count their chickens too early when facing him.
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Manning showed signs that he would be one of the game’s GOATs with his comebacks early on in his career, too. There’s no better example than his incredible performance against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2003. Better yet, it came during Monday Night Football for the nation to see.
However, most probably missed Manning’s masterclass. After all, the Colts were down 35-14 with just 4 minutes left in the game. That was about the time for viewers to turn the TV off and get on with their night. Not only that, but the broadcast mentioned that over half of the Bucs fans had already left the stadium.
Then, suddenly, Manning spearheaded a massive turnaround. After a 90-yard kick return set the Colts up in great position, James Mungro punched in a 3-yard touchdown run on a crucial 4th down. That cut the lead to 35-21 with just under 4 minutes remaining.
The Colts had faked an onside kick the previous series. But this time, they went for it. Their kicker, Mike Vanderjagt, skipped a beautiful kick that bounced high into the air. Defensive back Idrees Bashir then leaped into the air and snagged the ball like a salmon. Just like that, the comeback was on.
It was then that Manning locked in. He drove the Colts 57 yards in just over a minute, never forcing risky passes while stopping the clock as much as possible. Finally, he connected with Marvin Harrison for a 28-yard score. That made it 35-28 and had Bucs fans squirming in their seats.
At that point, Indianapolis only had one timeout. But with 2:27 left in the game, the 2-minute warning acted as another timeout. They attempted another sneaky onside kick, but failed. Yet, it didn’t matter because a prompt 3 and out from the Bucs gave them the ball back with 1:48 left in the game.
It only took 5 plays for Manning to drive his team 85 yards down the field. Highlighted by a 52-yard catch from Harrison, Ricky Williams punched in a rushing touchdown on the goalline with just 35 seconds left in the contest. Vanderjagt’s kick tied it up, and suddenly, the game was tied at 35.
But the comeback wasn’t complete just yet. The Colts had to survive one more Bucs drive in regulation, which ended in a blocked 62-yard field goal as time expired. They also lost the coin toss to start overtime, and had to make Tampa punt once again. They almost let them into field goal range, but a key stop on 4th and 8 at their own 41-yard line forced a punt.
What ensued was a moment Manning will probably never forget. He drove the team 76 yards on 15 plays to set the team up in field goal range and win the game. But Vanderjagt missed! It was a shocking sight, as he was a perfect 12/12 up to that point in the season.
Thankfully for the Colts, the Bucs made a big blunder. They were penalized for leaping over the long snapper on the field goal try, and Vanderjagt was awarded another attempt. Although the kicker almost botched that game-winner as well, kicking it sideways as it took a deflection on its way to the goal posts. Somehow, the ball ricocheted off the inside of the post, and the game was over.
With the 38-35 win, Manning and the Colts completed the quickest 21-point comeback in NFL history. While we’ve seen larger comebacks before and since, we’ve never seen a team erase that kind of deficit in just 4 minutes. It was a wild sequence of events that ended in a miracle for Indianapolis. We may never see anything like it again.
