Clark Judge, CBS Sports
"It took a month, but the verdict finally is in: The Indianapolis Colts have been vindicated.

So they tanked the end of the season, threw away a chance for perfection, infuriated fans and annoyed opinion makers. Big deal. They're in the Super Bowl, and isn't that what playing this game is all about?

It is for Indianapolis, which reaffirmed its position as the best football team on the planet with Sunday's 30-17 defeat of the New York Jets -- a victory that puts Indianapolis in its second Super Bowl in four years.

Look, I don't know that Indianapolis would be there without resting its starters, but it doesn't matter. The point is this: They plotted a strategy, and the strategy worked.

Check, please.

First, they won their division. Then they gained home-field advantage for the playoffs. Then they rested their starters. Now they're the favorite to win a second Super Bowl with Peyton Manning at quarterback.

You have a problem with that? I don't." Full story.

Mike Wise, Washington Post
"The problem with being Peyton Manning good: There's not as much thanks and appreciation in the legacy-building business as there is assuming great performance before it happens.

Manning was expected to take the Colts downfield and give his team needed momentum at intermission, just as he was expected to perform so patiently and masterfully in a second-half clinic that propelled his franchise to its second Super Bowl in four years.

Anything else does not merely doom a season; it tarnishes a career, toys with history, stalls the fable of a former NFL quarterback who has fathered three boys -- two of which have represented the family in three of the last four Super Bowls." Full story.

Nancy Gay, FanHouse
"Pierre Garcon already had assumed the role of inspiring sports legend to the earthquake-ravaged people of Haiti, reaching out to his family and friends on the devastated island through the Indianapolis Colts' ongoing success in the NFL playoffs.

The second-year Colts receiver ascended to his biggest stage yet on Sunday upon which to showcase his devotion to Haitians everywhere. After his 11-catch, 151-yard, one touchdown receiving performance in Indianapolis' come-from-behind 30-17 AFC championship victory over the New York Jets, Garcon draped the Haitian flag across the table holding his team's newly won Lamar Hunt trophy on the field at Lucas Oil Stadium." Full story.

Paul Kuharsky, ESPN
"Manning was sure to mention the importance of Reggie Wayne in every question he fielded that touched on the big games by Pierre Garcon and Collie.

He also didn’t like the idea of people suggesting the Colts feared or stayed away from Darrelle Revis. Clearly there were better matchups elsewhere to take advantage of. But Manning indicated he connected on a handful of solid plays against Revis too.

Yes, Manning had a passer rating of 139.9 on plays to Garcon and Collie. But he was at 104.2 to everybody else, and that’s outstanding too." Full story.

Charles Robinson, Yahoo Sports
"Much has been made about Garcon’s speed and Collie’s hands, and how snugly they fit into the Indianapolis system, but their rise is as much an act of sheer will than anything else. It’s the will to listen to Manning and run a parallel line to his work ethic, and the smarts to earn his trust. That ability, as much as wideout Reggie Wayne’s(notes) consistent brilliance and Dallas Clark’s(notes) polished reliability, has made the Colts offense arguably more devastating than at any other time in Manning’s career. To the point that Manning can take an early barrage from the NFL’s No. 1 defense, falling behind 17-6 on Sunday, then make adjustments and outscore the Jets 24-0 the rest of the way.

And that run was built on the young receivers, with Garcon and Collie putting up 179 receiving yards and both touchdowns after the Jets had taken the 11-point lead. As much emphasis is placed on Manning and the Colts’ defensive adjustments, one needs to only remember how this offense functioned a year ago, relying on the decaying skill of Marvin Harrison(notes) and the sometimes uncertain hands of Anthony Gonzalez." Full story.