Super Bowl dreams fade for Manning

FOXBORO, Mass. -- Peyton Manning anticipated a perfect ending to his best season.\nThe New England Patriots rewrote the script.\nIn the biggest game of his career, Manning turned in his worst performance of the season -- throwing four interceptions and getting sacked four times as the Patriots' smothering defense sent him home with a 24-14 loss in the AFC championship game Sunday.\n"Every time you throw interceptions, that's the quarterback," Manning said. "I made some bad throws and some bad decisions."\nManning, the NFL's co-MVP, had been nearly flawless in the Colts' first two playoffs wins. His performance Sunday wasn't even close.\nHe routinely slapped his thighs and helmet in disgust. Occasionally, he stomped his feet, and when he wasn't reacting to a miscue, the Patriots (16-2) were harassing him in the pocket and confounding him before the snap.\nManning's frustration was almost as obvious as the uncharacteristic results. He completed only 23 of 47 passes for 237 yards and one touchdown. His 35.5 passer rating was easily a season low and his four interceptions were the most he'd thrown since Nov. 25, 2001. Even stoic coach Tony Dungy couldn't help but grimace.\nHow bad was it? In the waning seconds, Patriots fans mockingly chanted "M-V-P, M-V-P," and one fan held a sign reading, "Peyton Who?"\nManning's teammates tried to share the blame for a dismal day, but the quarterback, who the Colts must sign to a new contract this offseason, said he alone was responsible.\n"I needed to do my part well today, and I didn't do it," Manning said.\nThe Colts (14-5) probably wouldn't have reached their first AFC title game since the 1995 season without Manning.\nIn their two wins, Manning threw eight touchdown passes with no interceptions, and nearly had a 156.9 passer rating in beating Denver 41-10 and Kansas City 38-31.\nThe Colts scored on all but four of their possessions in the postseason before Sunday, but managed only two scoring drives against the Patriots. One came at the start of the second half, and the other was in the closing minutes when Manning threw his only touchdown pass of the day.\nNew England, which has forced Manning into some of the worst games of his career, was part of the problem. The Patriots (16-2) shifted their secondary while Manning tried to read the defenses. He never seemed to figure it out.\nThe other problem was the Colts' inability to execute, for which Manning was partly responsible.\n"This offense is capable of doing a lot of things," running back Edgerrin James said. "You've got to make plays. We didn't."\nIt started out looking as if the Colts might be in for another shootout.\nAfter New England took a 7-0 lead on its first possession, Manning had the Colts in position for a tie -- until Rodney Harrison picked off a third-down pass intended for Marcus Pollard in the end zone.\nThings got worse for Manning fast.\nOn the Colts' next play, he tried to force the ball to Marvin Harrison. Ty Law made the first of his three interceptions with a leaping, almost one-handed grab, and New England capitalized with a field goal to make it 13-0.\nNot all the mistakes were Manning's fault. He tried to get the Colts back in the game just before halftime, but Marvin Harrison fumbled it away, deep in the Patriots' territory.\nIt was that kind of day, one the Colts and Manning would like to forget.\n"We've had games like this before," center Jeff Saturday said. "It's going to happen. But this was an inopportune time for it to happen"