In a move previously unheard of in the Pro Bowl, Saturday actually lined up for both teams at one point. Although Saturday had a sub-standard season with the Packers, he was still named as the starting center for the NFC. Aside from that, Saturday was even allowed to line up with the AFC as well, taking one more snap with former Colts quarterback, Peyton Manning. Letting Manning and Saturday get one last snap together was a simple sign of respect and appreciation for two players who made history during their time together in Indianapolis.

Five of Jeff Saturday’s six Pro Bowl bids were made with the Indianapolis Colts, and all five of those came alongside Manning. Michael Jordan may have played for the Washington Wizards, but he will always be a Chicago Bull. Brett Favre finished his career with the Minnesota Vikings, but he will be remembered mostly as a Green Bay Packer. Even two of the most notable Colts in history, Manning and Johnny Unitas, rode off into the sunset with a different jersey on. Jeff Saturday may have left the Indianapolis Colts for his final season, but there will soon be a place made for his name to go up in the Ring of Honor at Lucas Oil Stadium.

January 27, 2013; Honolulu, HI, USA; AFC quarterback Peyton Manning of the Denver Broncos (18) and AFC quarterback Andrew Luck of the Indianapolis Colts (12) pass the ball during warm ups before the 2013 Pro Bowl against the NFC at Aloha Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports

Horseshoe Hero: Pro Bowl Addition

After last year’s embarrassing Pro Bowl, commissioner Roger Goodell threatened to rid the league of football’s historic All Star showcase game. But then again, Peyton Manning wasn’t in last year’s Pro Bowl. After missing the entire 2011-2012 season while recovering from a fourth next surgery, Manning returned to the NFL as a Pro Bowl-caliber quarterback, earning more votes than any other player in the league. But unlike his 11 other Pro Bowl appearances, this time he earned the honor in a different uniform.

We all know the story. The Colts went a shocking 2-14 without Manning under center, and the team released him, drafted Andrew Luck, and cut several other notable Colts legends. The Colts overachieved and made it to the Wild Card round of the playoffs with the rookie Luck, and the Manning-led Broncos made it to the AFC divisional round after going 13-3 and locking up the AFC’s top seed. Both Luck and Manning made the Pro Bowl. Everyone seemingly won.

All week at the Pro Bowl, Manning has been advocating the game’s importance, encouraging his AFC teammates to play hard with hopes that Goodell would be convinced to keep the game in place. Manning believes that his Pro Bowl experiences helped him learn valuable lessons from the legends who played alongside him. He wanted to show how special the game was.

Mission accomplished.

Manning provided the best moments of the Pro Bowl by reuniting with two of his former Colts teammates. He threw 2 passes to Reggie Wayne – still a Colt – and it was a special sight to see the two hook up again on the field for old times sake. Manning and Wayne could probably run routes together in their sleep.

Later in the second quarter, something even more unprecedented occurred. Jeff Saturday, Manning’s longtime center with the Colts who signed with the Green Bay Packers of the NFC last offseason, took the field on the AFC side and lined up in front of Manning. He snapped Manning the ball, the crowd cheered, and my eyes teared up. Saturday, who has played 14 years in the NFL, will retire after the Pro Bowl. It was one of his very last snaps.

Manning did throw an impressive touchdown to AJ Green of the Cincinnati Bengals in the first quarter, but the scoring play paled in comparison to these others.

None of this would have been made possible had it not been for the Pro Bowl. These are the things that need to be kept in mind when evaluating the game’s importance in the future.

Horseshoe Hero

Colts 30 - Packers 27

It was one for the history books. We may see the highlights played back in an ESPN 30-for-30 film someday. The Colts were simply magical Sunday afternoon at Lucas Oil Stadium, winning a huge game in comeback fashion for their ailing and absent coach. The rookie bested the reigning MVP. The underdogs were the victors. The Colts beat the Green Bay Packers.

The Colts’ head coach Chuck Pagano was diagnosed with a treatable form of leukemia during the bye week, and the team will be without him for at least 4-6 weeks while he receives aggressive treatment at an Indianapolis hospital. In response to the saddening news, the Colts launched the “#CHUCKSTRONG” campaign to support their coach and to raise money for leukemia research, selling T-shirts, posters, and wristbands on game day and on the team’s website. The players hoped to do pay homage to their leader by earning another “W” for their win column. While at first the objective didn’t seem likely, the Colts battled back in remarkable fashion to defeat their toughest opponents of the season. There were Horseshoe Heroes all around.

Offense

In just his fourth career start, Andrew Luck defeated the reigning league MVP in the Packer’s Aaron Rodgers. The rookie wasn’t perfect, but he displayed unwavering poise and confidence throughout Sunday’s game. Despite not being able to find the end zone at all in the first half, Luck led the Colts to three touchdowns and five total scoring drives in the second half, outscoring the Packers 27-7 after being down 21-3 at halftime. Luck even diversified his scoring techniques, throwing touchdowns through the air and even running one in on his own (He was the team’s second-leading rusher for the third week in a row). His most remarkable drive was the winning one, in which the team traveled 80 yards in 14 plays, culminating in a successful 2-point conversion after a 4-yard touchdown pass to Reggie Wayne.

Speaking of Wayne, the veteran receiver, proving that he is far from done in this league, caught a whopping 13 receptions for 212 yards and that special winning touchdown. In the process, he moved up to 18th on the NFL all time receiving yards list. Once again, chants of “Reggie!” could be heard in the stands, deservingly so.

The Colts even had a pretty balanced run game. Donald Brown rushed for 84 yards on 17 carries, his highest totals of the season. He even ran in the team’s two-point conversion to seal the win.

Defense

The Colts defense had a sack party with Aaron Rodgers. Dwight Freeney, who had been out since Week 1 with a high ankle sprain, Moise Fokou, and Robert Mathis each brought Rodgers to the ground before he could get rid of the ball. Cory Redding even accomplished the feat twice.

It was cornerback Jerraud Powers who stole the show, however, intercepting a pass from Aaron Rodgers to give the Colts the ball back at Green Bay’s 39-yard line. This led to the team’s first touchdown and would ultimately begin their remarkable comeback.

Special Teams

Adam Vinatieri was a busy man on Sunday, attempting 4 field goals and 1 PAT. Four of his five kicks were good, including a 50-yard field goal in the third quarter.

Colts players and fans alike will remember this win for a long time, but for now the team must shift their focus to their next game and the next task at hand: tackling the New York Jets at MetLife Stadium a week from today. Can the Colts keep the magic going for their coach? Horseshoe Hero will have all the details for you. Until then, you can follow me on Twitter at @catierae08 for more frequent Colts news, updates, and commentary.

Stay #CHUCKSTRONG, Colts fans! Get well soon, Coach Pagano!