NY Jets 41, Indianapolis 0

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J., Jan. 4 (UPI) -- Chad Pennington turned in a virtually flawless demonstration with three touchdown passes in his first playoff start Saturday and easily outperformed veteran Peyton Manning to send the New York Jets sailing past the Indianapolis Colts, 41-0.

It equaled the second most one-sided shutout in NFL post-season history.

"They (the Colts) caught us on a bad day," Edwards said. "We were firing on all cylinders and we really wanted to win this playoff game at home. Hats off to the players and coaches.

"The game plans were great and our players executed flawlessly."

After winning just two of their first seven games, the Jets (10-7) have rode an emotional late-season surge to become a potential Super Bowl challenger. But they should have a much tougher test next weekend when they take on either Pittsburgh or Tennessee in the divisional round.

No matter the challenge, however, Pennington showed once again Saturday that he has moved into elite status among NFL quarterbacks. Of those who threw at least 100 passes this season, he was the runaway leader with a rating of 104.2 and he was up to that standard again on a chilled, but dry day at Giants Stadium.

He completed 19 of 25 passes for 222 yards and led the Jets to scores on four of their five first-half possessions. His quarterback rating for the game was 142.

"We feed off each other and we're playing good right now," Pennington said. "This team has done a great job staying hungry and focused. It is a special moment for the Jets fans and the franchise. We are taking it to the next level."

"All in all, I thought it was a good way to start the playoffs for a young man's career," Jets offensive coordinator Paul Hackett said of Pennington. "The whole scene around the playoffs are different, but Chad wasn't affected."

Manning, meanwhile, was shut out for the first time in his career and fell to 0-3 in the playoffs. He was 14 of 31 for 137 yards with two interceptions, one of those coming at the Jets goal line in the final moments that ensured Indianapolis would finish the game scoreless.

"Not a whole lot went right," Manning said. "We couldn't get much going offensively," Manning said. "And the Jets offense got into a rhythm. It was a snowball effect and we left the score to show for it."

Indianapolis Coach Tony Dungy also continued to struggle in the postseason. For the fourth straight time in the playoffs, a Dungy-coached team failed to score a touchdown. His Tampa Bay Buccaneers did not cross the goal line in each of his last three playoff games with that franchise before he was dismissed following the 2001 season.

Pennington wasted no time setting the tone for the day, driving the Jets 77 yards in just five plays on their first possession.

New York's first touchdown turned out to be its most spectacular when Pennington flipped a screen pass to Richie Anderson, who turned it into a 56-yard score. It was the Jets' longest pass play of the season and their longest ever in the playoffs.

The Jets made it 10-0 on John Hall's 41-yard field goal 52 seconds deep in the second quarter and, when the Colts' Troy Walters fumbled away the ensuing kickoff, the rout was on.

LaMont Jordan scored on a one-yard run seven plays after that fumble and Pennington threw a four-yard touchdown pass to Santana Moss with 37 seconds left in the half to make it 24-0 at intermission.

Needing something good to happen to them at the start of the second half to have any chance, the Colts promptly surrendered a 70-yard kickoff return by Chad Morton that put the ball at the Indianapolis 19. Hall soon added a 39-yard field goal, Pennington threw a three-yard touchdown pass to Chris Baker midway through the third quarter and Jordan, who gave starting running back Curtis Martin a much-needed rest, added his second one-yard touchdown run with 4:59 to play.

Jordan gained 102 yards on 20 carries and Martin added 67 on 15 before giving way to Jordan for good in the second half.

The victory put the Jets in the playoff record book, tying a 41-0 victory for the New York Giants over Minnesota in 2000 as the second most lopsided shutout in a post-season game. The all-time record is Chicago's 73-0 win over Washington in the 1940 NFL Championship.

If Pittsburgh defeats Cleveland in their wild card game Sunday, the Jets will travel to Oakland for their divisional contest. If Cleveland upsets Pittsburgh, the Jets will play at Tennessee.

"The game of football is about making history and putting your name in stone, but every win in football is a team win and not an individual thing," said Pennington, who threw seven touchdowns in the last two regular season wins over New England and Green Bay.

It was the first-ever meeting of black coaches in a playoff game and Edwards schooled his mentor Tony Dungy, who slipped to 0-5 in road playoff games. Edwards served as an assistant under Dungy in Tampa Bay from 1996-2000.

"It was tough at the end because I know what kind of coach he is and really, that's the reason I'm standing here, because of Tony," Edwards said. "He's a great man, he really is. It's a sweet win for us, but it's going to be tough on them. I think for him to go in there, his first year, and win 10 games and take them to the playoffs, a lot of people can't do that."

"I am proud for him (Edwards), they played well, and showed us today what it takes to play in these types of games," Dungy said. "We didn't play as well as you have to play in a playoff game. They showed us the emotion level you need to have, the fundamentals, they played the game really well."

The Jets were the AFC's third-hottest team entering the playoffs with seven wins in their last nine games and controlled the ball on Saturday for more than 40 minutes.