Indianapolis Colts defensive end Dwight Freeney thinks everyone should stop talking about the Colts’ loss to the Jets in Week Sixteen, saying at his press conference today that he doesn’t think there’s any point in discussing what would have happened if the Colts had left their starters in the game for 60 minutes.
“The score was pretty much an even score,” Freeney said. “Obviously, the starters didn’t finish the game, they ended up winning the game, and that was good for them. That helped them get into the playoffs, but this is a new game, the AFC Championship Game. So everything that happened in Week Sixteen is kind of irrelevant now.”
In the teams’ December meeting, Colts coach Jim Caldwell pulled Freeney, Peyton Manning and other top players during the third quarter, while the Colts were winning 15-10. The Jets dominated the Colts’ backups and won 29-15, and Freeney said today that he thinks the team was on board with Caldwell’s decision.
“Collectively, as a group, we understood what the main goal is, to be healthy and get ready for the Super Bowl run,” Freeney said. “There was a bigger goal.”
Ultimately, Freeney said he’s not going to spend any time thinking about whether the Colts could be undefeated right now.
“Who knows what would have happened in that game?” Freeney said. “Week Sixteen was Week Sixteen. This is the AFC Championship now.”