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The Indianapolis Colts will one day regret pulling their starters on Sunday in a loss to the New York Jets. Not if the Colts go on to lose the Super Bowl, but rather if they win it.I don’t buy for a second that the Colts could lose in the playoffs because they essentially gave the Jets a 29-15 win after leading and ultimately blew a chance at an undefeated season. The starters played enough to maintain their rhythm. And they will likely see some time this week at Buffalo. Also, they will have two weeks to rest up for a playoff run.
The regret will come minutes after winning the Super Bowl in Miami. Should the Colts (14-1) stand take the podium to accept the Vince Lombardi Trophy with a 17-2 or 18-1 record they will be left to wonder about what could have been.
They would have to live with the fact that they allowed a half of football against the struggling Jets and a game at the Brian Brohm-led Buffalo Bills this Sunday stand in the way of achieving unmatched greatness.
What would Joe Montana be thinking right now if in 1984 when the 49ers went 18-1 that 20-17 loss to Pittsburgh had occurred in week 16 because he was on the sideline "resting?" Would he not want a crack at that game and a chance to have been 19-0?
Ask any of the 1985 Chicago Bears if they regret losing that Monday Night classic to Miami leaving them 18-1.
Other championship teams have their own significant slices of history. What would the 2009 Indianapolis Colts Super Bowl legacy be? They were six quarters away from 19-0 and chickened out?
WEEK 17 POWER RANKINGS

THE PLAYOFF 12

1. Indianapolis, 14-1 (1): Simply pitiful. And the Colts' fans have every reason to feel cheated. (link)
2. New Orleans, 13-2 (2): Super Bowl championship teams don’t lose important home games to the likes of Tampa Bay in December. (link)
3. San Diego, 12-3 (3): LaDainian Tomlinson has a good look at getting that elusive ring in much the same fashion as Walter Payton did 24 years ago with the Bears. (link)
4. Philadelphia, 11-4 (5): The Eagles are looking like the strongest team in the NFC right now. But can they defeat Dallas twice? (link)

5. Dallas, 10-5 (6): Hmmm…Maybe Jessica Simpson was the problem after all (joke). (link)
6. Minnesota, 11-4 (4): This team’s resume looks worse and worse with every loss. (link)
7. Cincinnati, 10-5 (7): Marvin Lewis should be considered for coach of the year. (link)
8. New England, 10-5 (8): The Patriots survived to win the AFC East but can this team win a road playoff game? (link)
9. Green Bay, 10-5 (9): The Packers could be peaking at the right time and could face Arizona in back-to-back weeks. (link)
10. Arizona, 10-5 (10): Could the Cardinals be poised for another red-hot playoff run? (link)
11. Denver, 8-7 (12): The Broncos could be the ultimate victim of playoff teams sitting starters. (link)
12. N.Y. Jets, 8-7 (19): Will face another B-team this week. What luck! (link)

Gas prices continue to rise in Indiana, with motorists who need to use premium paying close to $3 a gallon.A Hoosier Motor Club reported the average price for unleaded rose 5 cents to $2.68 in Indianapolis and statewide today, a 34-cent jump from a month ago.A year ago, the economic recession forced prices at the pump down to $2.50 per gallon just months after they'd set new records in Indiana.The rising price of crude oil, which closed Tuesday at $79.55 a barrel, is putting pressure on gasoline prices.The national average gas price has increased 6.8 percent during the past four weeks from $2.504 per gallon to 2.675 per gallon, according to AAA.The Web site Gasbuddy.com says prices in Indianapolis have hit as high as $2.79 today at area pumps after a 20-cent increase earlier in the week.There is a good chance that this week, retail gasoline will week surpass peak summer prices reached just over four months ago during the driving season when prices are usually at their highest.Pump prices are following crude higher, and refiners are now cutting back on production because the cost of the crude that they convert to fuel has been rising so fast.An Energy Department report set for release at 10:30 a.m. today will probably show that U.S. crude-oil supplies rose 1.91 million barrels in the week ended Oct. 23 from 339.1 million the prior week, according to the median of 16 estimates by analysts before the department’s report.