Reggie Wayne's milestones take back seat to loss

FOXBOROUGH, Mass. -- It was a 6-yard second-quarter move-the-chains pass to Reggie Wayne that looked like nothing more than it was, one of 938 in a 12-year career, and another first down on a night the Indianapolis Colts would have 28 of them.

Surpassing consistency is an element of excellence that is accomplished in humble steps. That pass tied an NFL record.

The catch was Wayne's third of the night and the 58th consecutive game in which he had caught at least three passes. Only one player in league history had done that: Cris Carter, who played 16 seasons and caught 1,101 passes, most for the Minnesota Vikings.

Wayne finished with seven catches for 72 yards, a modest performance on a humbling night. The New England Patriots beat the Colts 59-24. It was a bitter defeat and Wayne promised not to forget it.

"Why would you?" he asked. "Whenever you get taken behind the woodshed, it's kind of hard to forget. Hopefully we take care of business and make sure we come back in this stadium and do a little better."

Wayne's night wasn't without another achievement, though he chose not to celebrate it.

His 72 receiving yards pushed his season total to 1,003 yards. His eighth 1,000-yard season matched Marvin Harrison's team record and made Wayne the 13th player in NFL history to pass the milestone with such frequency.

It might have been a much bigger night. Wayne seldom had the opportunity to run. Again and again quarterback Andrew Luck's passes came in low and Wayne went to the turf to get them.

"That's the way it goes," he said. "You have some good ones. You have some bad ones. I just wanted to make sure I'd catch them. I'll get some when I can get on the run. I've got plenty of time to do that."


(indystar.com)