National Football League

Colts rally from 17 points down to beat Texans

Published Nov. 30, 2009 1:11 a.m. ET

foxsports

The AFC South champion Indianapolis Colts have perfected the art of the comeback in their undefeated march into the playoffs.

Peyton Manning threw for three touchdowns and the Colts rallied from a 13-point halftime deficit Sunday for a 35-27 win over the Texans, their 20th straight regular-season victory. Indianapolis (11-0) is one win shy of the New England Patriots' NFL-record 21-game run from 2006-08. The Colts can tie the record if they beat Tennessee at home next weekend.

The Colts improved to 15-1 against Houston (5-6) in their fifth straight come-from-behind win. They became the first team to secure a playoff berth and gained the AFC South title Sunday evening when San Francisco beat Jacksonville 20-3.

"That's our goal coming into training camp," safety Antoine Bethea said. "We wanted to win our division."