National Football League

Indianapolis Colts Game Recaps

Published Feb. 6, 2010 3:21 p.m. ET

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Peyton Manning threw for one touchdown, Joseph Addai ran for another and the Colts' defense stopped Jacksonville twice in the fourth quarter.

Though Manning tied John Unitas' franchise record for career wins with 118. Manning lost receiver Anthony Gonzalez late in the first quarter with a right knee injury, a potentially serious blow to the Colts usually high-scoring offense. Reggie Wayne finished with 10 catches for 162 yards and a TD and Colts coach Jim Caldwell won his NFL head coaching debut.

Indy allowed only 228 yards, 114 each on the ground and through the air.

With the Colts leading 14-6 early in the fourth quarter, Maurice Jones-Drew took a pitch and made a nifty move to avoid tacklers on a 7-yard TD run. The Jags then put Jones-Drew in the wildcat formation on a 2-point conversion, but the Colts bottled him up as he reached the line of scrimmage to keep the lead.

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MIAMI (AP) - Peyton Manning threw two touchdown passes to take some sheen off the Miami's glitzy makeover under new owner Stephen Ross, and Indianapolis came from behind four times to win.

The Dolphins rolled out an orange carpet for the pregame arrival of Ross' celebrity partners. The crowd included Serena and Venus Williams, Gloria and Emilio Estefan, Marc Anthony and Jennifer Lopez, Jimmy Buffett and Colts rooter Tiger Woods.

But Manning stole the show with touchdown passes of 80 yards to Dallas Clark and 48 yards to Pierre Garcon. The first came score on the first play from scrimmage, the latter with 3:18 left for the game's final points.

Manning finished 14 for 23 for 303 yards, and the Colts improved to 2-0. The Dolphins fell to 0-2 even though they had 239 yards rushing, including 107 with the wildcat.

Indianapolis had the ball for only 14:53, the lowest time of possession for a winning team in the NFL since 1977.

Indy trailed 10-7, 13-10 and 20-13, but each time pulled even. Down 23-20 after Miami scored with 3:50 left, the Colts rallied one more time.

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GLENDALE, Ariz. (AP) - Peyton Manning threw four touchdown passes, three in the second quarter, to power Indianapolis.

Manning completed 24 of 35 for 379 yards with one interception. The Colts' quarterback had four TD passes in a game for the 18th time, moving him ahead of Johnny Unitas into third on the NFL career list, behind Dan Marino's 21 and Brett Favre's 20.

Kurt Warner, under severe pressure much of the night, was 30 of 52 for 332 yards and one score but was picked off twice.

Indianapolis (3-0) safety Antoine Bethea recovered a fumble at the 5-yard line to stop one Arizona (1-2) drive and intercepted a deflected pass in the end zone to thwart another.

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INDIANAPOLIS (AP) - Peyton Manning led the Colts to touchdowns on four of their first five drives, tied milestones established by Fran Tarkenton and Dan Marino and extended Indianapolis' regular-season victory streak to 13.

Manning finished 31 of 41 for 353 yards, marking the first time in 12 NFL seasons he has topped 300 yards in four consecutive games.

The first TD pass went to Reggie Wayne, making Manning and Dan Marino the only quarterbacks in league history to throw 55 TD passes to two different receivers. The second went to rookie Austin Collie after a brilliant audible with 3 seconds left in the half. It not only gave the Colts (4-0) a 21-3 halftime lead but also gave Manning a share of third place on the NFL's career touchdowns passing list with Tarkenton. Both have 342.

Seattle (1-3) played without quarterback Matt Hasselbeck and left tackle Walter Jones, who are both hurt, and lost its third straight.

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NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) - Peyton Manning's near-perfect start to the season continued as he had 309 yards and three touchdown passes, and the Colts never trailed in beating their AFC South rivals for their NFL-best 14th straight regular-season win.

Manning joined Kurt Warner and Steve Young as the only NFL quarterbacks to open a season by throwing for at least 300 yards in the first five games. He will have to wait out a bye week to try and match them with a sixth such game.

Indianapolis (5-0) has not lost since its last visit to Nashville and leaves now with a firm grip on the AFC South. The Titans (0-5) have matched their 0-5 start in 2006.

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ST. LOUIS (AP) - Peyton Manning was 23 for 34 for 235 yards - ending his run of 300-yard games at five - and three touchdown passes and the defense got its first score of the year on rookie Jacob Lacey's 35-yard interception return.

Looking fresh coming off their bye, the Colts won their 15th straight regular-season game and set a franchise record with their eighth straight road victory.

The Colts intercepted Bulger twice and Dwight Freeney ran his sacks streak to seven straight games - three off the NFL record.

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INDIANAPOLIS (AP) - The Colts won their 16th straight regular-season game, the equivalent of an undefeated season, and Jim Caldwell became the first rookie coach since the NFL merger to open his career with seven consecutive wins.

Peyton Manning topped 300 yards and got credit for another Colts rally, but it was Joseph Addai who won it. The fourth-year running back threw a 22-yard touchdown pass to Reggie Wayne early in the final quarter to give the Colts their only lead.

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INDIANAPOLIS (AP) - Running back Joseph Addai scored the go-ahead touchdown with 7:11 left and Houston's Kris Brown missed a 42-yard field goal as time expired, keeping Indianapolis undefeated.

Indy is the fourth team in league history with 17 straight wins. New England has done it twice and Chicago did it in 1933-34. Jim Caldwell became the first rookie coach to go 8-0 since Potsy Clark in 1930.

The Colts took a 3 1/2-game lead over Houston (5-4) in the AFC South.

Indianapolis blew a 13-0 first-half lead and trailed 17-13 when Steve Slaton opened the fourth quarter with a 1-yard TD run. But Addai answered with a 2-yard TD run to rally the Colts.

Peyton Manning also became the first quarterback in league history to throw for 40,000 yards within a decade.

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INDIANAPOLIS (AP) - A stunning gamble by Bill Belichick set up a stunning win for Peyton Manning and the Indianapolis Colts.

After the New England Patriots were stopped short on fourth down deep in their own territory, Manning took advantage by throwing a 1-yard touchdown pass with 13 seconds left to rally the unbeaten Colts.

Manning's toss to Reggie Wayne completed the Colts' comeback from a 17-point deficit. A decision by the Belichick put them in position for their 18th straight regular-season win.

The New England coach decided to go for it on fourth-and-2 from the Patriots 28 with 2:08 to go. Tom Brady threw to Kevin Faulk, who made a juggling catch but was pushed backward and came up just short.

Manning needed just four plays before hooking up with Wayne for the winning score.

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BALTIMORE (AP) - The undefeated Indianapolis Colts found yet another way to win a close game, their 19th straight victory.

The 17-15 win secured on former Ravens kicker Matt Stover's go-ahead field goal gave Indianapolis (10-0), the second-longest streak in NFL history behind a 21-game run by the New England Patriots (2006-08). Indy received an inspired performance from the defense and overcame an uncharacteristic three turnovers.

Much to the dismay of the Ravens and their fans, Stover booted the decisive field goal with 7:02 left. Colts linebacker Gary Brackett then intercepted Joe Flacco's pass at the Indianapolis 13 with 2:42 remaining, and the Colts kept the ball until the closing seconds.

Baltimore's last gasp ended when Ed Reed fumbled on a punt return with 17 seconds left.

Billy Cundiff made field goals of 46, 44, 38, 36 and 20 yards in his debut with Baltimore (5-5). But he also was wide right on a 30-yard attempt that would have given the Ravens a 15-14 lead in the third quarter.

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HOUSTON (AP) - Peyton Manning threw for three touchdowns and the Colts rallied from a 13-point halftime to clinch the AFC South.

It was 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 improved to 15-1 against Houston (5-6).

Manning threw two first-half interceptions, but had a pair of second-half TD passes, including a 4-yarder to Dallas Clark that gave the Colts a 21-20 lead with about nine minutes left.

Clint Session stretched the lead to 28-20 when he returned an interception by Matt Schaub 26 yards for a touchdown seconds later. Schaub fumbled on Houston's next possession and Chad Simpson's touchdown run put the game out of reach.

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INDIANAPOLIS (AP) - Indianapolis tied the NFL record for longest winning streak, beating Tennessee for its 21st consecutive regular-season victory.

The only other team to win that many in a row: New England from 2006-08. The Colts (12-0) can break the record next week at home against Denver.

Peyton Manning threw one TD pass, Joseph Addai ran for two scores and the Colts spent the second half protecting the lead against the Titans (5-7). It was the first time in six games Indy didn't need a fourth-quarter comeback to win.

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INDIANAPOLIS (AP) - Peyton Manning threw three TD passes in the first 23 minutes, then was picked off three times, but the Colts earned their 22nd consecutive regular-season win.

The Colts' defense held off the Broncos as Indianapolis broke the Patriots' record victory streak set last year. Indianapolis is one of seven NFL teams to go 13-0, including this year's New Orleans Saints.

While the Colts (13-0) won their 114th game of the decade, breaking a tie with the 1990s San Francisco 49ers, and took a franchise record 13th consecutive home game, Denver receiver Brandon Marshall broke the league's single-game record with 21 receptions.

Marshall tied the mark on a 5-yard TD catch with 9:44 left in the game to make it 21-16 and broke the record on the Broncos' final play.

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JACKSONVILLE, Fla. (AP) - Peyton Manning completed every pass early and one big one late, exactly what the Indianapolis Colts needed to stay unbeaten.

Manning threw for 308 yards and four touchdowns, including a 65-yarder to Reggie Wayne to go ahead for good, and the Colts improved to 14-0 for the first time in franchise history.

The wild game included 714 yards, 43 first downs, 10 lead changes, five punts, several big plays and just two turnovers.

The Jaguars (7-7) had a chance to win it in the closing minutes, but David Garrard overthrew Mike Thomas on a third-and-10 play with about a minute to play. Jacob Lacey intercepted the ball, and the Colts ran out the clock.

Indianapolis extended its NFL-record winning streak in the regular season to 23 and became the third 14-0 team in league history, joining the 1972 Miami Dolphins and 2007 New England Patriots.

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INDIANAPOLIS (AP) - The Indianapolis Colts won't go undefeated this season.

The Colts (14-1) pulled Peyton Manning and a handful of other starters with a 15-10 lead and 5:36 left in the third quarter, and the New York Jets took advantage to rally for a victory that ended the NFL's longest regular-season winning streak at 23.

Brad Smith opened the second half with a 106-yard kickoff return to give New York (8-7) a 10-9 lead. The Colts regained the lead at 15-10 when Donald Brown scored on a 1-yard run.

But after Manning left, Marques Douglas returned a fumble from Manning's replacement, Curtis Painter, 1 yard for a score. The Jets sealed it with a 43-yard field goal and Thomas Jones' 1-yard TD run in the fourth quarter.

It was the Colts' first loss since Oct. 27, 2008 at Tennessee, and it ended a franchise-record 13-game winning streak at home.

On the second series the starters sat out, fans started booing. The boos grew louder with each play, reaching a crescendo when Manning's replacement was hit by Calvin Pace while setting to throw and lost the ball. Douglas fell on it and rolled into the end zone for the go-ahead score with 1:29 left in the third quarter.

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ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. (AP) - Despite near whiteout conditions in the first half, Ryan Fitzpatrick threw three touchdown passes for Buffalo (6-10), including a 41-yarder to Terrell Owens.

Fred Jackson had 212 yards rushing to reach 1,000 for the first time in his career.

The Colts (14-2) rested numerous starters, including Peyton Manning, in the second quarter. They have a two-week break before opening the playoffs as the AFC's top-seeded team.

The Colts squandered a chance to become the sixth NFL team to win 15 games in one season and also had a franchise-best 11-game road win streak snapped.

Dallas Clark became the NFL's second tight end to have a 100-catch season, joining Tony Gonzalez, and Reggie Wayne had five catches to reach 100 for the second time in his career.

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INDIANAPOLIS (AP) - Peyton Manning beat Baltimore in his first game since winning an unprecedented fourth NFL MVP award.

The decisive win came after a playoff bye, something that had been a plague for Manning and his teammates. Indianapolis had a 0-3 record after sitting out the wild-card round.

Manning threw for two touchdowns to give the Colts 17-3 halftime lead and finished 30 of 44 for 246 yards.

It didn't get any tighter, even though Ed Reed got his fourth career interception of Manning in the third quarter. Reed was stripped of the ball by a sprinting Pierre Garcon, the intended receiver, at the end of a 38-yard return. Dallas Clark recovered, and Reed was robbed of another pick five plays later because of a pass interference call on Corey Ivy.

The Colts have won eight straight against Baltimore, a city they once called home. The last time they were so stingy in a playoff game was as the Baltimore Colts 39 years ago, a 20-3 win over Cleveland - where the Ravens once lived as the original Browns.

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INDIANAPOLIS (AP) - Four-time MVP Peyton Manning threw three touchdown passes and the Indianapolis Colts rallied from an 11-point, first-half deficit to beat the New York Jets.

The Colts (16-2) are headed back to Miami for the second time in four years and their fourth Super Bowl in franchise history.

Manning finished 26 of 39 for 377 yards. He became the first player in league history with seven 300-yard postseason games. That broke a tie with Kurt Warner and Joe Montana.

New York built a 17-6 lead and took advantage of trick plays. But rookie Mark Sanchez and the Jets were shut out in the second half.

Caldwell became only the fifth rookie coach to reach the Super Bowl. Only two others - San Francisco's George Seifert and Don McCafferty, of the Baltimore Colts - have won it.

After falling behind late in the first half, Manning finally responded. He took the Colts 80 yards in four plays, hooking three straight times with rookie Austin Collie including the 16-yard TD pass that made it 17-13 with 1:13 to go in the half.

The next time he got the ball, he took the Colts 57 yards in eight plays, connecting with Pierre Garcon in the back corner of the end zone to make it 20-17 with 8:03 left in the third quarter.

He sealed it midway through the fourth when Dallas Clark caught a 15-yard TD pass to make it 27-17.

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