Manning carries Colts to victory in showdown with Jags

Sep 24, 2006, 20:20 GMT

Indianapolis, IN - Peyton Manning accounted for two second- half touchdowns -- one through the air and one on the ground -- to lead Indianapolis past Jacksonville, 21-14, in an AFC South battle at RCA Dome.

Manning completed 14-of-31 passes for 219 yards and also rushed for a two-yard touchdown for the Colts (3-0), who have now won 11 straight division games. Marvin Harrison made six catches for 94 yards and Dallas Clark made a 30-yard TD reception.

'It was a tough day,' said Colts head coach Tony Dungy. 'They were playing very hard, playing well. We were just off a little bit. I thought our sidelines stayed calm. We made some adjustments and we did keep our composure.'

Byron Leftwich threw for 107 yards on 16-of-28 passing with a touchdown pass, but was intercepted twice. His second pick came with under one minute remaining in the game as Jacksonville (2-1) attempted to mount a game-tying drive.

'We lost and didn't make enough plays,' said Leftwich. 'We left a lot out there, but you can't look at it that way.'

Maurice Jones-Drew and Fred Taylor put together a solid 1-2 punch on the ground for the Jaguars, who have lost three straight against the Colts. Jones- Drew rushed for 103 yards on 13 carries while Taylor added an additional 74 yards rushing.

Jones-Drew also caught four passes for 32 yards and a touchdown.

Ahead 14-7 in the fourth, Manning began an early fourth-quarter drive with a 17-yard completion to Harrison. Two plays later, Dominic Rhodes went around the left end for a 17-yard gain on the ground to get deep into Jaguars territory.

After two incomplete passes, Manning kept the drive alive with a 22-yard pass to Reggie Wayne that put the Colts on the one-yard line. Rookie back Joseph Addai, though, couldn't punch it in and Manning took the next play into the end zone on a bootleg to the right side with 8:30 to go in the fourth.

After Manning's touchdown, Jones-Drew took the ensuing kickoff 41 yards to set Jacksonville up with good field position. Leftwich was able to move the Jaguars up the field with a series of passes and made it a 21-14 game when he found Jones-Drew for a seven-yard touchdown pass with 3:32 remaining in the game.

The Colts moved the chains once on their resulting drive as they tried to run out the clock, but had to punt with just over one minute remaining. Leftwich, though, was intercepted by Mike Doss on the drive's second play and the Colts then ran the clock out to preserve the win.

'I saw the wind up and made a break on the ball,' said Doss.

Jacksonville used a successful running attack to wear down the Colts in the first half, but ended up having little to show for it.

Jones-Drew rushed for 87 yards in the first half, while Taylor added 66 yards. Overall, Jacksonville outgained the Colts 156-10 in the first two quarters and the Jaguars held the ball for 24:31 in the first half compared to just 5:29 for the Colts.

After Taylor and Jones-Drew helped move the ball to the Colts four-yard line on their opening drive, Leftwich avoided a pass rush, shook a tackle and scampered into the end zone with 7:31 remaining in the first. That 11-play, 78-yard march ate up 7:29 of clock.

'We knew it was gonna be a dogfight,' said Taylor. 'We prepared for that. We know we're gonna have those types of games. I would be making a lot of player excuses if I said they were the better team.'

The Jaguars punted on their third possession and it was the Colts' special teams who got them on the board as Terrence Wilkins fielded Chris Hanson's punt at the 18-yard line, broke a tackle up the middle of the field and then darted up the right sideline for an 82-yard touchdown return 3:18 into the second quarter.

'Terrence's return, obviously all eleven of those guys on that punt return team contributed to that play,' said Manning. 'That was a real lift for us. We were a little slow starting offensively.'

Jacksonville continued to put the ball in the hands of Taylor and Jones-Drew, who combined with a roughing the passer call, moved the Jaguars down to the Colt five. Taylor, though, was contained on two straight running plays and Leftwich was then stuffed on a quarterback keeper out of the shotgun to bring up a fourth down.

Scobee then saw his 24-yard field goal try hit off the left upright to keep it 7-7.

The Colts came out firing in the third as Manning converted a 3rd-and-3 with a 38-yard completion to Harrison. Three plays later, the Colts' offensive line gave Manning plenty of time and the QB found a wide open Clark in front of the end zone for a 30-yard touchdown pass to cap a seven-play, 80-yard march.

Game Notes

Indianapolis kicker Adam Vinatieri was inactive with a groin injury. Martin Gramatica was signed on Sunday to serve as his replacement. Gramatica hit all three of his extra point attempts.

Dungy improved to 7-3 against Jacksonville.

Scobee had converted a field goal in 10 straight games which was one game short of tying Mike Hollis for the team record.

Manning needs one more touchdown pass for 250 in his career.

© 2006 The Sports Network