INDIANAPOLIS (AP) -Here is a game-by-game look at the Indianapolis Colts\’ 20-game regular-season winning streak that has them on the verge of tying the New England Patriots\’ NFL-record 21-game run from 2006-08:
Nov. 2, 2008
COLTS 18, PATRIOTS 15
INDIANAPOLIS – With Tom Brady out, Peyton Manning still trying to get in sync and the Colts off to an uncharacteristic 3-4 start, Indy desperately needed a win. Manning delivered by throwing for 254 yards and two TDs, and the Colts forced two turnovers. Kicker Adam Vinatieri, the ex-Patriot who is still the franchise\’s career scoring leader, made a 52-yard field goal with 6:55 left to beat his former team. It was Vinatieri\’s longest field goal since Nov. 10, 2002.
Nov. 9, 2008
COLTS 24, STEELERS 20
-yard TD pass to Dominic Rhodes with 3:04 left. It was the only lead Indy had all day, and when Melvin Bullitt picked off Ben Roethlisberger\’s throw in the end zone as time expired, the Colts had their first win in Pittsburgh since 1968.
Nov. 16, 2008
COLTS 33, TEXANS 27
INDIANAPOLIS – The masterful Manning was at his efficient best. Indy scored on five consecutive possessions, wiping out Houston\’s early 13-6 lead and adding to the Texans\’ frustration in this series. Manning took the Colts on drives of 66, 81, 80, 73 and 69 yards, rekindling memories of Indianapolis\’ 17-point comeback at Houston a month earlier. And Houston wasted a team-record 156-yard rushing day from Steve Slaton. For the second straight week, Bullitt sealed it with a late interception.
Nov. 23, 2008
COLTS 23, CHARGERS 20
SAN DIEGO – After losing Pro Bowl center Jeff Saturday on the third series of the game, Manning and Vinatieri lifted the Colts again. One year after throwing six interceptions in San Diego, Manning helped the Colts score 17 straight points to take a 20-10 lead. But the Colts needed another long field, 51 yards from Vinatieri as time expired, to win No. 4.
Nov. 30, 2008
COLTS 10, BROWNS 6
d up a fumble and returned it 37 yards for a touchdown with 5:15 left, giving the Colts their fifth straight victory and keeping them in the wild-card hunt. Indy extended its November winning streak to seven, dating to 2007, and won the five games by a combined total of 20 points.
Dec. 7, 2008
COLTS 35, BENGALS 3
INDIANAPOLIS – New month, new script. Kelvin Hayden picked off two Bengals passes, returning one for a TD and setting up another TD as the Colts produced their most lopsided win of the season. Indy had five sacks and four takeaways, and Manning threw for three TDs, becoming the first player in league history to start his career with 11 straight 3,000-yard seasons. But Tennessee\’s victory officially clinched the AFC South title, ending the Colts\’ five-year reign atop the division.
Dec. 14, 2008
COLTS 31, LIONS 21
INDIANAPOLIS – In a game that pitted the league\’s hottest team against the NFL\’s only winless team, this one almost got away. Daunte Culpepper and Calvin Johnson had a field day against the Colts, hooking up nine times for 110 yards and one TD and throwing a major scare into the Colts\’ playoffs hopes. Manning responded by leading Indianapolis on drives of 88 and 67 yards to break a 21-21 tie in the fourth quarter. Rhodes scored on a 1-yard plunge and Vinatieri\’s 31-yard field goal in the final minute kept The Streak alive.
08
COLTS 31, JAGUARS 24
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – On an emotional night in Jacksonville, Manning was back in his old form. He completed his first 17 passes, led the Colts on two fourth-quarter scoring drives, and Keiwan Ratliff returned an interception 35 yards with 4:48 left for the winning score. The Colts scored the final 17 points after trailing 24-14, ruining the excitement of Richard Collier\’s appearance at the game. The Jaguars\’ offensive lineman was paralyzed from the waist down in a September shooting.
Dec. 28, 2008
COLTS 23, TITANS 0
INDIANAPOLIS – OK, maybe the least impressive of the bunch. With playoff spots already locked up and seeding locked in, both teams rested most of the starters. Indy played Manning just long enough to top 4,000 yards passing, Marvin Harrison hung around long enough to pass Cris Carter for second on the career receptions list, and Indianapolis produced its first shutout of the Manning era. It gave the Colts a sixth straight 12-win season, the NFL\’s longest string. It also turned out to be the home finale for Harrison (released in February) and coach Tony Dungy (retired in January).
Sept. 13, 2009
COLTS 14, JAGUARS 12
change. Longtime offensive coordinator Tom Moore and offensive line coach Howard Mudd were both back on the sideline after briefly retiring in May. On the field, the results looked familiar. Manning threw for 301 yards, Wayne caught 10 passes for 162 yards and Indy\’s defense snuffed out Jacksonville\’s last-minute chance to rally.
Sept. 21, 2009
COLTS 27, DOLPHINS 23
MIAMI – Call it The Wild(cat) Game. Miami used its favorite formation to keep the ball for more than 45 minutes. Perfect ploy, right? Nope. Manning hooked up with Dallas Clark for an 80-yard TD to open the game, led the Colts to five scores in eight possessions, and rallied the Colts with a 48-yard TD pass to little-known Pierre Garcon in the fourth quarter. Indy had the lowest possession time of any winning team since 1977, when the stat was first kept, and Manning tied John Unitas\’ franchise record for career wins (119).
Sept. 27, 2009
COLTS 31, CARDINALS 10
GLENDALE, Ariz. – Billed as The Duel in the Desert between multiple MVP winners, Manning and Kurt Warner, the game turned into a lopsided contest. Manning topped 300 yards for the third straight game, threw four TD passes and the Cardinals\’ offense got stuck in neutral. Indy rushed for 126 yards in Manning\’s first career appearance in Arizona, where his brother, Eli, upset New England in the Super Bowl.
Oct. 4, 2009
EAHAWKS 17
INDIANAPOLIS – Edgerrin James made his first return to Indianapolis since leaving as a free agent following the 2005 season. Things looked awfully familiar. Manning threw for 353 yards and two TDs, tying Fran Tarkenton for No. 3 on the career TD chart. Seattle scored two touchdowns late after trailing 34-3, but Caldwell joined Lindy Infante as the only coaches in franchise history to open 4-0.
Oct. 11, 2009
COLTS 31, TITANS 9
NASHVILLE, Tenn. – The Colts went to Tennessee trying to re-establish their dominance in the AFC South. They left with a host of records. Manning passed Tarkenton on the TD list, the Colts set a franchise record with 14 straight wins, and Manning\’s fifth straight 300-yard game put him on the verge of matching that NFL record, too. Oh, by the way, Caldwell became the sixth rookie coach since the 1970 merger to start 5-0.
Oct. 25, 2009
COLTS 42, RAMS 6
ST. LOUIS – No rust here. After a bye week, Indy built a 21-3 halftime lead, Manning threw three more TDs and passed Warren Moon for fourth on the career completions list. Cornerback Jacob Lacey scored his first career TD on an interception return. Indy became the 10th team in league history to win 16 in a row, but Manning\’s streak of 300-yard games ended because the Colts ran the ball late rather than running up the numbers.
Nov. 1, 2009
14
INDIANAPOLIS – Running back Joseph Addai threw a 22-yard TD pass to Reggie Wayne on the first play of the fourth quarter, rallying the Colts from a 14-9 halftime deficit. It was Indy\’s only touchdown of the game as it extended the NFL record of consecutive seasons with a seven-game winning streak to six. Caldwell became the first rookie coach in the Super Bowl era to start 7-0, and Dwight Freeney tied the franchise record with a sack in his eighth straight game.
Nov. 8, 2009
COLTS 20, TEXANS 17
INDIANAPOLIS – Indy maintained its dominance over Houston, taking control of the AFC South when Kris Brown missed a 42-yard field goal on the last play of the game. Indy jumped to a 13-0 lead, then watched Houston score 17 straight points. But for the second straight week, Manning answered with a fourth-quarter comeback, capped by Addai\’s 2-yard run. Caldwell became the first rookie coach to start 8-0 since Potsy Clark in 1931 and Freeney recorded a sack in his ninth straight game, one short of the NFL record.
Nov. 15, 2009
COLTS 35, PATRIOTS 34
lts on two 79-yard TD drives in the fourth quarter, getting the Colts within 31-21 and then within 34-28. So when Belichick\’s gamble failed, Manning calmly ran down the clock before throwing a 1-yard TD pass to Wayne for the winner. Brady had time for only one play after the score, and Belichick spent the next week explaining his decision. Win No. 18 tied the 2003-04 Pats for second-longest streak in league history.
Nov. 22, 2009
COLTS 17, RAVENS 15
BALTIMORE – The Colts went back to their old hometown with plenty on the line. Dallas Clark broke John Mackey\’s franchise record for receptions by a tight end with a nifty one-handed TD grab. But the defense forced the Ravens to settle for field goals all day, something that eventually came back to haunt the Ravens almost as much as their offseason decision to let kicker Matt Stover go. Stover, replacing the injured Vinatieri, made a 25-yard field goal with 7:02 to go, giving Indy the lead and the game. Indy became the first team since 1950 to win four straight games with fourth-quarter comebacks.
Nov. 29, 2009
COLTS 35, TEXANS 27
t lead, 21-20. Clint Session followed that with a 26-yard interception return and Chad Simpson sealed it with a TD run following Matt Schaub\’s fumble, an eerie resemblance to the 2008 comeback in Houston. Indy\’s 20th straight win overall, 12th straight in November, gave it the AFC South title for the sixth time in seven years. Only three other teams since 1990 clinched a division by Game 11. Manning also passed John Elway for third on the career completions list.