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November 23, 2009

Indianapolis overcomes three turnovers

By David Ginsburg, The Associated Press The Herald Bulletin Mon Nov 23, 2009, 08:18 AM EST

BALTIMORE — The unbeaten Indianapolis Colts sidestepped another potential obstacle in their march toward NFL history.

The Colts kept Baltimore out of the end zone Sunday and got the go-ahead field goal from former Ravens kicker Matt Stover in a 17-15 victory, their 19th straight win over two seasons.

Indianapolis (10-0) overcame three turnovers, including two interceptions by Peyton Manning. The Colts' 19-game streak is the second-longest in NFL history behind a 21-game run by the New England Patriots (2006-08). In addition, their eight consecutive 10-win seasons ranks second behind San Francisco's 16 (1983-98).

Those records, or thoughts of an unbeaten season, are not overly important to the Colts.

"It's really not on anybody's minds. At least not on my mind," Manning said. "We're relieved we got this win. Obviously, it's a great team effort."

The defense forced a field goal after Baltimore got a first-and-goal at the 1 in the fourth quarter, and linebacker Gary Brackett sealed the win with an interception in the closing minutes.

"We are definitely a bend-but-not-break defense," Brackett said. "They drove a couple of times on us, but we held them to field goals."

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

Manning did his part by throwing a touchdown pass and directing a 60-yard drive before Stover — much to the dismay of the Ravens and their fans — kicked a 25-yard field goal with 7:02 to go. Baltimore (5-5) did not re-sign Stover over the summer, and the move has proven costly.

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

Cundiff tied Stover's team record for field goals in a game. He was signed Wednesday after Baltimore cut an ineffective Steve Hauschka — who originally replaced Stover.

After Stover's field goal made it 17-15, Brackett picked off Joe Flacco's pass at the Indianapolis 13 with 2:42 remaining.

"I made a dumb play and threw an interception in a tight situation," Flacco said.

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

Indianapolis has won its last four games by a combined 10 points. The Colts usually rely on Manning, who fashioned a huge comeback against New England last week, and nearly everyone contributed to this one.

"To be able to come out of this game with a win is huge," rookie coach Jim Caldwell said. "We're not going to ever sneeze at being 10-0, but we're doing it by a small margin these days."

Manning went 22 for 31 for 299 yards with one touchdown and two interceptions. The Colts' other turnover was a fumble by tight end Tom Santi at the Baltimore 4.

Taking advantage of the Colts' injury-depleted defensive backfield, Flacco went 23 for 35 for 256 yards. But he couldn't get Baltimore into the end zone, and that proved costly when the Ravens had to kick a field goal in the fourth quarter after getting a first down at the Indianapolis 1.

"It's frustrating. It's first-and-1 from the 1, you have to put it in," center Matt Birk said. "It's just that simple. I could talk about it for an hour, but it doesn't get any simpler than that."

Manning threw for 192 yards and a touchdown to help Indianapolis take a 14-12 halftime lead.

The Colts moved 87 yards in seven plays after the opening kickoff. A 66-yard completion from Manning to Pierre Garcon set up a 3-yard, one-handed TD catch by tight end Dallas Clark.

Baltimore's Lardarius Webb fumbled the ensuing kickoff, and officials gave the ball to Indianapolis. But the call was overturned following a challenge by Ravens coach John Harbaugh, and Baltimore got a field goal out of the drive.

Interceptions by Dawan Landry and Reed set up field goals by the Ravens, but Joseph Addai put Indianapolis back in front with a 5-yard touchdown run.

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xSeason Recap

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Indianapolis overcomes three turnovers

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