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HOUSTON — The AFC South champion Indianapolis Colts have made comebacks a habit 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 Houston 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.
Manning and the Colts kept their composure after falling behind in the first half.
“We don’t get overexcited certainly when things aren’t going the way we want them to,” Manning said. “We don’t panic, we don’t yell, we don’t throw helmets. We just try to put the series behind us and move on to the next one. There was a lot of that (Sunday).”
Manning threw two first-half interceptions, but had a pair of second-half TD passes, including a 6-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 thrown by Matt Schaub 27 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.
“If you doubt, you’re done,” Colts receiver Reggie Wayne said. “It’s just like showing a bad poker face. If they see that, you’re in trouble. Guys just stick with it. We knew the defense was going to pick it up. We know we have to take care of the offense and get some drives going.”
Houston, which has lost three straight, was all but unstoppable in the first half, and the Texans scored on their first four possessions. It was a different story after halftime, with the Texans unable to get anything going offensively until Schaub hit Jacoby Jones for a touchdown with 18 seconds remaining.
“This isn’t the first time this has happened to us,” Texans receiver Andre Johnson said. “It’s just real frustrating. I’m very upset with myself. It’s kind of sounding like a broken record, we’ve just got to find a way to play for four quarters.”
The Colts’ first lead came on Manning’s touchdown pass to Clark. In what was a theme Sunday, the drive was helped by a 17-yard pass interference penalty on Houston. The Texans were penalized 10 times for 129 yards.
Falcons’ Ryan, Turner injured in victory
Atlanta lost offensive stars Matt Ryan and Michael Turner to injuries Sunday, and the Falcons wouldn’t say how serious they are.
Ryan, the second-year quarterback, hurt his right big toe on Atlanta’s first series in a 20-17 victory over Tampa Bay. Turner reinjured his right ankle during the third quarter, a high sprain that had kept the running back out of the previous game and limited him in practice.
Ÿ Receiver DeSean Jackson suffered a concussion in Philadelphia’s 27-24 win over Washington. Eagles coach Andy Reid said Jackson did not lose consciousness and would need further evaluation.
Ÿ Eagles tight end Brent Celek sprained his thumb. The Eagles said X-rays were negative. Celek told a teammate he has torn ligaments in one of his hands after dropping three passes.
Ÿ Linebacker Shawne Merriman left San Diego’s 43-14 win over the Chiefs with a foot injury.
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