Colts win, move into tie for AFC South lead

INDIANAPOLIS - Peyton Manning has the Colts right back in playoff position.

The four-time league MVP threw two TD passes yesterday, avoided throwing an interception for the second straight game, and led Indianapolis to a season-saving 34-24 victory over Jacksonville.

For the Colts (8-6), it was essentially win or forget about the playoffs. The win moved them into a tie for the AFC South lead with the Jags (8-6), squared the head-to-head tiebreaker, and put Indy in position to clinch a seventh division title in eight years by winning its final two games.

For Jacksonville, it was more frustration against the team it has been chasing for almost a decade. A victory would have clinched the Jags' first AFC South crown, and now they'll need help to win it.

Manning delivered one of his most efficient performances of the season. He was 29-for-39 for 229 yards and was helped by the Colts' suddenly resurgent ground game. Indy finished with 155 yards rushing, its third-highest total of the season. Donald Brown scored on a 43-yard run and ran 14 times for a career-high 129 yards, the first 100-yard game of his two-year career.

The Jags cut it to 27-24 on a 1-yard TD to Mike Sims-Walker right after the 2-minute warning but Indy took the ensuing onside kick back for a score. - AP