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Manning, Colts rally to stun Texans

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10/05/2008 - Houston, TX (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Peyton Manning's five-yard touchdown pass to Reggie Wayne with just under two minutes to go capped a furious Indianapolis comeback as the Colts stunned Houston, 31-27.

Trailing 27-10 late in the fourth quarter, the Colts (2-2) scored 21 unanswered points during a span of two minutes and 10 seconds to win the game.

After struggling mightily, the Indianapolis offense finally showed a sense of urgency and got back on the scoreboard by going 11 plays and 81 yards, culminating with a seven-yard Manning to Tom Santi TD pass on a fourth down play, making it 27-17 with just over four minutes left.

The Texans (0-4) should have put away the game after securing an onsides kick but Sage Rosenfels, who was starting for the ill Matt Schaub, let Indianapolis right back in the game when he went airborne while trying to run for a first down. Raheem Brock put his shoulder into Rosenfels and spun him around in the air, forcing a fumble. Gary Brackett scooped up the ball and raced 68 yards for a TD to make it a field goal game, 27-24, with 3:36 on the clock.

Rosenfels' nightmare continued on the next possession when Robert Mathis chased him down from behind on a third down play, forcing another fumble and recovering it at the Houston 20. After Joseph Addai busted up the middle for 15 yards, Manning hit Wayne, who made a brilliant one-handed circus catch on a fade pass, to put Indianapolis back in front, 31-27, with 1:54 remaining.

The Colts finally secured things when Melvin Bullitt intercepted Rosenfels with 42 seconds left.

"That game certainly ran the whole gamut of emotions for us," Colts coach Tony Dungy said. "I've never been involved in one quite like that where we played the first 10 minutes pretty well, not too well in between, then the last four we played with some passion and intensity and got some breaks to win it. The one thing that was positive was we hung in there. We played all the way through. That's what the NFL is all about. You have to play 60 minutes."

The contest was the first game at Reliant Stadium this season. Hurricane Ike ravaged the area and damaged the roof of the stadium, forcing the postponement of Week 2's game against the Baltimore Ravens.

Manning completed 25-of-34 passes for 247 yards with two TDs and an interception for the Colts, who were on the verge of losing for the third time in four games after losing only three games during the entire 2007 season.

Addai ran for 71 yards and a TD on 17 carries and Wayne finished with seven receptions for 97 yards and the TD.

Rosenfels connected on 21-of-33 passes for 246 yards with a TD and a pick for the Texans, who have lost 12 of 13 versus the Colts in franchise history.

"I had a great game but all the mistakes cost us and I was the cause of those mistakes," Rosenfels said.

"We had it," Houston guard Chester Pitts added. "We played so well for three quarters. To have that one slip away like that, that's hard to swallow. I felt that I was so excited. I was so glad to kick their butts finally. We let it slip away at the end. You have to finish the game."

Rookie Steve Slaton rushed for 93 yards and two touchdowns on 16 carries, while Ahman Green added another 47 yards rushing on 12 carries. Andre Johnson had nine receptions for 131 yards and a score.

Indianapolis took the opening kickoff and moved down the field with a nice mix of the run and pass before bogging down at the Houston 28. Adam Vinatieri came on from there and booted a 46-yard field goal to give the Colts an early 3-0 edge with just under 10 minutes to go in the opening quarter.

After the Indianapolis defense forced a three-and-out, Manning went right back to work using the short passing game. Just as the Houston defense started pressing and jumping routes, Manning went over the top and found Wayne for a 36-yard gain to the Texans nine. Three plays later Addai took it in from a yard out and the Colts had a 10-0 edge with 2:16 left in the opening quarter.

The Texans finally got going in the second quarter as Rosenfels completed four straight passes to move the ball all the way to the Indianapolis 13. The running game took over from there as Green pounded the ball inside the 10 before a pass interference call on Marlon Jackson put the ball at the Colts doorstep. Slaton did the rest, taking it in from a yard out and Houston was right back in the game, 10-7, with 12:06 left before the half.

Johnson used his size and speed to put the Texans in a position to even the game. The wide receiver took a simple slant route 39 yards to the Indianapolis 21. The Colts defense stiffened from there but Kris Brown spilt the uprights from 37 yards out to deadlock the game at 10-10 with a little over seven minutes on the clock in the second quarter.

Houston continued to dominate the second quarter thanks to Rosenfels sharp play. The signal-caller led the team on a nine-play, 61-yard drive to give the Texans their first lead. He finished by hitting Johnson on consecutive plays, a 19-yard gain followed by a five-yard TD strike to make it a 17-10 game with just 27 seconds left in the half.

A time-consuming 15-play drive gave Houston some breathing room, 20-10, when Brown nailed a 43-yard field goal with 21 seconds left in the third quarter.

The Texans continued to play well on both sides of the ball and found themselves in scoring position again when Slaton ripped off a 41-yard run to the Colts 20. A few plays later, Slaton found paydirt with a one-yard TD run, putting Houston on top 27-10 with just 8:18 left in the contest.

"It was one of those things that was quite a shock," Dungy said. "It was really just unbelievable. They scored to go up 27-10, and you're just disappointed we didn't stop them. You're feeling like we just didn't do the job on defense. Then, with our offensive guys you know you can score quickly."

Game Notes

Schaub spent Saturday night in an area hospital with a virus but was active for the game...NFL commissioner Roger Goodell was on hand. It was his first visit to a Texans game since he became commissioner prior to the 2006 season...Reliant Stadium, a retractable roof facility, will keep the roof open for the remainder of the Texans' schedule due to the storm-related damage.