INDIANAPOLIS—

The Indianapolis Colts scored a touchdown in the final minute to stun AFC South rivals Houston 19-16 at Lucas Oil Stadium on Thursday.

It was the second consecutive win for the Colts, who lost their first 13 games of a miserable season. The Texans (10-5), who have already clinched the division, suffered their second loss in a row.

With several key players out with injuries both teams struggled offensively, scoring one touchdown each.

The Colts continue to miss quarterback Peyton Manning, who has been out following off-season neck surgery and were without tight end Dallas Clark.

The Texans started T.J. Yates in place of injured quarterbacks Matt Schaub and Matt Leinhart and wide receiver Andre Johnson remains out with a hamstring injury.

Dan Orlovsky, starting in place of Manning, led the Colts on a 12-play, 78-yard scoring drive in the final two minutes of the game, capping the drive with a one-yard pass to Reggie Wayne in the corner of the end zone with 19 seconds left.

“He walks by my locker every day and says: ‘Throw left,’” Orlovsky told reporters. “He walked by me in pre-game tonight and said: ‘Throw left.’ I think he deserved the opportunity.”

The Texans scored their touchdown in the opening minute.

Brian Cushing sacked Orlovsky on the first play of the game and two plays later Arian Foster scored on a nine-yard run.

“I’ve got to give them a lot of credit,” Texans head coach Gary Kubiak said. “Dan (Orlovsky) did a great job on that last series.

“If we had made one more play on offense, or one more play on defense, we wouldn’t be having this conversation.”

In between the two touchdowns, the teams settled for field goals with Colts kicker Adam Vinatieri connecting on four of five attempts while Neil Rackers was three-for-three for the Texans.

So here’s what we know now about your Indianapolis Colts, who are still awful but no longer epically awful:

1. Bad mojo apparently takes a day off once in awhile.

2. Or not.

No. 1 is true because, from the time Adam Vinatieri gave the Colts their first lead since the outbreak of World War II (OK, their first lead in more than 500 minutes, then), Sunday was clearly their day. Reggie Wayne, missing for weeks, scored a touchdown. Jacob Lacey, missing for life, had a pick six. And on Donald Brown’s game-sealing 80-yard jailbreak, Dan Orlovsky sprung him with a block that looked for all the world like he was just trying not to get hurt.

So, Colts 27, Titans 13, and good for them. The 0-16 2008 Lions and 0-14 1976 Tampa Bay Buccaneers can bust out the champagne, their record of wall-to-wall futility secure.

However, sometimes bad mojo only looks as if it’s taking a day off. Which brings us to No. 2.

By winning, and doing so in a way that suggests it was no fluke, the Colts have put themselves in jeopardy of a reverse 2009 – i.e., instead of willfully surrendering an undefeated season, they might be willfully surrendering presumptive No. 1 draft pick Andrew Luck, the Stanford quarterback. They’re now just a game ahead of the Rams and the Vikings in the race to the bottom – and, brothers and sisters, the Rams and the Vikings are coming on weak.

Sunday, the Vikings got smoked like a country ham by the Saints, 42-20, an impressively lily-livered showing. And the Rams displayed an equally impressive will to die against the Bengals, losing 20-13 in a game the Rams actually led 6-3 at halftime.

So, it’s on like Donkey Kong. The Rams are at Pittsburgh this week, another sure loss, and then they finish against the 49ers, yet another. The Vikings are at the Redskins, who just blistered the Giants, and then are home to the cliff-diving Bears.

The Colts, meanwhile, get a Texans team that’s already clinched the division and can’t much affect its playoff status win or lose. Then they finish at Jacksonville, where the 4-10 Jaguars have nothing to play for except getting the season over with.

It doesn’t take more than six hits to the head from James Harrison to see 3-13 coming out of that. Which means the Rams might be the leader in the clubhouse right now in the Race for Luck.

And, yes, I know what you’re thinking about that: Would it really be such a bad thing if the Colts played their way out of Luck?

It’s a school of thought that will gain steam now, especially with the Colts opting to play it safe by shutting down Peyton Manning. And while part of me gets that school of thought, most of me doesn’t.

Most of me thinks that no matter how carefully the Colts bring along Manning, his tread’s all but gone. He’s had three neck surgeries, including a spinal fusion, and he’s on the downhill side of 35. Fine crystal is less fragile.

So given a choice between 1-15 and Luck or 3-13 and, say, Robert Griffin III, I’ll take door No. 1. I’ll take the Next Franchise Quarterback, and “Good luck in free agency” for the current one.

The future, see, is all that matters in the NFL. And it has no truck with sentiment.

Especially now. Especially in Indianapolis.

Note: The opinions expressed here are my takes on each player’s individual matchup. As always, use your best judgment and conduct your own research on who to start or bench each week. You know your individual team and/or league situation better than anyone else.

Dan Orlovsky, QB

Averaging just 14.70 fantasy points per game in the last four weeks, Orlovsky is not the fantasy quarterback you want on your team leading you in the playoffs. He scored just 8.44 fantasy points last week against the Baltimore Ravens but looks to have a better matchup this week against the Tennessee Titans. Tennessee is giving up 15.54 fantasy points per game to quarterbacks this season but even if he were to hit his average, confidence is low during the playoffs when solid games are necessary.

Donald Brown, RB

Averaging 9.80 fantasy points per game in the last four weeks, Brown has been a surprise performer for owners in deeper leagues. He had a tough game against the Ravens last week scoring only 2.20 fantasy points but looks to rebound this week against the Titans. Tennessee is allowing 18.41 fantasy points per game to running backs this season but much like Orlovsky, my confidence in him during the playoffs is slim. RB Joseph Addai is also back in action but remains unreliable for the rest of the season.

Reggie Wayne, WR

Averaging 9.30 fantasy points per game in the last four weeks, Wayne remains one Indianapolis Colts player I am confident in throughout the fantasy playoffs. He scored just 4.10 fantasy points last week against a tough Ravens team but looks to rebound this week against the Titans. Tennessee is giving up 17.61 fantasy points per game to wide receivers this season, so while he is not expected to have a huge game, he is a reliable No. 3 receiver this week.

Pierre Garcon, WR

Averaging 11.70 fantasy points per game in the last four weeks, Garcon is undoubtedly the best fantasy player on the Colts’ team. While he scored only 4.60 fantasy points last week against the Ravens, he has a good matchup against the Titans and remains Orlovsky’s top target. His risk lies only in the fact Orlovsky is under center.

Jacob Tamme, TE

Both Tamme and TE Dallas Clark should not be given any consideration during the fantasy playoffs. While Tamme did score 7.30 fantasy points last week, it was due to a single 13-yard touchdown reception.

Adam Vinatieri, K

Averaging just 5.50 fantasy pointsper game in the last four weeks, Vinatieri is best suited on the waiver wire for the remainder of the season. It is sad for a kicker who has had such a great career, but history does not translate into fantasy points when gunning for a league championship.

Defense

Averaging 4.30 fantasy points per game in the last four weeks, the Colts’ team defense belongs on the waiver wire with Vinatieri for the remainder of the season.

Sources:

All data provided by Yahoo! Sports Fantasy Football

Paul Rados is an avid fantasy football participant and a Featured Contributor for the Yahoo! Contributor Network. Follow him on Twitter @PSRados or leave him a message on Facebook. For a complete look at his freelance work please visit his Blog.

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By DAVID GINSBURG
AP Sports Writer

BALTIMORE (AP) – The Baltimore Ravens continue to win without their defensive leader. The Indianapolis Colts are running out of time in their bid to get a single victory without their offensive captain.

Terrell Suggs had three sacks and forced three fumbles, and the Ravens moved closer to securing their fourth straight trip to the postseason by defeating the winless Colts 24-10 Sunday.

Playing a fourth straight game without middle linebacker Ray Lewis, Baltimore (10-3) sacked Dan Orlovsky four times and allowed only 53 yards through the first three quarters. The Ravens are 4-0 while Lewis nurses a sore right toe, and the defense should get even better when he finally returns.

“Right now I think we’re all just doing our part holding the levee until the general gets back,” Suggs said. “That’s why I honestly think we’re playing the way we are.”

Joe Flacco threw two touchdown passes and Ray Rice ran for 103 yards and a score to help the Ravens improve to 7-0 at home. Baltimore is tied with Pittsburgh for the lead in the AFC North, but the Ravens hold the tiebreaker because of their two wins over the Steelers.

“We have control of our own destiny,” Rice said. “We’re in the driver’s seat. As long as we keep winning, we’ll be fine.”

The Colts, on the other hand, just keep losing. Indianapolis (0-13) has three games left to nab a victory and avoid joining the 2008 Detroit Lions as the only NFL teams to finish 0-16.

“We need to find a way to get our team better so we can get a victory,” coach Jim Caldwell said. “And not just one. We’re running out of time.”

The Ravens had lost eight straight to Indianapolis, but that was when Peyton Manning was healthy and at the top of his game. The 11-time Pro Bowl quarterback has yet to play this year because of a neck injury, and his absence has turned a perennial playoff team into a hapless, hopeless crew.

“It’s miserable. It’s not fun,” wide receiver Austin Collie said. “With the few games left, I don’t think we want to end the year on this note.”

Orlovsky, the third Colts quarterback to start this season, went 17 for 37 for 136 yards and an interception. He was sacked four times and hounded throughout the game by Suggs.

“He’s as good a pass rusher as I’ve played against,” Orlovsky said. “I can’t say anything bad about him as a football player.”

Suggs attributed Baltimore’s success to the schemes set in place by Chuck Pagano, who’s in his first season as Baltimore’s defensive coordinator. To emphasize the point, Suggs sarcastically made Pagano out to be clueless.

“If anybody trying to hire a head coach asks me, I’m going to tell them he (stinks),” Suggs said. “He’s a terrible coach and his players don’t love him. He don’t know what he’s doing when he’s calling a game.”

The game was far more lopsided than the final score would indicate. Baltimore led 17-3 at halftime and 24-3 in the third quarter, and the Colts drove 76 yards in the final two minutes in a drive that ended with Orlovsky throwing a 13-yard touchdown pass to Jacob Tamme as time expired.

It was quite a drop off after Indianapolis scored 21 points in the fourth quarter at New England one week earlier.

“We were hoping to pick up where we left off,” Tamme said. “But their defense is so tough. They always play well.”

The Ravens needed less than five minutes to take the lead for good. After the Colts went three-and-out following the opening kickoff, Lardarius Webb returned a punt 27 yards to the Indianapolis 40 and Flacco capped a six-play drive with an 8-yard touchdown pass to Torrey Smith.

Baltimore’s next march covered 66 yards over 13 plays and ended with a 36-yard field goal by Billy Cundiff for a 10-0 lead.

The first quarter ended with the Ravens holding a 111-10 advantage in yardage and an 8-1 lead in first downs.

Nothing changed in the second quarter. Baltimore forced a punt and Flacco went 5 for 7 for 54 yards in a 10-play drive that ended with a 6-yard touchdown run by Rice.

Indianapolis finally got into Baltimore territory when Joe Lefeged returned the ensuing kickoff 51 yards. Orlovsky then completed a fourth-down pass to Dallas Clark, and Adam Vinatieri kicked a field goal to make it 17-3 late in the half.

Baltimore went ahead 24-3 with 3:41 left in the third quarter. Flacco rolled to his right and was near the sideline when he threw a 7-yard touchdown pass to Dennis Pitta in the middle of the end zone.

Flacco went 23 for 31 for 227 yards and an interception.

Notes: Suggs has a career-high 13 sacks. … The Colts have only six INTs this season. … Flacco went over 3,000 yards passing and Rice eclipsed 1,000 yards rushing. … Smith’s TD gave him six, tying Jamal Lewis for most by a Ravens rookie. … Indy’s Dwight Freeney had two sacks to go over 100 for his career.

Copyright 2011 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

BALTIMORE – As long as Terrell Suggs continues to go harass
opposing quarterbacks, and if defensive coordinator Chuck Pagano
repeatedly finds the perfect blitzes to call, the Baltimore Ravens
will keep on winning without Ray Lewis.

Suggs had three sacks and forced three fumbles as part of an
overwhelming defensive performance by the Ravens, who kept the
Indianapolis Colts winless with a 24-10 victory Sunday.

Lewis, Baltimore’s standout middle linebacker and longtime
defensive leader, missed a fourth straight game with a right toe
injury. The Ravens (10-3) have won every one of those games.

“Right now I think we’re all just doing our part holding the
levee until the general gets back,” Suggs said. “That’s why I
honestly think we’re playing the way we are.”

Baltimore limited the hapless Colts to 167 yards – just 53
through three quarters. Were it not for a touchdown on the game’s
final play, Indianapolis would have been held without a TD for only
the second time since the 2003 season opener.

Baltimore didn’t recover any of the three fumbles that Suggs
forced, but he harassed Colts quarterback Dan Orlovsky throughout
the afternoon.

“We shut them down early, and then they had to start passing the
ball,” Ravens defensive tackle Haloti Ngata said. “That’s when
Terrell Suggs went crazy.”

Suggs, a movie buff, described the action this way: “It’s chaos
out there. A lot is going on more than you see. It’s like ‘The
Matrix’ out there with a little bit of ‘Inception’. It’s a little
bit crazy.”

Joe Flacco threw two touchdown passes and Ray Rice ran for 103
yards and a score to help the Ravens win their fourth straight and
improve to 7-0 at home. Baltimore is tied with Pittsburgh for the
lead in the AFC North, but the Ravens hold the tiebreaker because
of their two wins over the Steelers.

“We have control of our own destiny,” Rice said. “We’re in the
driver’s seat. As long as we keep winning, we’ll be fine.”

The Ravens had lost eight straight to Indianapolis, but that was
when Peyton Manning was healthy and at the top of his game. He has
yet to play this year because of a neck injury.

Orlovsky, the third Colts quarterback to start this season, went
17 for 37 for 136 yards and an interception. He was sacked four
times and hounded throughout the game by Suggs.

“He’s as good a pass rusher as I’ve played against,” Orlovsky
said of Suggs. “I can’t say anything bad about him as a football
player.”

Suggs attributed Baltimore’s success to the schemes set in place
by Pagano, in his first season as Baltimore’s defensive
coordinator. To emphasize the point, Suggs sarcastically made
Pagano out to be clueless.

“If anybody trying to hire a head coach, if they ask me I’m
going to tell them he (stinks),” Suggs said. “He’s a terrible coach
and his players don’t love him. He don’t know what he’s doing when
he’s calling a game.”

The game was far more lopsided than the final score would
indicate. Baltimore led 17-3 at halftime and 24-3 in the third
quarter, and the Colts drove 76 yards in the final two minutes in a
drive that ended with Orlovsky throwing a 13-yard touchdown pass to
Jacob Tamme as time expired.

Indianapolis has three games left in the season. If the Colts
don’t win, they will join the 2008 Detroit Lions as the only NFL
team to go 0-16 in a season.

“Losing (stinks), no matter what it is,” Orlovsky said. “Whether
it’s football, if it’s rock-paper, none of us like to lose. There’s
nothing fun about losing.”

Colts coach Jim Caldwell said, “We need to find a way to get our
team better so we can get a victory. And not just one. We’re
running out of time.”

The Ravens needed less than five minutes to take the lead for
good. After the Colts went three and out following the opening
kickoff, Lardarius Webb returned a punt 27 yards to the
Indianapolis 40 and Flacco capped a six-play drive with an 8-yard
touchdown pass to Torrey Smith.

Baltimore’s next march covered 66 yards over 13 plays and ended
with a 36-yard field goal by Billy Cundiff for a 10-0 lead.

The first quarter ended with the Ravens holding a 111-10
advantage in yardage and an 8-1 lead in first downs.

Nothing changed in the second quarter. Baltimore forced a punt
and Flacco went 5 for 7 for 54 yards in a 10-play drive that ended
with a 6-yard touchdown run by Rice.

Indianapolis finally got into Baltimore territory when Joe
Lefeged returned the ensuing kickoff 51 yards. Orlovsky then
completed a fourth-down pass to Dallas Clark, and Adam Vinatieri
kicked a field goal to make it 17-3 late in the half.

Baltimore went ahead 24-3 with 3:41 left in the third quarter.
Flacco rolled to his right and was near the sideline when he threw
a 7-yard touchdown pass to Dennis Pitta in the middle of the end
zone.

Flacco went 23 for 31 for 227 yards and an interception.

Notes: Suggs has a career-high 13 sacks. …
The Colts have only six INTs this season. … Flacco went over
3,000 yards passing and Rice eclipsed 1,000 yards rushing. …
Smith’s TD gave him six, tying Jamal Lewis for most by a Ravens
rookie. … Indy’s Dwight Freeney had two sacks to go over 100 for
his career.

© 2011 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.