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Colts offensive coordinator Clyde Christensen (right, alongside Peyton Manning) could be a candidate to succeed Mike Martz with the Bears. (Getty Photo)

Running low on time today, i’ll be back tomorrow hopefully with some more news.

TORONTO - 

Who knew that Peyton Manning’s pain in the neck was contagious? It’s turned into an injury that took down the big players in the Indianapolis Colts’ front office.

It’s been hardly a secret for the past decade that Manning’s brilliance as a quarterback was central to the Colts’ steady string of successes, including a Super Bowl title.

Nobody realized, though, how quickly the house of cards constructed by vice-chairman Bill Polian and his son Chris, the club GM, would fall apart without Manning. Both were dismissed Monday.

“It’s a new era,” said owner Jim Irsay during a late-afternoon press conference.

“We’re moving into exciting times by my estimation. The search for a GM begins immediately. We have not talked to any teams or potential GMs yet. This is not like ’97 where we replaced the GM in matter of hours. It will be a matter of time, possibly a couple of weeks.”

After a season without Manning, who has had three neck surgeries in the last year, produced two victories and a chance at the Next Big Thing — Andrew Luck — Irsay came to the conclusion that maybe it was time for some new blood in the Colts’ executive suite.

“It was time,” said Irsay. “It was the right decision to make. Fourteen years is a long time in this league. It’s an intuitive decision. A lot goes into it.”

And, once Irsay gets rolling on this franchise renewal process, the broom could get even broader. He said Monday that head coach Jim Caldwell’s status is still under review.

So, less than 24 hours after the Colts put the capper on a 2-14 season with a loss in Jacksonville, Irsay sent the Polians packing, with the potential for vets like Reggie Wayne, Jeff Saturday, Ryan Diem and Robert Mathis, (all free agents) to follow in the not-too-distant future.

You might even be able to add Manning’s name to that list. The Colts have to decide whether to pick up Manning’s $28-million option in March and if this turns into a total rebuild, then what would Irsay want with a 36-year-old superstar quarterback with health concerns?

That becomes especially problematic if he has Luck waiting in the wings to be the centrepiece of the next generation of Colt excellence.

As far as Bill Polian is concerned, he was the architect of many moves in the late ’90s and into the new century that created the framework around which Manning could work his magic. His hiring of Tony Dungy was a coup, along with the trading of Marshall Faulk and the subsequent draft of Edgerrin James. The Colts won at least 10 games in every season but one from 1999 through 2010.

Unfortunately, the last five Indianapolis drafts have not produced many impact players as the core of the team got older. Still, Polian can be proud of his record that has earned him NFL Executive of the Year honours six times.

He built Super Bowl teams in both Buffalo and Indianapiolis, with a stop in Carolina in between where he constructed a team that went to the NFC title game.

The Colts were a broken franchise when Polian arrived in 1997 but he ended up with the No. 1 draft pick that he used to select Manning, an immediate star, over Ryan Leaf, a massive bust.

It is difficult to predict how the Manning/Luck situation is going to play out. If Irsay, or his new GM, is able to confidently judge that Manning is going to be able to stand the rigors of regular NFL play again, then there is no reason why Luck couldn’t take a backup role for a season or two before growing into the role as Manning fades into the sunset.

Manning has suggested that he could work with a young quarterback.

“I think I can co-exist with any player I’ve ever played with,” Manning told reporters on Sunday. “I think I’ve always been a good teammate in that way.”

The elephant in the room is not so much Luck but the $28 million that must be paid to Manning early in March as part of his contract. There has been talk of a renegotiation — but not by Manning.

The alternative would be to cut Manning but it would be a very sad way to part company with somebody who was, and remains, an Indianapolis icon.

The futures of Wayne, Saturday and Mathis, as well as several other high-priced veterans, probably rest with Manning.

If he is back and ready to play, then the expectation will be there to contend. But if he’s not in the picture, then many of those veterans will not be there, either, as the rebuild begins.

That’s all the news for today.

The Indianapolis Colts finished their dismal 2011 season the same way that they began it, which was by losing to a division rival on the road. Thanks to all that happened in between the opening loss to the Houston Texans and the closing loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars, though, the two games had a distinctively different feel. By the time the Colts took the field in Florida on January 1, fans had long since lost all hopes of Peyton Manning’s return this season, another playoff appearance or virtually anything else positive. In fact, for the first time that I can remember, I found myself rooting hard for the Colts to lose a game so that they could hold onto the first pick in the 2012 NFL draft and the chance to groom another franchise quarterback. The Colts and Jags made it interesting but, in the end, Indianapolis was no match for running back Maurice Jones-Drew and granted me my wish, falling by a final score of 19-13.

The story of this game featured many of the same chapters that the Colts wrote throughout the season. In particular, Jones-Drew rode Indianapolis’s weak run defense to a 169-yard performance that gave him the NFL rushing title with 1606 yards. That total also gave him the Jacksonville franchise record, eclipsing the 1572 yards that Fred Taylor racked up in 2003, and it further cemented the Colts defense as a breeding ground for big running days by the opposition. On the other side of the ball, the Colts couldn’t get their own running game moving, crafting just 56 yards on 22 carries. In a bit of symmetry, Jones-Drew broke Taylor’s mark on a 56-yard carry in the third quarter, matching Indy’s ground output for the day on one glorious play.

On the plus side, quarterback Dan Orlovsky threw for 264 yards and a touchdown, though he did throw two interceptions and was sacked three times. Austin Collie grabbed nine balls for 96 yards and also scored a touchdown, while Reggie Wayne picked up 73 yards in what could be his last game as a Colt. Linebacker Pat Angerer finished his breakout year with another strong performance that included 11 tackles, six of which were solo jobs. Antoine Bethea threw in 10 tackles for good measure (eight solo).

All in all, there wasn’t much positive to take from this game or this season, but at least it’s over now. We can turn our attention in earnest to the rebuilding that lies ahead and the fun of speculating about what the Colts will do with the number-one pick. Should be an interesting 2012.

Adam Hughes was raised, and still lives, in rural Indiana. He has been a Colts fans since the team arrived in Indianapolis on a snowy morning in 1984. The Blue and White eventually replaced the Chicago Bears as his #1 team, and Super Bowl XLI was a dream come true.

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INDIANAPOLIS —
The game — Indianapolis Colts (2-13, 1-3 AFC South) at Jacksonville Jaguars (4-11, 2-3 AFC South), EverBank Field (Grass), Jacksonville, FL, 1 p.m. (EST).

Coverage ­ CBS Sports (Spero Dedes, Steve Beuerlein); Colts Radio Network (Bob Lamey, Will Wolford, Kevin Lee); Sirius NFL Radio Channel 113 (Colts), Channel 112 (Jaguars); XM NFL Radio Channel Channel 233 (Jaguars).

The coaches — Colts: Jim Caldwell (26-21, 3rd year); Jaguars: Mel Tucker (1-3, 1st year). Jim Caldwell has a 3-2 career coaching record against the Jaguars. Tucker is Jacksonville¹s interim head coach and has never faced Indianapolis in his current role.

The series — 22nd regular-season meeting. Colts lead series, 15-6. The Jaguars have posted wins in two of the last three matchups. Indianapolis, though, has won four of the past six and six of the past 10 meetings. The Colts have a 7-3 record against Jacksonville in road games. Six of the last eight games have been decided by a touchdown or less. Seven of the last eight meetings have been decided by 10 points or less. Eight of the last eight matchups have been decided by 14 points or less. Jaguars PK Josh Scobee has provided the margin of victory for Jacksonville in three of the series meetings (53 yards with 0:38 left on 10/24/04; 51 yards with 0:04 left on 9/21/08; and 59 yards with 0:05 left on 10/3/10).

Noting it ­ QB Dan Orlovsky has completed 34-of-58 passes for 326 yards, two touchdowns and no interceptions over the past two weeks in wins over Tennessee and Houston. Orlovsky has a 95 passer rating in fourth quarter as a Colts starter in 2011ŠRB Joseph Addai had two rushing touchdowns in his last meeting at JacksonvilleŠWR Reggie Wayne needs 113 receiving yards to reach 1,000 for the eighth consecutive season. Wayne has 887 receiving yards this seasonŠWayne has caught two touchdown passes in his last two games, wins over AFC South rivals Tennessee and HoustonŠWR Austin Collie has hauled in four touchdown receptions in his past four meetings with the JaguarsŠDE Robert Mathis has registered three sacks, a forced fumble and a fumble recovery in his last two gamesŠMathis needs 1.5 sacks to reach 10 for the fifth time in his NFL career.

Did you know? ­ With Minnesota winning last Saturday against Washington, it’s down to Indy and the Rams as to who will get the No. 1 pick in the 2012 NFL draft. But draft positioning is the farthest thing from the mind of the Colts.

Did you know 2? ­ The Colts have never been swept by an AFC South opponent since the division came into existence in 2002. The Titans and Texans fell the last two weeks and Jacksonville is up next.

Did you know 3? ­ WR Pierre Garcon needs 75 receiving yards to reach 1,000 for the first time in his NFL career. Garcon has six touchdown receptions this year, which ties his single-season best (2010).

Did you know 4? ­ DE Dwight Freeney has recorded nine career sacks against Jacksonville. DE Robert Mathis is aiming for his third straight game with a sack against the Jaguars.

Stat of the week ­ Reggie Wayne has 1,599 receiving yards against the Jaguars, the most against any opponent.

The game plan –  Finish. That’s the goal heading into the Jacksonville game on Sunday.

Finish with a sweep of AFC South teams after knocking off Tennessee and Houston the last two weeks. Finish on offense when you’re in the red zone.

Find a way to punch the ball into the end zone. And finish on defense. Finish the turnaround that started in the second half of the loss to Baltimore.

Simply put, the Colts must be able to have a sustained running game while taking advantage of passing situations. Defensively, Indianapolis has to be able to slow down the Jaguars running game. And they must find a way to force mistakes by a rookie quarterback.

Key matchups –  Colts WR Reggie Wayne vs. the Jaguars secondary. Wayne usually plays well against Jacksonville and he has played well over the last two weeks in wins over the Titans and Texans. Depending on how his offseason contract negotiations go, Sunday’s game with the Jaguars could very well be Wayne’s last in an Indianapolis uniform.

Jaguars QB Blaine Gabbert vs. the Colts’ pass rush. Indianapolis didn’t do a bad overall job against Gabbert earlier in the season, although there were some crucial breakdowns in the second half of that game that allowed the rookie signal caller to break free of the pocket and make some plays downfield. That can’t happen on Sunday.

Colts run defense vs. Jaguars RB Maurice Jones-Drew. Jones-Drew is considered to be the best running back that Indianapolis’ defense faces on a regular basis. He has been tough for the Colts to stop completely. They’ve slowed him down some on occasion, but Indianapolis — who came very close to drafting Jones-Drew in 2006 and teaming him with RB Joseph Addai — has yet to completely shut him down.

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Read More: Indianapolis Colts, Houston Texans

The Indianapolis Colts are actually moving up some of the weekly power rankings. Not only did they upset the division rival Tennessee Titans a couple week ago, they went ahead and beat the division winners, the Houston Texans on Saturday. On top of all of that, they looked good doing it. This is all nothing more than proof that the NFL does not and has never made any bit of sense whatsoever. It’s odd to see a 13-loss team suddenly winning games, but at the very least, they’re now moving up the rankings.

ESPN, for instance, bumps the Colts up one spot:

31. A painful/annoying week ahead for players and coaches dealing with the world asking them if they really want to win. (Kuharsky)

It’s also entertaining to see Kuharsky so obviously silenced by this, that nothing about the Colts themselves is actually written in the spot to give reasoning as to why the Colts are ranked there. Either way, that’s where they fall, ahead of just the lowly St. Louis Rams.

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Read More: Kellen Clemens (QB – STL), Charlie Batch (QB – PIT), Indianapolis Colts, Jacksonville Jaguars, St. Louis Rams

Now that the Indianapolis Colts (2-13) have stumbled into a two-game winning streak, the listless, lifeless St. Louis Rams (2-13) have begun to appear the runt of the NFL. Not only have they hit bottom in the SB Nation Power Rankings, they now are also playing anchor for NBC Sports’ Pro Football Talk:

32. Rams (No. 31; 2-13): Stan Kroenke suddenly may be interested in swapping franchises with Shad Khan.

Indeed, the new owner of Jacksonville Jaguars — Shahid Khan — who had once lobbied unsuccessfully to purchase the Rams, may now bless the fates for leading him to Florida instead of Missouri.

The Rams, coming off their 27-0 drubbing at the brutal hands of the Pittsburgh Steelers (a game in which the Steelers were starting their backup, QB Charlie Batch — age 37), now have the distasteful opportunity of catching the No. 1 overall pick in the 2012 NFL Draft.

With a loss next Sunday against the powerhouse San Francisco 49ers — coupled with a Colts’ victory over the Jaguars — will secure a top pick for the struggling Rams, not that any of the players care. Backups like QB Kellen Clemens will likely be playing for their careers.

Stay tuned to SB Nation St. Louis for more information, and for in-depth analysis on the St. Louis Rams be sure to visit Turf Show Times. Visit SB Nation NFL for more news and notes around the league.

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Read More: Pittsburgh Steelers, Indianapolis Colts, St. Louis Rams

The St. Louis Rams are 2-13 and going nowhere fast, but then again, nobody thought they could drop any further with the Indianapolis Colts insulating them from the bottom of the barrel. Well, the Colts have ripped off two wins in a row and the Rams have now dropped six in a row, so the time has finally come where the Rams have punctuated their nightmare season with the most dubious distinction in the world of NFL Power Rankings. ESPN has released their rankings for Week 17, and the Rams have finally moved down the last spot to No. 32 overall:

32. St. Louis Rams (2-13, LW: 31) – The Rams rushed for 164 yards, committed no turnovers and still got shut out by the Steelers, 27-0. (Sando).

The only ray of hope for Rams fans is that the organization seems intent on moving forward from this by changing the guard, and GM A.J. Smith and former head coach Jon Gruden have been mentioned as possibilities for the team.

Stay tuned to SB Nation St. Louis for more information, and for in-depth analysis on the St. Louis Rams be sure to visit Turf Show Times. Visit SB Nation NFL for more news and notes around the league.

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INDIANAPOLIS —
Are the Indianapolis Colts treating Sunday’s game at Jacksonville as the final game of the season or just the next game on the schedule? 

Despite a 2-13 record, the Colts have plenty on the line – particularly when it comes to draft positioning as well as the future of several key players on the Indianapolis roster. And then there are the questions about what’s going to happen to coach Jim Caldwell and his coaching staff, if anything, once the season is over.

“It is the last game of the year, but also can be used as stepping stones to launch you into the offseason and those kinds of things,” Caldwell explained Monday.

“There are a lot of different things you can sort of talk about in terms of this ball game, but for us it is the next one. What we are trying to do, and [what] we have been trying to do, is get incrementally better, just a little bit better each and every week. I think our guys have been doing that, and this one will also be a challenge to get just a little bit better this week. I think that is indeed the key. And we are going to face an opponent that is doing the exact same thing.”

As for the questions about possible draft positioning, with Minnesota scoring an upset over Washington last Saturday, the Vikings have played themselves out of contention for the No. 1 pick in April’s National Football League draft.

It’s now down to the Colts and St. Louis Rams, who are also 2-13 this season. Due to the league’s tie-breaking procedure, which is strength of schedule, Indianapolis is still the leading contender for the top pick. NFL officials said over the weekend, though, that a Colts win and a St. Louis loss would give the selection to the Rams.

But, again, that could change depending on how teams on both Indianapolis and the Rams’ schedules fare in their games Sunday. According to team vice-chairman Bill Polian, who broached the topic during his weekly Monday night radio show, a final determination won’t be known until after this weekend’s games have been completed.

Caldwell said that the Colts aren’t concerning themselves right now about what might happen in the draft. Their immediate goal is the Jaguars.

Indianapolis has never been swept by an AFC South team since the division was created in 2002 and it doesn’t want to start any precedent now. The Colts are even in the season series with Tennessee and Houston after winning their last two games.

“I do not [worry about the draft]. My job is to win ball games, plain and simple,” the Indianapolis coach said. “[Being swept by a division opponent] hasn’t happened around here in a long time, and I think it is something that they’ve been really focused on and working hard to make certain that it doesn’t happen. That is the real challenge.”

•  Injury list — No decision has been made as to whether tight end Dallas Clark (neck burner), weakside linebacker Philip Wheeler (foot), offensive guard Joe Reitz (ankle) or linebacker A.J. Edds (ankle) will be available to play against the Jaguars Sunday.

“I do know [Clark and Wheeler] are making good progress, but I’m not certain of their status at this point. If [Clark] is not healthy and ready to go, then we won’t (play him),” Caldwell said.

While there is a possibility that Clark could be placed on the team’s injured reserve list if he is unable to play at Jacksonville, no decision has been made.

“We have to do what we think is best for us to win this game, so we’ll look at all phases in that regard,” the Colts coach voiced.

The team is treating the season finale at Jacksonville like any other game in terms of injured players being available.

“There are certain individuals that may have borderline issues,” he said. “But the doctors typically, if [they are] borderline, they are going to rule against [them playing].”

That’s all for today guys, i’ll be back to blog you tomorrow.

Even though they won two games in a row, the Indianapolis Colts can still secure the first overall pick in the NFL Draft if they lose their final game. They defeated the Houston Texans 19-16 on Thursday, December 22. However, the team is still on track to earn that first pick. Many expect that pick to be Stanford Quarterback Andrew Luck. Over the years, the Colts franchise has had a checkered relationship with the number one pick. Here is a look at the top overall picks in Colts history.

George Shaw

Shaw was drafted first overall in 1955. He spent four seasons with the Colts and another four with various teams. He made 17 starts in his first two seasons with the Colts at quarterback. He only made 12 starts in the rest of his career after that.

Bubba Smith

Smith was chosen first overall in 1967. He was not a Hall of Fame player but he did have a nice career in the NFL. He spent five years with the Colts and reached the Pro Bowl two times. He was also part of a Super Bowl winning team. Smith is remembered as one of the more popular defensive linemen in the NFL.

John Elway

Elway had a Hall of Fame career and is regarded as one of the greatest quarterbacks in league history. Unfortunately, he never played a down for the Colts. Elway refused to play for the team out of college and was traded to the Denver Broncos.

Jeff George

George came out of college with a lot of hype. When the Colts selected him first overall, the hope was the he would be a franchise quarterback. But in his four seasons with the team, George never quite lived up to the billing. He did have a long NFL career as a journeyman but never really did enough to make his pick warranted.

Steve Emtman

Emtman was a much hyped defensive lineman when the Colts took him first overall. He was chosen after a strong college career in Washington. After three disastrous years with the Colts, his time was done there. He spent three more years in the league. Emtman had just five sacks in his three seasons with the Colts.

Peyton Manning

There is no question that Manning has been a huge hit as the top overall pick. The Colts chose him in 1998 over Ryan Leaf and they have never looked back. He is on track to break passing record and also brought the team a Super Bowl title. Manning will go down as one of the greatest ever.

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There is the quick update of the day.

Andrew Luck (Getty Images file photo)

MINNEAPOLIS — All that good luck the Indianapolis Colts received on the field these last two weeks could leave them with no Luck when the NFL draft rolls around.

The Colts won two straight games to tie with the Vikings and Rams for the league’s worst record and the chance to take Stanford quarterback Andrew Luck with the No. 1 pick.

With Peyton Manning out for the year with a neck injury, the Colts lost their first 13 games of the season, and most figured Luck could start looking for an Indy-based realtor. Then a funny thing happened — the Colts started winning.

The Colts beat Tennessee two weeks ago for their first win of the season. No big deal, right? They still had a game on two-win teams in Minnesota and St. Louis and didn’t have to deal with the ignominy of going winless for an entire season.

Vikings fans were already dreaming of USC offensive tackle Matt Kalil coming in to protect Christian Ponder and clear a path for Adrian Peterson. With Sam Bradford under center, Rams fans were drooling over the prospects of bringing in Oklahoma State’s Justin Blackmon as a stud receiver.

Then the Colts went out and won on Thursday night against the playoff-bound Texans.

All of a sudden some Colts fans have an entirely different pain in their necks. Now all three teams are tied for the fewest wins in the league, with the Vikings and Rams still to play this weekend.

The Associated Press

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The Indianapolis Colts have struggled in 2011. The opened the season 0-13 and looked as if they had a possibility of going winless on the season. Then the team dug in and won two games in a row to move to 2-13 on the season. Through the ups and downs, Reggie Wayne has always been there and has had a very good season.

Indianapolis’ statistics are down across the board on offense from what fans are used to seeing. Peyton Manning has not played this season and the quarterback play has been just awful. Kerry Collins and Curtis Painter were downright awful for the first 11 games of the season. Dan Orlovsky has been a big improvement and has the team playing better football lately.

Even with the poor quarterback play, Reggie Wayne has hung in there and is quietly having a very good season at 33 years old. A lot of talk has been made recently about Wayne’s upcoming free agency and that the December 22 matchup against the Houston Texans could have been his last game at Lucas Oil Stadium. If it was, Wayne didn’t disappoint. He didn’t disappoint this entire season when you factor in what he’s had to play through.

With one game left to play, Wayne has 67 receptions for 887 yards and four touchdowns on the season. Wayne has an average of 13.2 yards per catch which is higher than his averages of the last two seasons. You can’t fault Wayne for the fact that his quarterbacks have been awful and have not been able to get him the ball.

Indianapolis has two wins on the season and both wins were clinched with touchdown catches by Reggie Wayne. This is no coincidence.

Reggie needs 113 yards in the finale against the Jacksonville Jaguars on January 1 to finish off his eighth straight season with over 1,000 yards receiving. This would be an amazing feat when fans look back on this seasons Indianapolis Colt team.

Wide receiver Pierre Garcon currently has one more catch and 37 more yards on the season than Wayne. Garcon has been the beneficiary of several deep balls early in the season and yardage that has been added on late in blowout losses. Wayne has consistently made the big plays and catches in key situations. Anyone who argues that Garcon has become the better player is simply not watching the games.

It’s impossible to say what would have been in Indianapolis if Peyton Manning had not missed the season. What I do know is that Reggie Wayne has not lost a step and deserves to be re-signed in Indianapolis to complete his career there. If anything, he needs to be rewarded for the work he has put in over the last 11 seasons. Fans have to appreciate the work Reggie Wayne has put in all season in 2011.

Kyle Rapoza is a Featured Contributor for the Yahoo! Contributor Network and has been a lifelong fan of the Indianapolis Colts. He attended Super Bowl XLIV in Miami and follows the team closely. Follow him on Twitter @kyler11.

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The Houston Texans can’t beat the Indianapolis Colts on the road. Even with the Colt sitting at 1-13 and the Texans already secured a playoff spot, Houston managed to lose. The loss dropped Houston’s record in Indianapolis to 0-10. They now have the second worst active road record against one opponent without a win. Houston’s missed opportunity keeps on this dubious list a little longer. Here are the worst active road losing streaks for one team against one opponent without a win in the regular season.

San Diego Chargers – 14 losses versus Pittsburgh Steelers

This is an interesting streak. While the Chargers are 0-14 against Pittsburgh in the regular season on the road, they have actually won twice there in the playoffs. Still, this list is about the regular season and the Chargers just don’t win in Pittsburgh. The streak began back in 1971. The Chargers have been close a few times but they have also been blown out a few times. The worst loss was a 52-24 pounding in 1984.

Houston Texans – 10 losses versus Indianapolis Colts

Houston is just 3-17 overall against the Colts. All three wins came at home. They have missed some opportunities to end their skid in Indianapolis. They led into the final minute of the 2011 game before losing. They also lost one score games in 2008 and 2009.

Minnesota Vikings – Nine losses versus Indianapolis Colts

The Vikings have never won a road game against the Colts. That counts nine regular season games and one playoff game. Most of those losses occurred when the Colts played in Baltimore. Only two of the losses have come since the team moved to Indianapolis. The Vikings lost by a field goal there in 2004 and were crushed in 2000. The last time they faced the Colts on the road before that was 1968. Minnesota went 5-0 against the Colts at home between those years.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers – Seven losses versus Tennessee Titans

The Buccaneers have not fared well on the road against the Titans since joining the league in 1976. They have all seven of those games. The first four came when the Titans were the Houston Oilers. The last three came when the franchise moved. Tampa Bay lost in Tennessee 23-17 in 2011 for the seventh straight loss on the road against the team.ousHH

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That’s all for today.

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.

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From Our Press Services

INDIANAPOLIS — It doesn’t look as if Peyton Manning will go anywhere next season — unless he’s not healthy.

On Thursday, Colts owner Jim Irsay told NFL Network he couldn’t foresee a scenario in which Manning would play anywhere but Indianapolis unless he can’t play at all.

Manning his missed the entire season and has not participated in full team practices since having the third and most invasive surgery on his neck Sept. 8.

“I think the situation is if he’s back and he’s healthy, I see him coming back and playing here,” Irsay said in a 10-minute interview before the game with Houston began. “I think the hope is that his health is in the position where he could return again. That remains uncertain and that’s something that’s first and foremost on my mind.”

The signs are encouraging.

On Dec. 1, surgeon Dr. Robert Watkins issued a statement saying the fusion between two vertebrae had healed firmly and that Manning could increase the intensity of his workouts.

Last Wednesday, for the first time since having the surgery, Manning put on pads and a helmet and threw with teammates. He took snaps from center Jeff Saturday and worked with running back Joseph Addai, receiver Anthony Gonzalez and an unnamed receiver from the practice squad.

Colts vice chairman Bill Polian and coach Jim Caldwell both watched the session. Polian and Addai have given Manning good reviews.

Manning was inactive Thursday night and has already been ruled out of next week’s season-finale at Jacksonville. Caldwell also said this week that Manning would continue to do individual work but would not participate in team work the rest of the season.

The only four-time MVP in league history also is due a $28 million bonus in early March — a prospect that had some thinking Thursday night could be the final time Manning would be on the home team’s sideline at Lucas Oil Stadium.

Irsay also said the Colts would take a quarterback, Manning’s successor, if the right one is available in April’s draft. The Colts (1-13) are the front-runners for the No. 1 overall pick, a slot that most analysts believe will be filled by Stanford’s Andrew Luck. Another possible candidate, Southern California’s Matt Barkley said Thursday that he would return to school for his senior season.

Thursday’s game

Colts 19, Texans 16 at Indianapolis: Reggie Wayne caught a 1-yard touchdown pass from Dan Orlovsky with 19 seconds left and the Indianapolis Colts beat the Houston Texans.

The Colts (2-13) have now won two straight, both against division foes, behind Orlovsky, the former Texans quarterback who lost his first nine NFL starts.

AFC South champion Houston hardly looked playoff-ready. It settled for two red-zone field goals, didn’t convert a third down until getting a lucky bounce late in the fourth quarter, its running game was stymied late and the defense helped the Colts with three penalties on the decisive drive.

Other DEVELOPMENTS

Ex-players blame league for brain injuries: Jamal Lewis, Dorsey Levens and two other former NFL players have sued the league over brain injuries that they say left them struggling with medical problems years after their playing days ended.

Lewis and Levens, along with Fulton Kuykendall and Ryan Stewart, filed the lawsuit against the National Football League and NFL Properties LLC this week in U.S. District Court in Atlanta.

Miami’s Fasano questionable: Miami Dolphins interim coach Todd Bowles says tight end Anthony Fasano is questionable for Saturday’s game at New England because of a low-grade concussion.

Fasano didn’t practice Thursday. He has missed only three games in the past four seasons.

Samuel misses 2nd practice for Eagles: Four-time Pro Bowl cornerback Asante Samuel has missed a second consecutive practice Thursday with a hamstring injury.

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