Thanks to a well-timed three-game winning streak, the Indianapolis Colts are a victory away from matching the NFL record for most consecutive postseason appearances.

(Sports Network) – Thanks to a well-timed three-game winning streak, the Indianapolis Colts are a victory away from matching the NFL record for most consecutive postseason appearances.

They’ll try to tie that mark of nine playoff seasons in a row this Sunday with a win-and-in game versus the Tennessee Titans at Lucas Oil Stadium.

The 9-6 Colts were in danger of being eliminated from the race for the AFC South crown by Jacksonville two weekends ago, but kept themselves alive with a 34-24 home win over the Jaguars. That gave the Colts control of their own destiny in the division, and they didn’t waste that opportunity last Sunday, posting a 31-26 victory in Oakland.

With the Jaguars losing in overtime to the Redskins in Week 16, the Colts can win the division title for the seventh time in eight seasons with a victory over the Titans or a loss by Jacksonville in Houston.

Should Indy get into a postseason for a ninth straight year, it would match the NFL record for consecutive playoff appearances set by Dallas from 1975-83.

“We have to try to find a way to win next week [versus the Titans],” said Colts Pro Bowl quarterback Peyton Manning. “It’s really hard to get a summary and try to put it in perspective. We’ve definitely dealt with different things. Maybe it’s been different in years past, [we've had] different guys playing each week.”

Though Manning threw three touchdown passes versus the Raiders, he was also picked off twice in the second half. However, the Colts’ running game helped out with a season-best 191 rushing yards, giving the club back-to-back games of at least 150 yards on the ground for the first time since 2006.

Dominic Rhodes led the way with 98 yards on 17 carries, Joseph Addai returned from an eight-game absence due to a neck injury to add 45 yards on 12 carries and Donald Brown also ran the ball six times.

“I thought all three guys had pretty productive days, but Dom certainly got things rolling pretty well,” said Colts head coach Jim Caldwell. “We just let him go a little bit with it, but overall when you look at their performance, I think it was a great collective effort.”

The Titans don’t have anything on the line in their regular-season finale, as last weekend’s 34-14 loss in Kansas City officially eliminated them from the postseason. The loss was Tennessee’s seventh in eight games and dropped the Titans to 6-9 on the season.

Kerry Collins should get the start again for the Titans in this one after becoming just the 12th quarterback in NFL history to pass for more than 40,000 yards in a career during the loss to the Chiefs. He surpassed the milestone on a 53-yard touchdown pass to Kenny Britt, but had trouble enjoying the achievement after the blowout loss.

“It’s hard to feel good about anything,” said Collins afterwards. “I understand that it’s a nice accomplishment and all that, but right now at this moment with the way [Sunday] went, the way the season has gone, it’s not possible to feel good about it.”

Titans return specialist and recent Pro Bowl selection Marc Mariani set a franchise record for kickoff return yards in a season, surpassing former Houston Oiler Bobby Jancik’s mark of 1,317 set in 1963. Mariani, with 1,733 total return yards, needs just 62 combined kickoff and punt return yards in this one to break Derrick Mason’s club record set in 2000.

A Titans’ rally at home versus the Colts fell just short in a 30-28 setback the first time the clubs met this season, back on Dec. 9. Manning passed for over 300 yards with two touchdown throws in that one, while Collins had three touchdown passes of his own.

Indianapolis has won seven straight home games versus AFC South opponents.

SERIES HISTORY

Indianapolis holds a 19-12 lead in its all-time regular-season series with Tennessee and has defeated the Titans four consecutive times following its two-point verdict in Nashville back in early December. The Colts have also bested Tennessee in six of the past seven meetings held in Indianapolis, including a 27-17 victory last year, and the Titans haven’t beaten the Colts on the road since a 16-10 decision in the 2007 regular-season finale. Tennessee’s last win over Indianapolis of any kind was a 31-21 ousting at LP Field on Oct. 27, 2008.

The only postseason encounter between the two was in a 1999 AFC Divisional Playoff, when Tennessee scored a 19-16 road victory en route to a Super Bowl appearance.

Titans head coach Jeff Fisher has a 6-12 record against Indianapolis, including the aforementioned playoff victory. Caldwell is 3-0 against both Fisher and Tennessee since replacing Tony Dungy prior to the 2009 season.

WHEN THE TITANS HAVE THE BALL

Tennessee’s strength last year was certainly its run game, but a 29th-ranked pass attack (187.8 ypg) has left running back Chris Johnson little room to operate. Johnson (1325 rushing yards, 11 TD) ran for just 58 yards on 14 carries thanks to an early deficit and has been held to fewer than 60 yards rushing in three of his last five games. He needs just six yards to surpass LaDainian Tomlinson (4,564) for the fourth-most rushing yards in the first three seasons of an NFL career, however. Collins (1523 passing yards, 12 TD, 8 INT) threw the ball 37 times versus the Chiefs, completing 14 passes for 235 yards. He completed touchdown passes to Britt (37 receptions, 8 TD) and tight end Jared Cook (22 receptions, 1 TD), but was also picked off twice and had one of those mistakes returned 54 yards for a score in the second quarter. Cook set career bests with five catches for 98 yards, while Britt added 89 yards on four grabs. With 690 receiving yards on the season, he is just 12 shy of his career high of 701 set in 2009. Nate Washington (41 receptions, 6 TD) finished with three catches for 37 yards in last week’s loss, while fellow wideout Randy Moss (27 receptions, 5 TD) went without a catch for a third straight game.

For a second straight week, the Colts defense shut down a talented running game. After holding the Jaguars to just 67 yards two weekends ago, Darren McFadden and the Raiders managed to post a mere 80 yards rushing. Indianapolis still ranks 27th in the league against the run (132.1 ypg) and is just 23rd in scoring defense at 24.5 points per game. Defensive end Robert Mathis (56 tackles, 11 sacks) had 1 1/2 sacks versus the Raiders and fellow end Dwight Freeney (24 tackles) also had a sack. The duo are slated to start in the Pro Bowl for the AFC, and Freeney is just one sack of shy of reaching double-digits for a third straight season. Mathis, meanwhile, has a sack in two straight and has already reached 10 sacks for a fourth time in his career. Linebacker Tyjuan Hagler (55 tackles, 1 sack, 1 INT) led the way last week with nine tackles, while safety Antoine Bethea (102 tackles, 1 INT) added eight and linebacker Gary Brackett (71 tackles) had seven. Indy has just one interception over its last six games and has a minus-four turnover ratio on the season. Cornerback Kelvin Hayden (61 tackles) safety Aaron Francisco (56 tackles) and injured corner Jerraud Powers (53 tackles) are all tied for the club lead with two picks each.

WHEN THE COLTS HAVE THE BALL

Indianapolis ranks fourth in the NFL in yards per game with 382.3, but is just 30th in rushing (92.1 ypg) despite its recent surge. Still, a talented three- headed attack of Addai (451 rushing yards, 4 TD), Rhodes and Brown (488 rushing yards, 2 TD) will take a lot of pressure off Manning (4436 passing yards, 31 TD, 17 INT), who has his highest interception total since getting picked off 19 times in 2002. Rhodes was playing in just his second game since rejoining the Colts. Manning threw for just 179 yards on 16-of-30 passing versus Oakland and completed touchdown strikes to wide receivers Blair White (32 receptions, 5 TD) and Pierre Garcon (60 receptions, 5 TD) as well as tight end Jacob Tamme (60 receptions, 4 TD), who led the club with seven receptions for 78 yards. Reggie Wayne (102 receptions, 1287 yards, 5 TD), selected as a starter for the Pro Bowl, had three catches for 40 yards. Manning will accompany Wayne to the all- star game for a ninth straight year, unless the Colts make it to the Super Bowl, and joins Brett Favre as the only quarterbacks in league history selected to at least 11 Pro Bowls. Wayne is just three catches short of passing his career high of 104 receptions set in 2007.

The Titans and their 28th-ranked pass defense (251.7 ypg) figure to have their hands full in this one, especially corners Alterraun Verner (91 tackles, 3 INT) and Cortland Finnegan (91 tackles, 1 sack, 2 INT) as well as safeties Chris Hope (97 tackles, 1 sack, 1 INT) and Michael Griffin (103 tackles, 4 INT). Despite those struggles, defensive end Jason Babin (57 tackles, 12.5 sacks) has had time to record 3 1/2 sacks over his last three games. He was selected to his first Pro Bowl on Tuesday and needs just a half-sack to post the most in the season by a Titan since Jevon Kearse had 14 1/2 in 1999. Tennessee didn’t have a good showing overall versus the Chiefs, allowing the game’s first 24 points that included touchdown plays on Kansas City’s first two possessions, and 327 total yards of offense in the first half. Hope, Verner and linebacker Stephen Tulloch (155 tackles, 1 INT) all led the way with 10 tackles, while linebacker Will Witherspoon (85 tackles, 3 sacks, 2 INT) had eight as well as an interception. Hope donated a fumble recovery to the losing cause.

FANTASY FOCUS

If your fantasy league’s season stretches into Week 17, Colts owners will be happy to see that the club is playing for something rather than facing the usual scenario of resting its starters prior to the playoffs. Manning, Wayne, Garcon and Tamme are all must-starts, though a three-way split among the running backs makes it tough to nail down a fantasy starter for this week. The Colts defense has had its troubles this year, but draws a good matchup. Kicker Adam Vinatieri has missed two field goals this year and none since Week 6.

Though motivation might be a factor, it is tough to sit Johnson on any week. Still, who knows how much he touch the ball against a resurgent Colts run defense. Collins makes too many mistakes, though Britt is a solid play as a receiver. Cook has also come on strong and could fill some holes at the tight end spot. The Titans’ defense struggled to contain Manning the previous meeting and isn’t a recommended play. Kicker Rob Bironas has made 18 straight field goals and leads the NFL with a 95.7 percent accuracy.

OVERALL ANALYSIS

It’s been a while since we’ve seen the Colts play such a meaningful game this late in the regular season, but they will be going all out in this one. That is bad news for the Titans, who are just trying to end their brutal 2010 season. The Jaguars play at the same time as the Colts, so they won’t know if they back-doored their way into the postseason until late in the day. With that being the case, expect Manning and company to put forth an all-out offensive attack on Tennessee to punch a playoff ticket for itself.

Sports Network Predicted Outcome: Colts 34, Titans 20

© 2010 The Sports Network

INDIANAPOLIS — The Indianapolis Colts had just beaten the Jacksonville Jaguars 34-24 to move into a tie for first place in the AFC South, and smart phones were data-streaming into NFL.com to gauge the playoff possibilities.

Even if the Colts lose their next game, at Oakland on Sunday, they could win the division if Jacksonville loses to either Washington or Houston. But if the Colts beat Oakland then lose to Tennessee, they’d need the Houston Texans to beat the Jaguars in their final game no matter what Jacksonville does this week against Washington — otherwise the tie-breaker, common opponents, would swing in the Jaguars’ favor.

There is a simpler if not easier way for the Colts, too: Win and win and they’re in.

“I don’t even want to think about the what-ifs,” said defensive end Dwight Freeney. “Let’s just win and take care of things.”

That’s exactly what the Colts had done at Lucas Oil Stadium, showing — as they have so often in their past eight playoff seasons — that they are, at worst, a resilient bunch. They already had lost to Jacksonville this season, and another setback would end their season.

But the offensive line finally found a way to run-block, paving the way for 155 rushing yards; the defensive line found a way to run-stop, holding the rush-happy Jaguars to 67 yards; the good Peyton Manning did not throw an interception; and the special teams offered up a kickoff return for a touchdown, albeit only 41 yards off an onside kick by Tyjuan Hagler.

“Starting last week (when Indy went into a home game against Tennessee with a 6-6 record), it was like an eight-game playoff (all the way to the Super Bowl),” said Reggie Wayne, whose five catches gave him 99 for the season.

Said linebacker Gary Brackett: “We know that if we lose we go home. It’s no different this week against Oakland. We have to keep playing like it’s the last game.”

The Raiders (7-7), so bad as the Colts have been so good in the past decade, kept their own slight playoff hopes alive with a 39-23 win over Denver on Sunday.

After starting 2-4, they’ve won five of eight, most impressively 28-13 at San Diego on Dec. 5. They’ve lost to each of the other three AFC South teams, though Jacksonville had to rally for a 38-31 win on Dec. 12. And they’re strengths somewhat mirror the Colts’ perceived weaknesses, as they rank second in rushing yards (23rd in passing) and fifth in passing defense (26th in rushing).

Darren McFadden has gained 1,112 yards (at 5.2 yards per carry) and Jason Campbell has passed for 2,001 yards (the injured Bruce Gradkowski threw for 1,059).

In other words, the Colts need another big effort to keep their playoff express on track.

“It’s all about Oakland this week,” Manning said. “If you take a step back, then you feel like these last two wins don’t mean as much. Hopefully, we can feed off a little momentum from two wins in a row and play well on the road. We know we’ll have our hands full going out there.”

n Contact Tim Ethridge at (812) 464-7416 or ethridget@courierpress.com

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Peyton Manning and the Colts have started their playoff run a few weeks early. They really had no choice.

Manning had two more touchdown passes Sunday, avoided throwing any interceptions for the second straight game, and led the Colts to a season-saving 34-24 victory over Jacksonville that puts them back on track to make the postseason.

“Since that Cowboys game, we knew we really had four must-win games and we’ve won two of them,” Manning said. “It’s a good win, but it’s just one game and we’ve got to be able to do that again next week.”

Make that next week at Oakland and the following week when Tennessee visits Lucas Oil Stadium. Win both and the Colts (8-6) take their seventh AFC South title in eight years and deal yet another frustrating blow to the ever-chasing Jaguars.

For the Colts (8-6), Sunday was essentially win or forget about the playoffs. The victory moved them into a tie for the AFC South lead with the Jags (8-6) and squared the head-to-head tiebreaker, giving Indy the inside track to the division crown.

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

Manning wasn’t going to let the defending AFC champs go down without a fight, and the four-time league MVP delivered one of his most efficient performances of the season. He was 29 of 39 for 229 yards, 71 yards short of breaking Dan Marino’s record for most 300-yard games in a career (63).

The record, of course, didn’t matter to Manning.

What did was getting more help from a 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.

“When you’re getting to the second level, and that’s the first time you’re getting touched, that makes my job a lot easier,” Brown said. “We just want to help complement the passing game any way we can.”

The game went nothing like the Jags needed.

Maurice Jones-Drew rushed 15 times for 46 yards, ending his streak of consecutive 100-yard games at six with his worst game ever against Indy.

The time of possession was split almost perfectly in half.

Jacksonville turned the ball over on downs at its 38 early in the second half, and when it had a chance to tie the score by recovering an onside kick with less than 2 minutes to go, linebacker Tyjuan Hagler sprinted 41 yards for a touchdown to seal the victory.

“Really, for us, it’s disappointing that we didn’t close the deal here,” Jags coach Jack Del Rio said. “We really expected right now to be in here with a division crown captured. It didn’t happen.”

The old Manning was the primary reason.

He opened the game with a 7-yard TD pass to Austin Collie, and went back to Collie for a 27-yard TD after Josh Scobee made a 22-yard field goal for the Jags. That gave Indy a 14-3 lead early in the second quarter.

Jacksonville closed to 14-10 when Mike Thomas scored on a 78-yard punt return, a play on which the Colts contended he signaled for a fair catch.

It didn’t matter. Two plays after the Jags turned over the ball on downs in the third quarter, Brown found a seam and raced down the left sideline for the 43-yard score to make it 21-10. The Colts then converted two Jags turnovers into field goals, giving Indy a 27-17 lead, before the Jags finally counterpunched.

David Garrard threw a 1-yard pass to Mike Sims-Walker right after the 2-minute warning to make it 27-24, and the Jags had a chance to rally if they recovered the onside kick.

“We’ve been very strong in closing out ballgames and taking advantage of opportunities,” Del Rio said. “I really and truly believed at the end that we would somehow find a way to get that onside kick and go win the game.”

Instead, Hagler scored and Indy stayed in position to win yet another division title.

“It’s all about Oakland this week,” Manning said. “If you take a step back these two wins won’t mean much, so we hope we can continue to build on the momentum.”

Indy’s celebration was tarnished by another frightening scene involving Collie. The receiver was injured late in the first half when the forearm of linebacker Daryl Smith hit Collie in the head. Collie lay motionless for several minutes before sitting up and eventually walked off the field with a concussion. He did not return.

It’s the third time since Nov. 7 that Collie has left a game early because of a concussion or concussion-like symptoms.

NOTES: In 20 games against the Colts, Jacksonville has never won two in a row. … Manning’s 39 attempts gave him 608 for the season, a career high, with two games left. His previous high was 591 attempts in 2001. … Before Collie’s injury, Manning threw his way 10 times. Collie caught eight balls for 87 yards and both scores. … Reggie Wayne caught five passes for 44 yards, giving him 99 receptions for the season. … Garrard was 24 of 38 for 294 yards with two TDs, both to Sims-Walker, and one interception.

INDIANAPOLIS — Peyton Manning and the Colts have started their playoff run a few weeks early. They really had no choice.

Manning had two more touchdown passes Sunday, avoided throwing any interceptions for the second straight game, and led the Colts to a season-saving 34-24 victory over the Jacksonville Jaguars that puts them back on track to make the postseason.

“Since that Cowboys game, we knew we really had four must-win games and we’ve won two of them,” Manning said. “It’s a good win, but it’s just one game and we’ve got to be able to do that again next week.”

Make that next week at Oakland and the following week when Tennessee visits Lucas Oil Stadium. Win both and the Colts (8-6) take their seventh AFC South title in eight years and deal yet another frustrating blow to the ever-chasing Jaguars.

For the Colts (8-6), Sunday was essentially win or forget about the playoffs. The victory moved them into a tie for the AFC South lead with the Jags (8-6) and squared the head-to-head tiebreaker, giving Indy the inside track to the division crown.

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

Manning wasn’t going to let the defending AFC champs go down without a fight, and the four-time league MVP delivered one of his most efficient performances of the season. He was 29 of 39 for 229 yards, 71 yards short of breaking Dan Marino’s record for most 300-yard games in a career (63).

The record, of course, didn’t matter to Manning.

What did was getting more help from a 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.

“When you’re getting to the second level, and that’s the first time you’re getting touched, that makes my job a lot easier,” Brown said. “We just want to help complement the passing game any way we can.”

The game went nothing like the Jags needed.

Maurice Jones-Drew rushed 15 times for 46 yards, ending his streak of consecutive 100-yard games at six with his worst game ever against Indy.

The time of possession was split almost perfectly in half.

Jacksonville turned the ball over on downs at its 38 early in the second half, and when it had a chance to tie the score by recovering an onside kick with less than 2 minutes to go, linebacker Tyjuan Hagler sprinted 41 yards for a touchdown to seal the victory.

“Really, for us, it’s disappointing that we didn’t close the deal here,” Jags coach Jack Del Rio said. “We really expected right now to be in here with a division crown captured. It didn’t happen.”

The old Manning was the primary reason.

He opened the game with a 7-yard TD pass to Austin Collie, and went back to Collie for a 27-yard TD after Josh Scobee made a 22-yard field goal for the Jags. That gave Indy a 14-3 lead early in the second quarter.

Jacksonville closed to 14-10 when Mike Thomas scored on a 78-yard punt return, a play on which the Colts contended he signaled for a fair catch.

It didn’t matter. Two plays after the Jags turned over the ball on downs in the third quarter, Brown found a seam and raced down the left sideline for the 43-yard score to make it 21-10. The Colts then converted two Jags turnovers into field goals, giving Indy a 27-17 lead, before the Jags finally counterpunched.

David Garrard threw a 1-yard pass to Mike Sims-Walker right after the 2-minute warning to make it 27-24, and the Jags had a chance to rally if they recovered the onside kick.

“We’ve been very strong in closing out ballgames and taking advantage of opportunities,” Del Rio said. “I really and truly believed at the end that we would somehow find a way to get that onside kick and go win the game.”

Instead, Hagler scored and Indy stayed in position to win yet another division title.

“It’s all about Oakland this week,” Manning said. “If you take a step back these two wins won’t mean much, so we hope we can continue to build on the momentum.”

Indy’s celebration was tarnished by another frightening scene involving Collie. The receiver was injured late in the first half when the forearm of linebacker Daryl Smith hit Collie in the head. Collie lay motionless for several minutes before sitting up and eventually walked off the field with a concussion. He did not return.

It’s the third time since Nov. 7 that Collie has left a game early because of a concussion or concussion-like symptoms.

Notes

• In 20 games against the Colts, Jacksonville has never won two in a row.
• Manning’s 39 attempts gave him 608 for the season, a career high, with two games left. His previous high was 591 attempts in 2001.
• Before Collie’s injury, Manning threw his way 10 times. Collie caught eight balls for 87 yards and both scores.
• Reggie Wayne caught five passes for 44 yards, giving him 99 receptions for the season.
• Garrard was 24 of 38 for 294 yards with two TDs, both to Sims-Walker, and one interception.