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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.

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.

Leave your comments on the news below.

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.

Feel free to leave your comments below.

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.

Feel free to leave your comments below.

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

What do you guys think about this.

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.

NFL

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.

If anybody needs tickets to games, remember to click the tickets link at the top.

The Associated Press

INDIANAPOLIS Indianapolis Colts running back Joseph Addai says the speed on Peyton Manning’s short throws last week was game-ready.

Addai was one of three players catching passes from Manning after last Wednesday’s team workout. Receiver Anthony Gonzalez, centre Jeff Saturday and a receiver from the practice squad also took part.

On Tuesday, team vice-chairman Bill Polian told reporters Manning was throwing “better” and responded “that’s correct” when asked whether Manning had decent speed on throws 20 to 25 yards down the field.

Manning has not played in a game since having neck surgery Sept. 8. He’s already been ruled out of the final two games and is not expected to participate in team practices before the season ends Jan. 1.

Leave your comments on the news below.

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.

That’s all for today.

Tennessee Titans defensive end Jason Jones reaches out to Indianapolis Colts running back Donald Brown during the second half Sunday. Brown rushed for a career-high 161 yards, including an 80-yard TD gallop. (Sam Riche, MCT)

INDIANAPOLIS — The Colts avoided their first 0-16 season thanks to a quarterback who was trying to prevent his second.

Dan Orlovsky, who closed out the NFL’s only 0-16 season with Detroit in 2008, threw one touchdown pass and the key block to spring an 80-yard touchdown run Sunday and lead the previously winless Colts to a 27-13 victory over playoff hopeful Tennessee.

It was the Colts’ first win in 14 games without Peyton Manning, and all it took was 14 tries and three quarterbacks.

Colts players and coaches celebrated by throwing their arms in the air, and Orlovsky got to close it out by taking the traditional kneel downs for the first time in his NFL career.

“I’m happy for a lot of people on this team, for a lot of people in this organization,” Orlovsky said. “It’s a lot better than the feeling we’ve had lately.”

Indianapolis (1-13) had been waiting for what seemed like an eternity, 50 weeks, since their previous win, also at home against the Titans.

For Orlovsky, the drought was even longer. The seven-year veteran was 0-9 in his previous NFL starts. He didn’t have to do too much Sunday, going 11-of-17 passing for 82 yards and one touchdown, but he didn’t turn the ball over. And though the numbers looked nothing like Manning’s, they were good enough to get a win.

“I think in my career, I’ve learned not to take them (wins) for granted,” Orlovsky said, drawing polite laughter.

Donald Brown added a career-high 161 yards rushing, including a late 80-yard touchdown run for Indianapolis.

The Colts will need their offense to keep playing like this in the final two games, after team vice chairman Bill Polian announced that Manning would not be back this season, though he has started throwing to his teammates.

For Tennessee, the loss was a devastating blow.

Had the Titans (7-7) closed out the season with three wins, they might have been able to reach the postseason without any help. Now the Titans will probably need to win their last two games and get help from some others to make it.

But Tennessee had only itself to blame for this one.

Matt Hasselbeck was 27-of-40 passing for 223 yards, no TDs and two interceptions before being lifted in favor of rookie Jake Locker. Chris Johnson ran 15 times for 55 yards. The Titans lost a fumble and also muffed a kickoff out of bounds at their 1-yard line.

“I never would have expected us to come out, and they’re playing like the team going to the playoffs and we’re the team that’s 0-13,” said Titans coach Mike Munchak. “We just weren’t playing well at all. The intensity wasn’t there at the start.”

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

Read More: Dallas Clark (TE – IND), Peyton Manning (QB – IND), Jacob Tamme (TE – IND), Indianapolis Colts, Tennessee Titans at Indianapolis Colts, Dec 18, 2011 1:00 PM EST

The Indianapolis Colts will be without their starting tight end Dallas Clark this week with a “burner” he suffered last week. Jacob Tamme will start in his place. 

The Colts will also be without five others including Peyton Manning and the slew of players added to the IR over the last couple weeks.

Here is the full inactive list for the Colts this week: 

That’s all the news for today.

Read More: Matt Hasselbeck (QB – TEN), Dwight Freeney (DE – IND), Jake Locker (QB – TEN), New Orleans Saints, Indianapolis Colts, Tennessee Titans

The Tennesse Titans’ veteran quarterback Matt Hasselbeck was questionable heading into Sunday’s game at the Indianapolis Colts. Hasselbeck left last week’s loss to the New Orleans Saints with a calf injury, giving way to rookie quarterback Jake Locker.

The young Locker is far more athletic than Hasselbeck, creating a different type of play-making ability by adding a run threat. As a rookie though, Locker is inconsistent and with a playoff spot still in play, the Titans would rather rely on the steady hand of the veteran Hasselbeck on the road.

Well, it appears Hasselbeck has given the calf a test on Sunday morning and will indeed lineup behind center for the Titans in Lucas Oil Stadium. According to Adam Schefter, Hasselbeck will give it a go against the Colts.

Despite a calf injury, Titans QB Matthew Hasselbeck will start today vs. Indianapolis.

At least Dwight Freeney won’t have to chase a moving target when he’s coming off the edge for the Colts and looking to make a play on defense.

Not much else going on in the NFL world today.