—They had no turnovers.
He came back to the city he called home from 1998-2011 within striking distance of Brett Favre's career passing record (71,838) and needing one win to break Favre's league record for regular-season wins by a quarterback (186).
"Obviously, our defense has done a great job all year," Manning said. "They made some stops and we had chances. So you have to try and do your part offensively, and that's all you think about."
And, most important, they looked much better on offense and defense.
They ended a three-game losing streak, won for the first time in six tries outside the horrible AFC South, and retained their division lead.
The first ended with an 8-yard TD pass to Ahmad Bradshaw that gave Indy a 24-17 lead. Then after Manning tied the score again a 1-yard TD pass to Owen Daniels, Luck took the Colts back down the field and set up Vinatieri for his longest field goal since coming to Indy in 2006.
It was supposed to be a historic and triumphant return for Manning.
—They committed only four penalties, and the 17-0 lead they took in the first half was their largest of the season. They even ended Denver's first-quarter scoreless streak at seven games when Frank Gore scored on a 7-yard run.
But they never got the lead,NFL Jerseys From China.
Daniels caught six passes for 102 yards, and Sanders had six receptions for 90 yards and a TD for Denver.
Denver closed to 17-7 on Omar Bolden's 83-yard punt return on the last play of the first half. Manning started the second half with a 64-yard TD pass to Emmanuel Sanders and the Broncos tied it on a 29-yard field goal from Brandon McManus.
INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Peyton Manning made one big mistake late in Sunday's game. Denver's top-rated defense made several more after losing its composure.
He was 21 of 36 for 252 yards and led the Colts on two tie-breaking drives in the fourth quarter,China Jerseys Cheap.
"That's who we need to be, consistently," Luck said. "Probably a little bit of soul searching,NFL Jerseys From China, trying to figure out what we want to be. The truth of the matter is we have the pieces,Wholesale NFL Jerseys, which is pretty darn obvious."
"We dug ourselves a hole in the first half and showed a lot of character getting out of that hole," coach Gary Kubiak said. "We just weren't able to close the deal after battling our way back. They (Colts) finished it, we didn't."
Luck could have made it three straight scoring series had he not taken a knee on the final play at Denver's 1-yard line.
NOTES: Colts Pro Bowl safety Mike Adams (ankle) and defensive tackle Henry Anderson (sprained right knee) left the game. ... Denver linebacker DeMarcus Ware left in the second half with a back injury. ... Bolden's return for the TD was only the second to end a half since 1970 (DeSean Jackson, Philadelphia, 2010).
The combination led to a perfectly miserable finish.
They could — if Luck continues playing this way.
That's exactly what Indianapolis needed,Adrian Wilson Cardinals Jersey, and precisely what coach Chuck Pagano had spent weeks preaching.
—They started fast and finished strong.
Just five days after firing offensive coordinator Pep Hamilton and giving the play-calling duties to Rob Chudzinski — and four days after Luck wound up on the injury report again — Manning's successor played like the best young quarterback in football. The Colts followed his lead:
"We really feel we've competed with the best football teams in the league — Denver, New England, Carolina," team owner Jim Irsay said. "We still feel we can go the places we dream of going."
Both will have to wait until next week, when the Broncos (7-1) host Kansas City. Manning finished 21 of 36 with 281 yards, 3 short of the record, two touchdowns and two interceptions.
All Luck and the Colts (4-5) were thinking about was the win.
Andrew Luck threw two touchdown passes and set up Adam Vinatieri for a 55-yard field goal with 6:13 left in the game to give Indianapolis a 27-24 victory — ruining Manning's homecoming and ending Denver's unbeaten season.
"We did do a great job of getting ourselves back into position to win," coach Gary Kubiak said. "Did we do some not very smart things at the end of the game to get the ball back? I agree with that,Cheap Jerseys Free Shipping, but we dug ourselves a hole as a team in the first half."
What really doomed the Broncos afte
