Nov 22, 2009 4:40 pm US/Eastern
Colts Defeat Ravens 17-15
OWINGS MILLS, Md. (AP) ―
The unbeaten Indianapolis Colts would almost certainly prefer every one of their victories to be a hassle-free rout.
That hasn't been the case lately, but the Colts have no complaints -- mainly because they keep on winning.
Indianapolis improved to 10-0 by defeating the Baltimore Ravens 17-15 on Sunday. It was their 19th straight victory, the second-longest streak in NFL history behind a 21-game run by the New England Patriots from 2006-08.
The Colts have won their last four games by a total of 10 points, which isn't entirely a bad thing.
"If it was up to us, we'd try to blow every team out, but that won't happen," said Joseph Addai, who ran for 74 yards and a touchdown. "I think winning these tight games really shows the character of the team."
On an afternoon in which Peyton Manning threw two interceptions and the Colts committed three turnovers, Indianapolis reached the 10-win mark for the eighth straight season. That's the second-longest run in NFL lore behind the 16-year streak of the San Francisco 49ers (1983-98).
The Colts aren't concerned so much with making history as they are reaching the postseason and winning a championship. And if that means playing hard for 60 minutes, so be it.
"To be able to come out of this game with a win is huge," rookie coach Jim Caldwell said. "We're not going to ever sneeze at being 10-0, but we're doing it by a small margin these days."
The Colts won because their defense kept the Ravens out of the end zone and Manning was good enough to drive the offense to a pair of touchdowns and the go-ahead field goal by Matt Stover with 7:02 left. Stover kicked for 13 seasons with the Ravens but was not re-signed before the season, and the Colts picked him up in October as a replacement for the injured Adam Vinatieri.
Baltimore (5-5) started the season with Steve Hauschka at kicker, then cut him and signed veteran Billy Cundiff on Wednesday. Cundiff tied Stover's team record by kicking five field goals in the game, but he also missed a 30-yarder that could have put the Ravens in front.
"We moved the ball pretty well. We weren't able to put touchdowns on the board, but we had field goals," Ravens quarterback Joe Flacco said.
Not enough of them, though.
The Colts forced a field goal after Baltimore got a first-and-goal at the 1 in the fourth quarter, and after Stover's kick, linebacker Gary Brackett sealed the win with an interception of Flacco in the closing minutes.
"I didn't see the guy," Flacco lamented.
Baltimore's last chance ended when Ed Reed fumbled on a punt return with 17 seconds left.
The game was probably decided much earlier, when the Ravens failed to get a touchdown with three cracks from the 1.
"It's frustrating. It's first-and-1 from the 1, you have to put it in," Ravens center Matt Birk said. "It's just that simple. I could talk about it for an hour, but it doesn't get any simpler than that."
The Colts managed only 129 yards and a field goal in the second half, but it was enough.
"We really did a good job of holding them to field goals," safety Antoine Bethea said. "With our offense, nobody is ever going to beat us kicking field goals."
Indianapolis has won seven straight over Baltimore, including a playoff game in which the Colts failed to score a TD. The Ravens have lost five of seven after a 3-0 start. Baltimore LB Terrell Suggs (knee) was inactive, ending his run of consecutive games at 105.
(© 2010 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)
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