AP News, August 26th, 2007
Peyton Manning and the Indianapolis Colts offense haven't lost their touch.
The Super Bowl MVP appeared to be in midseason form Saturday night, throwing three first-half touchdowns and helping the defending champions control the ball in a 37-10 rout of the Detroit Lions. It was just Indianapolis' second win in 13 preseason games.
In what was likely the final regular-season tuneup for Indy's starters, Manning was flawless. He completed 23-of-27 passes for 233 yards and three TDs _ all in the first half _ and converted six plays for first downs when he needed at least 10 yards.
Manning and the Colts showed no signs of taking a step backward after winning their first Super Bowl title.
Manning is now 31-of-40 for 331 yards and no interceptions in three weeks, and he was so efficient against Detroit that coach Tony Dungy uncharacteristically changed the script by pulling his starters at halftime. Dungy said he intended to use them into the third quarter.
But what was the point of risking injury when virtually everything Manning did worked?
Marvin Harrison beat single coverage on a slant route for a 13-yard touchdown to give Indy a 7-0 lead late in the first quarter. There was a lobbed dump pass in the end zone that the lunging Dallas Clark scooped off the turf for a 5-yard score to make it 14-3. Then there was the nifty 1-yard TD pass to Reggie Wayne with 5 seconds left in the half, a ball Manning whizzed past the head of an unknowing Stanley Wilson, for a 21-3 halftime lead.
Consider, too, Manning did all that with an improvised cast of running backs since Dungy wanted to see how backups DeDe Dorsey and Kenton Keith played with the starters.
With Manning on the bench, the Colts still scored. Backup quarterback Jim Sorgi opened the second half with a 16-yard TD pass to Aaron Moorehead for a 27-3 lead. He finished with a 5-yard touchdown pass to Craphonso Thorpe early in the fourth quarter.
For Detroit, it was nothing less than a nightmare.
Not only did the Lions look overmatched, they also lost three starters to injuries. Running back Tatum Bell, acquired in a March trade with Denver, left in the first quarter after hurting his right leg. Linebacker Boss Bailey and safety Daniel Bullocks departed in the second quarter, and none of the three returned.
Worse yet, the offense that had led the league during the preseason was stuck in neutral.
Detroit started J.T. O'Sullivan at quarterback, instead of Jon Kitna, and the result was a mess. The Lions ran only seven plays in the first quarter and managed six first downs the entire first half _ compared with the Colts' 17. Their only scores came on a 51-yard field goal from Jason Hanson in the second quarter and a 9-yard TD pass from O'Sullivan to former Colts receiver Troy Walters with 40 seconds left in the game.
O'Sullivan finished 24-of-34 for 232 yards with one TD and two interceptions. Calvin Johnson, the second overall pick in April's draft, had three catches for 25 yards.
The Colts did leave with two big concerns. Three-time Pro Bowl defensive end Dwight Freeney went to the locker room before halftime with what was believed to be a quadriceps injury. He watched the second half from the sidelines in street clothes.
And Clark, Indy's top tight end, emerged from the locker room after halftime with an ice pack wrapped around his right thigh.
There was no immediate word about the severity of either injury.
