Long Drive Does Wonders for Jets : AFC: New York takes up six minutes in fourth quarter during 98-yard touchdown march and defeats Indianapolis, 31-17.

Boomer Esiason passed when he wanted to and used the clock when he had to.

Esiason passed for 256 yards and two touchdowns Sunday, then worked six minutes off the clock on a 98-yard drive in the fourth quarter as the New York Jets beat the Indianapolis Colts, 31-17.

Indianapolis (3-6), trailing by only a touchdown at the time, pushed the Jets back to their two on a punt by Rohn Stark. But Esiason, who used long passes to Rob Moore and Johnny Mitchell to set up the first two touchdowns for the Jets (5-4), was content to stay on the ground and eat up time.

“I just told the guys to settle down, and don’t worry about the crowd noise,” Esiason said of the long drive that put the game out of reach.

Esiason passed only twice on that key fourth-quarter possession. Three runs by Johnny Johnson and an eight-yard run by Brad Baxter took New York to the 43. Then Johnson broke two tackles and ran 57 yards for the final touchdown with 2:22 remaining.

Johnson ran 21 times for a season-high 141 yards, and the Jets outgained Indianapolis 202 yards to 92 on the ground.

The Colts’ last possession ended when Reggie Langhorne caught a pass and fumbled 30 seconds after Johnson’s touchdown, and New York ran out the clock. Langhorne had eight catches for 112 yards, his second straight game of more than 100 yards.

“It was a big-time drive,” Jet Coach Bruce Coslet said. “They knew we were going to run.”