Colts Give, and 49ers Take Win

The 49ers are back to playing with the kind of efficiency they had in their Super Bowl seasons. The Colts are just back in the pack.

San Francisco turned five turnovers into 23 points, and Garrison Hearst ran for two touchdowns as the 49ers beat Indianapolis, 40-21, Sunday for their fourth consecutive victory.

“A couple of years ago, when we were building this, we didn’t know where we would be today,” said wide receiver Terrell Owens, who had six catches for 103 yards and a touchdown. “It’s just a process. It was frustrating at times, but now you can see how far we’ve come.”

Hearst gained 106 yards in just 12 carries--an 8.8-yard average--and scored his first rushing touchdowns since Dec. 1, 1998, against Detroit. He missed the last two seasons after breaking his leg in a playoff game in January 1999.

Jeff Garcia completed 14 of 22 passes for 179 yards and two touchdowns for the 49ers (8-2).

The Colts (4-6), on the other hand, made mistake after mistake in letting a 21-20 lead slip away.

“That was a disgraceful performance,” Indianapolis Coach Jim Mora said. “We threw that game away. We gave them the game. It was pitiful, absolutely pitiful.”

His team has lost three straight and four in a row at home--and this defeat was of the Colts’ own making.

Peyton Manning threw three second-half interceptions, and the 49ers turned each of those gifts into a touchdown. He was 31 for 51 for 370 yards and one touchdown but threw a career-high four interceptions and was pulled in the final two minutes.

Mora struggled for an explanation and didn’t want to discuss what the future might hold.

“Playoffs? Don’t talk about playoffs,” Mora said. “Are you kidding me. Playoffs? I’m just hoping we can win a game, another game.”

The Colts’ woes began when Manning missed Trevor Insley with a pass, and Zack Bronson ran the interception back 48 yards for a touchdown. It was the fifth time this season Manning had an interception returned for a TD.

Six plays after that, Manning’s pass bounced out of Insley’s hands and to Rashad Holman for another interception. Two plays later, Garcia connected with Owens on a 35-yard scoring pass that made it 33-21 seven seconds into the fourth quarter.

Then Ahmed Plummer intercepted another pass by Manning, and the 49ers got a 43-yard TD run from Hearst to seal the victory.