Manning Picks the Jaguars Apart

Peyton Manning and company were too much for the Jacksonville Jaguars’ vaunted defense.

Manning was perfect on three scoring drives, Edgerrin James ran for 83 yards and a touchdown, and the Indianapolis Colts handed the Jaguars their first loss, 24-17, on Sunday.

Manning was 14 for 14 passing for 149 yards on three touchdown drives, including five for five on the go-ahead score with about three minutes to play. He completed passes to five different receivers on the final drive, which James finished with a three-yard scoring run.

“Peyton’s on point right now,” Jaguar linebacker Akin Ayodele said. “There’s not much he’s doing wrong.”

Last season’s co-most valuable player entered the game with nine touchdown passes and one interception. He was 20 for 29 for 220 yards Sunday with two touchdown passes and an interception.

“It’s great to have No. 18 back there with all the stuff he can do and the different ways he can help you,” said Brandon Stokley, who caught eight passes for 97 yards. “It’s priceless.”

Jacksonville (3-1) played a fourth consecutive close game -- it won the first three by a combined seven points -- but couldn’t pull this one out.

After James’ score, Jacksonville drove into Colt territory with less than two minutes to play. But Fred Taylor came up short on fourth-and-one -- with both starting offensive tackles on the sideline -- and the Colts (3-1) ran out the clock.

“I thought it was a bad spot,” said Taylor, who ran 21 times for 68 yards.

Indianapolis pulled even with Jacksonville in the AFC South but has a distinct edge with road wins over the Jaguars and Tennessee.

After opening the season with a three-point loss at New England, the Colts have rebounded to beat the Titans, Green Bay Packers and the Jaguars.

“This was a good way to finish the first month,” Coach Tony Dungy said.

The Jaguars’ first month was filled with good fortune. They beat Buffalo, Denver and Tennessee in the final minute.

But the Jaguars missed several scoring chances in the first half that could have changed the outcome.

They had 203 yards of offense and moved the ball with ease against the Colts’ much-maligned defense, which ranked last in the league.

The Jaguars’ first three possessions could have produced points, but LaBrandon Toefield came up short on fourth-and-one from the Indianapolis 24. Then Taylor fumbled at the Colt 43, and Josh Scobee pushed a 35-yard field-goal attempt wide right.