Colts trying to stay out of trap against Bills

The Indianapolis Colts are aware of the trap.

At 8-0, on the verge of making NFL history and a heavy favorite at home against Buffalo, the NFL’s last unbeaten team didn’t even need a reminder about keeping focus this week.

The Chicago Bears taught the Colts that lesson last week.

“Exactly. Chicago loses to a team that had one win coming in, and Miami has a lot of good players who made a lot of plays,” two-time MVP Peyton Manning said. “It’s the same thing with Buffalo, they have Takeo Spikes and London Fletcher, guys like that.”

If the Colts learned anything from last year’s quest for perfection, it was this: take nothing for granted.

Sure, on paper, today’s game looks like a mismatch to everyone outside the locker rooms.

The Bills (3-5) have struggled offensively, rank near the bottom of the league in turnover differential, have a midlevel rating against the pass, and will play without their leading rusher, Willis McGahee.

Indy, in contrast, is coming off back-to-back wins at Denver and New England, setting up what some believe could be a letdown before heading to Dallas.

The Colts don’t buy it. They know it takes consistency and concentration each week, and how dangerous it can be to discount an NFL team, even one that’s still trying to find its footing.

“Those games are sometimes harder,” cornerback Nick Harper said.

That attitude may be the best explanation for Indy’s recent successes.

Manning and Coach Tony Dungy have won more games in 4 1/2 years (56) than any other quarterback-coach combination in franchise history after winning at New England on Sunday night. The previous record belonged to two Hall of Famers, John Unitas and Don Shula, who won 55.

The Colts also have won 30 of their last 33 regular-season games and haven’t lost consecutive meaningful games since that streak started in November 2004.

A victory today would also make Indianapolis the first team in league history to start back-to-back seasons at 9-0.