Colts are less than perfect

Maybe the burden of an unbeaten season was becoming too much for the Indianapolis Colts. They sure played like it.

Peyton Manning and the Colts looked nothing like their perfect record Sunday, turning the ball over on four of their first six possessions and coming up empty on their final two drives to lose, 21-14, to the Dallas Cowboys.

After close calls all season, Indianapolis (9-1) couldn’t overcome this sloppy outing -- even against a club whose quarterback, Tony Romo, was making only his fourth career start and whose defense was missing its top performer.

“We’ve been playing with fire -- and the fire caught us,” Colts Coach Tony Dungy said.

Manning threw two interceptions after having thrown only three all year. He lost his first fumble of the season and Marvin Harrison lost his first since 2004. All told, Indianapolis had its most turnovers in 79 regular-season games, dating to Nov. 25, 2001.

Still, the loss could be somewhat of a relief. There won’t be any more questions about chasing the hallowed mark of the 1972 Miami Dolphins or their own 13-0 start last season. The focus now returns to mundane topics such as winning the division and earning top seeding in the AFC playoffs.

The victory was perhaps just as big for Dallas (6-4) as the loss was disappointing for Indianapolis.

“It was like a couple of wins in the ‘90s that showed our team that they could do it,” said team owner Jerry Jones, referring to clubs that won three Super Bowls.