Colts stomp in the desert

Peyton Manning threw four touchdown passes to power the Indianapolis Colts past Kurt Warner and the turnover-plagued Arizona Cardinals, 31-10, Sunday night.

Manning completed 24 of 35 passes for 379 yards with one interception.

Warner, under severe pressure much of the game, was 30 for 52 for 332 yards and one touchdown but had two passes intercepted.

Indianapolis safety Antoine Bethea recovered a fumble at the five to stop one Arizona drive and intercepted a deflected pass in the end zone to thwart another.

Manning had four touchdown passes in a game for the 18th time, moving ahead of Johnny Unitas into third on the NFL career list, behind Dan Marino’s 21 and Brett Favre’s 20.

Manning topped 300 yards passing for the third time in as many games this season, giving him 50 in his career.

Manning carved up the Cardinals in the second quarter.

He threw 20 yards to Reggie Wayne for the first score, 10 yards to Dallas Clark for the second and 53 yards to Pierre Garcon as Indianapolis took a 21-3 halftime lead.

Manning threw a three-yard touchdown pass to Joseph Addai in the third quarter to make it 28-10.

Arizona, up 3-0 early, drove deep into Indianapolis territory but Tim Hightower fumbled at the five.

The Colts (3-0) then went 95 yards in 11 plays for the touchdown that put them ahead for good.

Wayne made a one-handed grab of Manning’s pass at the pylon on a 20-yard play that put the Colts ahead, 7-3, with 9 minutes 4 seconds left in the half.

“Can’t draw that up,” Manning said. “You know he’s capable of making those plays. . . . Those are the plays we expect him to make.”

Warner drove the Cardinals (1-2) to the one-yard line in the final seconds of the half. He threw to Steve Breaston but Melvin Bullitt stopped him at the goal line.

On the next play, Warner threw under pressure toward Larry Fitzgerald in the end zone. Tim Jennings deflected the ball in the air and Bethea intercepted.