Peyton Manning threw for four touchdowns and the Indianapolis Colts edged Jacksonville 28-25 on Sunday to deny the Jaguars a share of the National Football League AFC South division lead.
Manning completed 20-of-29 passes for 288 yards, giving him 23 touchdown passes for the season -- his 10th consecutive year with at least 20 touchdown throws -- as the Colts improved to 10-2 with their third triumph in a row.
The Jaguars fell to 8-4 and saw their three-game win streak snapped. The Colts also own a tie-break edge on Jacksonville, aiding their title hopes.
"It was a big game and we knew that, we knew what the division standings looked like and we knew it was going to be tough," Colts coach Tony Dungy said. "It was a complete team effort and that's what it takes this time of the year."
Dungy challenged two early calls to instant replay and was successful in overturning both, setting up a pair of first-quarter touchdowns for the Colts and setting the tone for the day.
The Colts opened a 14-0 lead after 13-and-a-half minutes and have won 69 of 70 games under Dungy when ahead by 14 at any stage.
Jaguar quarterback David Garrard completed 24-of-29 passes for 257 yards and two touchdowns but suffered his first pickoff in 231 throws this season and could not rally Jacksonville into the lead late.
The Colts moved within 1-and-a-half games of unbeaten New England, which will visit Baltimore on Monday night, in the chase for an AFC home-field playoff edge.
"We're excited heading into the fourth quarter of the season and we have a lead in the division so we have to finish off December right," Dungy said. "We just did things right and moved the ball when we had to."
Division leaders Seattle, San Diego and Tampa Bay improved their playoff chances with victories on Sunday, the Seahawks defeating Philadelphia 28-24, San Diego outlasting 24-10 and Tampa Bay edging New Orleans 27-23.
AJ Feeley, starting in place of Donovan McNabb for the second week in a row, threw four interceptions -- three to Lofa Tatupu and two of them to set up Seattle touchdowns. Tatupu also made a game-high 11 tackles.
"The Eagles clearly won the field position battle during the day, but Lofa Tatupu had one of the great games I've ever seen a linebacker have," Seattle coach Mike Holmgren said. "Unbelievable."
LaDainian Tomlinson ran for 177 yards and two second-half touchdowns to spark the Chargers to their sixth victory in eight games. San Diego avenged a September loss to the Chiefs after losing nine-of-10 prior games at Kansas City.
"My mindset is that we have to run the ball effectively no matter what and this team is good at doing that," Tomlinson said. "We want to run the ball so everything will open up on offense."
Luke McCown threw a four-yard touchdown pass to Jerramy Stevens with 14 seconds remaining to give Tampa Bay a 27-23 victory over the Saints, who could have moved within a game of the Bucs atop the division with a victory.
Buffalo's Rian Lindell kicked a 31-yard field goal with four seconds to play to give the Bills a 17-16 victory at Washington.
In other games, it was:
* Carolina 31, San Francisco 14
* Minnesota 42, Detroit 10
* New York Jets 40, Miami 13
* St. Louis 28, Atlanta 16
* Tennessee 28, Houston 20
* Oakland 34, Denver 20
* Arizona 27, Cleveland 21
* New York Giants 21, Chicago 16
* Pittsburgh 24, Cincinnati 10
US track and field athletes have about four dozen pieces to choose from when assembling their uniforms at the Olympics. The one grabbing the most attention is a high-cut leotard that barely covers the bikini line and has triggered debate between those who think it is sexist and others who say they do not need the Internet to make sure they have good uniforms. Among those critical or laughing at the uniforms included Paralympian Femita Ayanbeku, sprinter Britton Wilson and even athletes from other countries such as Britain’s Abigail Irozuru, who wrote on social media: “Was ANY female athlete consulted in
Four-time NBA all-star DeMarcus Cousins arrived in Taiwan with his family early yesterday to finish his renewed contract with the Taiwan Beer Leopards in the T1 League. Cousins initially played a four-game contract with the Leopards in January. On March 18, the Taoyuan-based team announced that Cousins had renewed his contract. “Hi what’s up Leopard fans, I’m back. I’m excited to be back and can’t wait to join the team,” Cousins said in a video posted on the Leopard’s Facebook page. “Most of all, can’t wait to see you guys, the fans, next weekend. So make sure you come out and support the Beer
Former US Masters champion Zach Johnson was left embarrassed after a foul-mouthed response to ironic cheers from spectators after a triple bogey at Augusta National on Friday. Johnson, the 2007 Masters winner, missed the cut after his three-over-par round of 75 left him on seven-over 151 for 36 holes, his six on the par-three 12th playing a big role in his downfall. Television footage showed Johnson reacting to sarcastic cheers and applause when he tapped in for the triple bogey by yelling: “Oh fuck off.” Such a response would be considered bad form in any golf tournament, but is particularly out of keeping
Taiwan’s Lee Jhe-huei and Yang Po-hsuan on Saturday won the men’s doubles bronze medal at the Badminton Asia Championships in Ningbo, China, after they were bested by the hosts in their semi-final. The Taiwanese shuttlers lost to China’s Liang Wei Keng and Wang Chang, who advanced to yesterday’s final against Malaysia’s Goh Sze Fei and Nur Izzudin. The Chinese pair outplayed Lee and Yang in straight games. Although the Taiwanese got off to a slow start in the first game, they eventually tied it 14-14, before Liang and Wang went on to blow past them to win 21-17. In the second game, Lee and