Defense does it: Colts stop 2 late Jags comeback attempts to preserve 14-12 victory

Colts defense preserves 14-12 win over Jaguars

INDIANAPOLIS — Indianapolis promised its new defense would be better this season.

On Sunday, the Colts delivered.

Peyton Manning threw for one touchdown, Joseph Addai ran for another and the Colts defense stopped Jacksonville twice in the fourth quarter to preserve a 14-12 season-opening victory Sunday.

Though Manning tied John Unitas’ franchise record for career wins with 118, it was hardly a thing of beauty.

Manning lost receiver Anthony Gonzalez late in the first quarter with a right knee injury, a potentially serious blow to the Colts usually high-scoring offense. Gonzalez did not return. Reggie Wayne finished with 10 catches for 162 yards and a TD and Colts coach Jim Caldwell won his NFL head coaching debut.

Manning still finished 28 of 38 for 301 yards and continually put the Colts in scoring position. But he couldn’t finish drives, ending one with an interception on second-and-goal and losing another scoring chance when Joseph Addai lost a fumble deep in Jags territory.

So that put the pressure of a defense that Indy insisted would be better this season.

At least it got the job done Sunday.

With the Colts leading 14-6 early in the fourth quarter, Maurice Jones-Drew took a pitch, made a nifty move in the backfield to avoid tacklers and went through a hole for a 7-yard TD run to make it 14-12.

The Jags then put Jones-Drew in the wildcat formation to tie the game on a 2-point conversion, but this time, the Colts bottled him up as he reached the line of scrimmage to keep the lead.

Jacksonville had one more late chance, getting the ball back when Donald Brown could not convert on fourth-and-1 from the Jags 35 just before the two-minute warning.

But unlike last season, when the Jags drove for a winning field goal in Indy, the Colts attacked.

Their relentless pressure on third down nearly led to a sack and then a near interception. And on fourth down, David Garrard flipped the ball out toward anyone in a Jags uniform as he was surrounded by defenders.

Jacksonville took a 3-0 lead on Josh Scobee’s 24-yard field goal midway through the second quarter.

Then Manning got going, taking Indy 78 yards and letting Addai power his way in from 2 yards to make it 7-3 with 3:39 left in the half.

Jacksonville came right back, setting up Scobee for a 46-yard field goal to make it 7-6 with 59 seconds to go, and Scobee’s attempt at a 63-yard field goal as time expired fell just short.

It was more of the same in the second half. The first time Manning got the ball, he moved Indy right down the field and hooked up with a wide open Wayne for a 35-yard TD pass to make it 14-6.

Jones-Drew rushed 21 times for 97 yards and caught five passes for 26 yards. Garrard was 14 of 28 for 122 yards.