Manning directs three TD drives to give Colts 21-3 halftime lead over Arizona

Manning carves up Arizona for 21-3 Colts lead

GLENDALE, Ariz. — Peyton Manning carved up the Arizona defense for three second-quarter touchdown passes to give the Indianapolis Colts a 21-3 halftime lead over the Cardinals on Sunday night.

Manning threw 20 yards to Reggie Wayne for the first score, 10 yards to Dallas Clark for the second and a pretty 53-yarder to Pierre Garcon for the third touchdown.

The Colts went 95 yards in 11 plays for their first touchdown after Arizona’s Tim Hightower fumbled at the Indianapolis 5-yard line.

Wayne reached out with one hand to make the catch at the pylon, then tumbled out of bounds, for the game’s first touchdown with 9:04 left in the half.

After Arizona’s offense was stuffed, the Colts went 57 yards in six plays, Manning throwing over the middle to Clark to make it 14-3 with 5:49 to play in the half.

Manning completed 11 of 14 for 166 yards on the three second-quarter touchdown drives. He was 16 of 23 for 220 yards in the first half.

The Cardinals had two long scoring drives end in turnovers. Colts safety Antoine Bethea ended one drive with a fumble recovery at the 5-yard line and the other with an interception in the end zone.

Late in the first half, Arizona moved to the Indianapolis 1, where under pressure Kurt Warner threw toward Larry Fitzgerald. Tim Jennings deflected the ball into the air, and Bethea intercepted.

The Cardinals had dominated field position to take an early 3-0 lead on Neil Rackers’ 38-yard field goal with 2:46 left in the first quarter.

It was set up by Warner’s 16-yard pass over the middle to Fitzgerald. Bethea was called for a personal foul on the play for gabbing an opening in Fitzgerald’s helmet.

That added another 15 yards to the play to put the Cardinals in field goal range.

Indianapolis started twice from its own 10-yard line before a short kickoff gave the Colts their best starting position of the quarter at their 36.

Manning’s 27-yard pass to Austin Collie moved it to the Arizona 37, Alan Branch hit Manning’s arm as he threw on the next play and Antrel Rolle intercepted, returning it to the Cardinals 43.

Another penalty, pass interference by Freddy Keiaho against Fitzgerald, and a pair of passes from Warner to Anquan Boldin put the ball on the 10. On a run up the middle, Hightower had the ball knocked loose by Melvin Bullitt and Bethea recovered.

The Colts were playing after a short week of practice. They won at Miami 27-23 on Monday night.

It was only the second time that Manning and Warner had faced each other. The only other meeting came in 2001 when Warner was with the St. Louis Rams.