INDIANAPOLIS — Indianapolis’ 16th straight regular-season victory will fit neatly into the Colts’ record book.
With Peyton Manning out of sync and the offense struggling to score touchdowns Sunday, the Colts turned to a former quarterback — Joseph Addai — for a 22-yard TD pass that gave Indy an 18-14 victory and its own version of a perfect regular season.
“We need these games if we’re going to push toward our goal, which is the Super Bowl,” receiver Reggie Wayne said. “We’re going to need these close games, we’re going to need to fight through a little adversity and push forward.”
Jim Caldwell became the first rookie coach since the 1970 merger to win his first seven NFL games. Indy extended its franchise record and became the eighth team in league history with 16 straight wins. The Colts are now the last undefeated team in the AFC again, the fourth time in five years.
While Manning finished 31-of-48 for 347 yards, he missed high, wide and even short, failing to match the incredible efficiency he had in Indy’s first six games. The three-time MVP also failed to throw a TD pass for the first time since Nov. 30, 2008, leaving that job to Addai, the high school All-American quarterback.
It was Addai’s first TD pass as a pro and the first by a Colts non-quarterback since Ken Dilger threw one in 2001.
“I was just trying to get the ball out there.” Addai said.
The 49ers have now lost three straight despite getting a solid performance from Alex Smith in his first start in nearly two years. Smith was 19-of-32 for 198 yards with one TD and one interception.
He was sacked four times behind a makeshift offensive line that may have sustained another devastating blow when left tackle Joe Staley went down on the first play of the game. The 49ers are already without right tackle Tony Pashos for the rest of the season.
Despite the loss, the 49ers controlled the game for most of three quarters.
“A couple dropped balls make the difference in a game like this,” 49ers coach Mike Singletary said. “Any missed opportunities in a game like this are going to bite you in the end.”
