LANDOVER, Md. — After Peyton Manning threw three first-half passes that should have been intercepted, his teammates made up for it by losing three fumbles in the second half.
The defense did its part by missing too many tackles to count, and an attempt by the offense to kill the clock turned into more football follies.
The Indianapolis Colts aren’t supposed to bumble around like that, but it has been that kind of year.
Give Manning and his team credit, however. He was able to complete enough passes, and Joseph Addai also made enough would-be tacklers whiff as he plowed through the NFL’s most generous defense. They helped the Colts make up for their mistakes Sunday night by piling up 469 yards in a 27-24 victory over the Washington Redskins.
“It’s one of these games where you’ve just got to keep your poise,” said Colts cornerback Jerraud Powers, whose first-half interception of Donovan McNabb’s pass led to a touchdown. “The standards and expectations of our team are so high that whenever we have a few bumps in the road, people seem to panic. ‘The Colts are going to have a bad year.’ Well, we’re going through the same stuff. If you look around the league, it’s pretty balanced right now. There’s no real dominant team out there. We’re working on being more consistent and finding our identity.”
Manning completed 25-of-38 passes for 307 yards and two touchdowns to help the Colts (4-2) keep pace with Houston atop the AFC South. Addai ran 17 times for 128 yards and a 13-yard score, giving a boost for a largely dormant running game, before leaving in the second half because of a shoulder injury.
