INDIANAPOLIS — Peyton Manning provided the expected fireworks, including a left-handed pass for a key first down. Mike Vanderjagt's leg sealed the win for the Indianapolis Colts.
Manning threw four touchdown passes and Vanderjagt kicked a 35-yard field goal with 2 seconds left to give the Colts a 31-28 win over Minnesota on Monday night. The kick capped a late duel between Manning and Daunte Culpepper — the two teams combined to score on five straight possessions after an unexpectedly low-scoring start between two offense-minded but relatively defenseless teams.
Manning, last year's co-MVP, also used his legs on the nine-play, 55-yard drive for the winning score, scrambling for 15 yards and getting 15 more when Lance Johnstone was penalized for landing on him after he slid to the ground. And Manning, who finished 23-of-29 for 268 yards, even had the left-handed shovel pass to Edgerrin James to pick up a first down on the winning series.
"That's one of those you work on in practice with the running backs when you're screwing around and have some free time," he said.
The win ended a two-game skid for the Colts (5-3) and put them in a tie with Jacksonville for the lead in the AFC South. The Vikings (5-3) lost their second straight.
"Our defense did an excellent job slowing them down at times," Manning said. "Most of the times they stopped us, it was ourselves with penalties and mistakes."
James rushed 26 times for 123 yards for the Colts. Culpepper was 16-of-19 for 169 yards and two touchdowns.
With the game tied 21-21, Manning threw a 19-yard TD pass to Marcus Pollard with 7:24 left.
But Culpepper, playing without injured star receiver Randy Moss, took the Vikings 65 yards on seven plays, with Onterrio Smith scoring on a 32-yard run with 2:54 left. Culpepper himself set it up by rolling out for 9 yards on fourth-and-1 from the Indianapolis 43, then scrambling another 10 yards on the next play.
Manning finished with two TD passes to Pollard and one each to Reggie Wayne and Dallas Clark. Marvin Harrison got to 800 catches quicker than any receiver in NFL history and set another record when he caught his 664th pass from Manning early in the third quarter — the most ever by any passer-receiver combination.
The game started with decent defense from two teams that rarely play any, especially from the Colts.
The Vikings had only one first down until less than 4 minutes remained in the first half, but trailed only 14-6 at intermission.
The Colts took a a 14-0 lead on touchdown passes by Manning of 5 yards to Wayne on their first possession, and 10 yards to Pollard on the first play of the second quarter.
But Kelly Campbell's 51-yard kickoff return, plus a 15-yard late-hit penalty on kicker Hunter Smith set up a 42-yard field goal by Morten Andersen. Then Andersen kicked a 23-yarder on the final play of the half after Minnesota's only decent drive of the half, 87 yards on 13 plays.
After Indianapolis was stopped on the first series of the second half, Nate Burleson took Hunter Smith's punt on his 9, cut right and found himself in the open. He outran Hunter Smith to the corner of the end zone for a 91-yard score.
Culpepper then tied the game with a 2-point conversion run.
The Colts went ahead late in the third quarter on Manning's 4-yard TD pass to Clark at the end of an 87-yard drive. He had completions of 41 yards to Harrison and 26 to Clark on the march.
But Minnesota tied it 28-28 early in the fourth quarter on a 7-yard pass from Culpepper to Burleson at the end of a 71-yard, 10-play drive.
That set up the final theatrics.