Defense wins day for Colts

With Manning misfiring, Mathis & Co. provide lift

Often overlooked and always overshadowed by their star-studded offense, the Indianapolis Colts' defense found the end zone on a day Peyton Manning couldn't.

Defensive end Robert Mathis scooped up Derek Anderson's fumble and rumbled 37 yards for a touchdown in the fourth quarter as the Colts stayed in the thick of the AFC playoff chase by winning their fifth straight, an ugly 10-6 decision over the snake-bitten Browns yesterday in Cleveland.

Mathis's big play helped bail out Manning and Indy's high-octane offense, which failed to score a TD and never got humming with its usual efficiency.

Still, the Colts (8-4) got a 30-yard field goal from Adam Vinatieri and improved to 5-0 in November, a monthlong run that has allowed them to recover from a 3-4 start.

The Browns (4-8) lost their fourth straight at home.

Manning finished 15 for 21 for 125 yards and was unable to find holes in Cleveland's secondary. The Colts had only 215 total yards, ran just 50 plays, and had the ball for less than 28 minutes.

But they won, and that's all that matters this time of year.

Falcons 22, Chargers 16
Matt Ryan, the rookie from Boston College, threw two touchdowns and Michael Turner ran for 120 yards against his former team as Atlanta (8-4) won in San Diego and remained a game behind Tampa Bay and Carolina in the NFC South.

San Diego (4-8) lost for the fifth time in six games. The Chargers came into the day two games behind Denver in the anemic AFC West. Many fans had cleared out by the final gun, and those who remained booed as Ryan took a knee to end the game.

Ryan completed 17 of 23 passes for 207 yards. Turner carried 31 times in his sixth 100-yard game of the season. He was allowed to leave San Diego as an unrestricted free agent after last season.

LaDainian Tomlinson, the two-time defending NFL rushing champion, was held to 24 yards on 14 carries.

Dolphins 16, Rams 12
The Dolphins (7-5) relied on stingy play from their defense and three Dan Carpenter field goals to beat the host Rams (2-10) and secure their fifth victory in six games.

Rams quarterback Marc Bulger threw three interceptions in the second half - the clincher by Andre' Goodman at the Miami 5 with 35 seconds to go. Renaldo Hill's second pick in two games set up Carpenter's third field goal for the final score with 6:39 left.

The lone TD was a 3-yard run by Ronnie Brown, who broke free from Rams linebacker Pisa Tinoisamoa early in the second quarter.

Vikings 34, Bears 14
With a gutty goal-line stand and one big heave by Gus Frerotte, host Minnesota grabbed control of the NFC North.

Seconds after the Bears were stopped four times at the 1, Bernard Berrian pulled in a 99-yard touchdown pass from Frerotte that sent the Vikings (7-5) into sole possession of first place in the division.

Adrian Peterson had 100 yards by halftime and finished with 131 yards and a touchdown for the Vikings.

Ravens 34, Bengals 3
Wide receiver Mark Clayton threw a touchdown pass and made a spectacular one-handed catch for another as the Ravens remained in the AFC North chase with an easy victory over host Cincinnati (1-10-1).

Baltimore has won six of its last seven games with its renowned defense and an offense coming into its own behind rookie quarterback Joe Flacco (19 of 29 for 280 yards, 2 touchdowns).

Buccaneers 23, Saints 20
Jermaine Phillips and Phillip Buchanon intercepted Drew Brees, the NFL's leading passer, in the closing minutes and Matt Bryant kicked a 37-yard field goal with 1:55 remaining to help host Tampa Bay stay atop the NFC South.

The victory was the fourth straight for Tampa Bay (9-3). The Bucs are 6-1 since Jeff Garcia regained the starting quarterback job, which he lost after a poor performance in a season-opening loss against the Saints (6-6).

49ers 10, Bills 3
Isaac Bruce scored the lone touchdown with a 12-yard reception, capping a 72-yard drive on San Francisco's opening possession, and Patrick Willis made 14 tackles as the 49ers (4-8) all but dashed Buffalo's playoff hopes with a victory in Orchard Park, N.Y.

The fading Bills (6-6) have lost five of six and seem destined to extend their playoff drought to nine seasons.

Chiefs 20, Raiders 13
Tyler Thigpen engineered a 91-yard drive that was capped by Larry Johnson's 2-yard tiebreaking touchdown run early in the fourth quarter to lead visiting Kansas City to just its second win in its last 21 games.

Kansas City (2-10) scored its first touchdown on Maurice Leggett's 67-yard fumble return on a botched fake field goal by Oakland (3-9).