Texans QB Sage Rosenfels, subbing for starter Matt Schaub, had the Texans ahead 27-10 before losing the ball twice to fumbles and throwing an interception; Colts rookie tight end Tom Santi caught a TD pass from Manning, narrowing the gap to 27-17 with 4:04 to go. Houston would recover the attempted onside kick; however, Rosenfels ran into cornerback Marlin Jackson, who stripped the ball while linebacker Gary Brackett ran back the fumble for a Colts TD, cutting the Texans’ lead to 27-24.

On the Texans’ next drive, Indianapolis defensive tackle Robert Mathis sacked Rosenfels, stripping him of the ball at the Houston 19. Manning would then proceed to hit wide receiver Reggie Wayne with a 5-yard TD pass with 1:54 remaining in the game, sealing the win for the Colts. Manning had a decent outing - not Manning-esque - but decent nonetheless, going 25-of-34 for 247 yards with 2 TD’s and an interception while Rosenfels also did well, going 21-of-33 for 246 yards, with a TD and an INT.

Addai led the Colts rushers with 71 rushing yards while rookie Steve Slaton led all Texans’ rushers with 93 yards on 16 carries; Ahman Green chipped in with 47 yards on 12 carries. Wayne led all Colts receivers with 97 yards on 7 receptions and a TD while Dallas Clark added 5 catches for 81 yards. Andre Johnson led all Texans receivers with 131 yards on 9 receptions and a TD; TE Owen Daniels caught 5 passes for 47 yards. Indianapolis (2-2) return home to host the Baltimore Ravens on Sunday while Houston (0-4) remains home to take on the resurgent Miami Dolphins - also on Sunday.

They struggled vs the Bears, had to rally vs the Vikings, and blew a late lead at home to the Jags. Now they have to face a Texans team that sits at 0-3 and is as hungry for a win as any team in the league. Houston played their best game of the year in 08 last week in Jacksonville, but blew a late slim lead and then couldn’t stop the Jags in OT in a heart wrenching loss.

Can the Colts start to look like the team that the league has come to expect? It can start this week with Peyton Manning and the offense getting back to form. Manning, who missed all of training camp, has been shaky at best. They have put up 249 yards per game in three games, but have had to rally in two of them, and are hoping to be a little more stable with the WR core and Joseph Addai getting going more with the running game, which is only averaging 64 yards per game - worst in the league.

The defense for the Colts has also been a letdown, as they are 23rd in the league, allowing 340.3 yards per game. They need to be more aggressive, and that is going to be hard without Bob Sanders, who will be out yet again due to injury. Dwight Freeney and that line needs to start pressuring the QB more, and the secondary also needs to start stepping up. It’s down to that, or the Colts will again have a tough day vs Matt Schaub and the Texans improving offense.

Houston realizes that overcoming an 0-4 start is going to be next to impossible. They also know that the Colts are team on the ropes. Look for Schaub to attack with guys like Andre Johnson as well as leading pass catcher so far Owen Daniels. Rookie back Steve Slaton is hoping his running mate Ahman Green will be back, and they will look to get over the 100 yards per game they have averaged the first three weeks.

It’s a game that could define the season for both teams. Houston wants to prove their slow start is over, and they can get on track. The Colts think they are a team that has simply been beaten up by injuries, and they are still a team that is going to have to be dealt with. The Colts have been here before, and they should take care of business - barely - again on Sunday in Houston.

He died of cancer in Oregon on Monday, the Baltimore Ravens said.

Davis spent four seasons with the Colts (1957-60) and led the NFL in interceptions in 1957 and 1959. He played a key role on the 1958 team that beat the New York Giants 23-17 in overtime for the title. In the championship game, Davis played with two broken bones in his right foot and forced a first-half fumble by Frank Gifford.

That year, Davis earned $7,000 as the Colts’ right cornerback. After two more seasons, he was done with football. He was angered at racism against black players and eager to finish work on his doctorate at UCLA, where he played in college.

Davis was born on an Indian reservation near Muskogee, Okla., to parents of African-American and Native American ancestry.

“Aside from being a great football player, he was a man that knew about life issues and knew how to deal with it,” Colts great Lenny Moore told the Los Angeles Times. “He was a beacon. … He was incredibly respected, both with the white players and the black players.”

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Make no mistake, when healthy, Sanders is one of, if not the best safety in the league. The issue with him basically starts and ends with the fact he can’t stay on the field. He played in just six games during his rookie season in 2004 and four games in 2006. In odd-numbered years, Sanders has started 14 and 15 games, respectively.

What happens next with Sanders is anyones guess. The Colts are already a team in big trouble due to the fact they can’t stop the run (again) and for some reason can’t win a game in their new stadium. Now without Sanders, the window for them to try and get coach Tony Dungy back to the big dance may very well be closed.

Also factor in that Colts quarterback Peyton Manning had one of his worst games in recent memory, which contributed to the Jags’ masterful time management of the game clock. Combine all of those things, and it is a wonder that the Colts lost by only 2 points. The game started out promisingly enough as the Colts drew first blood with a touchdown pass from Manning to Marvin Harrison, taking a brief 7-0 lead. A drive in the early stages of the second quarter led to a Scobee FG, narrowing the gap to 7-3; about 7 minutes later, cornerback Rashean Mathis notched a pick-6, intercepting a Manning pass and returning the ball for a 61-yard interception return for a TD, boosting Jacksonville to a 10-7 lead. But Colts running back Joseph Addai would score late, rushing into the end zone on a 3-yard cary, giving the Colts a 14-10 lead, which they would take into halftime. The second half would completely different, however.

The third quarter was rather hum-drum with only one score - a 6-yard rushing TD by Jones-Drew, which gave the Jaguars a 17-14 lead going into the fourth quarter. Scobee would add another FG with 2:33 remaining, which would give Manning a chance to redeem his earlier mistakes. Manning did one of his patented, quick-hit rallies, capped by another rushing TD by Addai, pushing Indianapolis ahead 21-20. But Jaguars QB David Garrard managed a rally of his own, while catching a break along the way - including a 11-yard pass interference call - which set up the winning 51-yard field goal by Scobee.

Garrard had an efficient performance, going 16-for-22 for 167 yards with an interception, while Manning had a relatively average outing as he went 15-of-29 for 216 yards with a TD and 2 INT’s. The Jaguars rushing attack - all 236 yards of it - was led by Fred Taylor with 121 yards on 26 carries while Jones-Drew “added” 107 yards on only 19 carries; he also caught 4 passes for 59 yards. The Colts running game was led by Addai with 78 yards on 16 carries while catching a pass for 10 yards.

The aforementioned Jones-Drew led all Jaguars receivers with 59 yards on 4 receptions; the Colts’ leading receiver was Reggie Wayne who caught 3 passes for 74 yards. Tight end Dallas Clark, returning to action for the first time this season, caught 4 passes for 47 yards while Harrison caught 4 balls for 40 yards and a TD. Jacksonville (1-2) now returns home to Florida to host the Houston Texans on September 28 while Indianapolis (1-2) will have a bye week - at the most opportune time for them.