Colts rally behind Vinatieri and Manning

Posted at 09/15/2008 4:50 PM | Updated as of 09/15/2008 4:50 PM

NEW YORK - Adam Vinatieri kicked a 47-yard field goal with three seconds left to rally the Indianapolis Colts to an 18-15 victory over the Minnesota Vikings Sunday.

The Colts (1-1) trailed 15-0 late in the third quarter before quarterback Peyton Manning masterminded their comeback.

Manning, who recovered from two interceptions to pass for 311 yards and a touchdown, put Vinatieri in position to secure victory with a 20-yard pass to Reggie Wayne 34 seconds from time.

Another Manning to Wayne pass, a 32-yarder for a touchdown, enabled Indianapolis to tie the scores with 6:01 left when Dominic Rhodes ran for the two-point conversion.

"It was nice to get going," Manning told reporters. "It was nice to get into the end zone. As much of a struggle as it was early offensively, because our defense was doing so well, it was still a two-score game.

"At the end of the third quarter, we were saying that, 'Let's make something happen'."

The other Indianapolis touchdown came on Joseph Addai's one-yard run with 1:29 remaining in the third period.

Minnesota (0-2) rode five consecutive Ryan Longwell field goals to a 15-0 third-quarter lead.

* Manning's brother Eli led the Super Bowl champion New York Giants (2-0) to a 41-13 rout of the St. Louis Rams (0-2). Manning passed for three touchdowns and the visiting Giants defense sacked Rams starter Marc Bulger six times.

* The New England Patriots defeated the New York Jets (1-1) 19-10 behind replacement quarterback Matt Cassel. Stephen Gostkowski kicked four field goals and Sammy Morris scored on a one-yard run for the Patriots (2-0), who lost MVP quarterback Tom Brady for the season to a knee injury last week.

Three touchdowns

* Aaron Rodgers threw for three touchdowns and 328 yards and the Green Bay Packers (2-0) rolled to a 48-25 road win over the Detroit Lions (0-2). Rodgers connected with James Jones, Donald Driver and Jordy Nelson for first-half touchdowns and a 21-0 lead.

* The Denver Broncos (2-0) used a two-point conversion with 29 seconds left to stun the visiting San Diego Chargers 39-38. Broncos quarterback Jay Cutler passed to Eddie Royal for the winning points after the two teamed up for a four-yard touchdown. Philip Rivers passed for three touchdowns and 377 yards for the Chargers (0-2).

* The Carolina Panthers (2-0) used a fourth-quarter touchdown to win for the second successive week, defeating the Chicago Bears (1-1) 20-17. Jonathan Stewart sealed the home victory with a one-yard run with 3:52 to play.

* The Washington Redskins (1-1) dominated the fourth quarter and defeated the New Orleans Saints (1-1) 29-24. Jason Campbell hit Santana Moss with a 67-yard touchdown pass to rally the Redskins.

* The Buffalo Bills (2-0) scored 10 consecutive points to overtake the struggling Jacksonville Jaguars (0-2) for a 20-16 road victory.

* The beleaguered Oakland Raiders (1-1) used 164 yards rushing by rookie Darren McFadden to turn back the Kansas City Chiefs (0-2) for a 23-8 road victory.

* Back-up quarterback Kerry Collins, replacing the injured Vince Young, guided the Tennessee Titans (2-0) to a 24-7 road win over the Cincinnati Bengals (0-2).

* Kurt Warner's three touchdown passes to Anquan Boldin sparked the Arizona Cardinals (2-0) to a 31-10 home win over the Miami Dolphins (0-2).

* Joe Nedney made amends for a missed field goal at the end of regulation, kicking a 40-yarder 4:40 into overtime to lift the San Francisco 49ers (1-1) to a 33-30 road win over the Seattle Seahawks (0-2).

* Tampa Bay intercepted Atlanta rookie quarterback Matt Ryan twice in the first half, grabbing a 17-0 lead en route to a 24-9 home victory. Both teams are 1-1.

* The Pittsburgh Steelers (2-0) defeated the Cleveland Browns (0-2) for a 10th consecutive game, winning 10-6 at Cleveland.


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