Washington - he Indianapolis Colts have a message for the rest of the NFL. They're back. Peyton Manning threw two touchdown passes to Marvin Harrison, a third to Reggie Wayne, and the Colts sputtering offense finally got itself righted Sunday, routing the Baltimore Ravens' top-ranked defense 31-3.

It was never even close.

The Colts (3-2) played with the precision, efficiency and passion coach Tony Dungy had been seeking, and they delivered their best overall performance in months.

Harrison caught two TD passes in a game for the first time since Dec. 24, 2006, and the threat of a running game that had been grounded for the first four weeks helped open up the downfield routes for Manning. Indy did that even after losing Pro Bowl running back Joseph Addai (hamstring) in the first quarter and third-string running back Mike Hart (knee) in the second quarter.

But the biggest difference was Manning.

The two-time league MVP was in sync, hitting receivers in stride, beating double coverage and masterfully keeping the Ravens' vaunted defense off balance. Manning finished 19-for-27 for 271 yards with three touchdowns, easily his best game of the season. The numbers could have been even better had the Colts not shut things down late.

Baltimore (2-3) was simply overwhelmed.

The offense went nowhere, producing just 49 yards in nearly 2½ quarters, while the defense watched Manning beat them every possible way.

He burned Chris McAlister for a 67-yard TD pass to Harrison on the Colts' second series.

Manning then threw a perfect strike to Wayne for a 22-yard TD in the back of the end zone on the next series to make it 14-0. And after rookie quarterback Joe Flacco lost a fumble late in the first quarter, Adam Vinatieri made a 37-yard field goal to give the Colts a 17-0 lead.

That ended a 20-minute span, dating to their incredible comeback last week in Houston, in which the Colts outscored their opponents 38-0 and forced five turnovers.

Manning, however, was only warming up.

He led the Colts on a 52-yard drive just before halftime, finding Harrison on a 5-yard TD pass that the Pro Bowl receiver caught on his left shoulder. Manning also took Indy 80 yards to open the second half, capping the drive with a 1-yard TD run from Dominic Rhodes to make it 31-0 with 9:25 left in the third quarter. Rhodes carried 25 times for 73 yards.

Plus, Manning had a 67-yard TD pass to Wayne come back because of a holding call in the fourth quarter.

It was that kind of day for Baltimore, which has lost three straight since opening the season with back-to-back victories.

The Colts' maligned defense also looked good, frustrating Flacco and the Ravens all day.

Flacco finished 28-for-38 with 241 yards, most coming after the game was already out of reach. He also had three interceptions, lost a fumble, was sacked four times and botched a handoff that Ray Rice fell on. Baltimore's trademark ground game was never a factor after falling into the deep, early hole.

The Ravens' only score came on a 37-yard field goal with 1:15 left in the third quarter to trim the lead to 31-3, not nearly enough to earn the first victory in Indy in franchise history.



Written By MICHAEL MAROT

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