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Manning throws 3 TD passes in Colts' 27-13 win

Sep 27, 2010 - 1:58 AM By ARNIE STAPLETON AP Pro Football Writer

DENVER (AP) -- There was no slowing down Peyton Manning, even without two of his favorite receivers.

Manning threw for three touchdowns despite the absence of Anthony Gonzalez and Pierre Garcon, and the Indianapolis Colts beat the crestfallen Denver Broncos 27-13 Sunday.

The Broncos (1-2) were playing with heavy hearts following the death of teammate Kenny McKinley.

There was a moment of silence before kickoff in honor of the 23-year-old wide receiver who died Monday at his home near team headquarters. Sheriff's department investigators believe McKinley killed himself with a .45-caliber pistol because he was depressed following his second straight season-ending knee surgery.

"Kenny, he's resting in peace right now. I think we're going to leave it at that," Mario Haggan said. "He'll be with us forever. I'm not a big advocate on dedicating a football game to someone, but he'll always be in my heart and forever a good guy and a teammate."

Several members of the organization, including some players, will fly to his funeral in Georgia on Monday.

Kyle Orton threw for a career-best 476 yards on 37-of-57 passing and the Broncos outgained the Colts (2-1) by more than 150 yards. But they failed to get into the end zone on five trips inside the 20-yard line, settling for two field goals and turning over the ball on downs three times.

"The guys might have bent a little along the way, but they certainly didn't break," Colts coach Jim Caldwell said. "They got stingy down in the red zone."

The Broncos might have gotten greedy, eschewing field goal attempts twice when the outcome was still in doubt.

"We convert those, we're geniuses and we're all great players," said Denver receiver Brandon Lloyd.

Orton said he won't second-guess the calls to go for it, not with Manning on the other side.

"You need touchdowns down there. You know he's going to come down and get his," Orton said.

"You're going to win this game with touchdowns, not field goals," Broncos coach Josh McDaniels said, adding, "I'd do the same thing again."

Orton's 476 yards passing were the second most in Broncos history and the second most a Colts opponent had gained through the air.

Only Joe Namath's 496 yards back in 1972 were more than Orton had against the Colts.

Indy got into the air show, too.

With Garcon nursing a sore hamstring, Austin Collie set career bests with a dozen catches for 171 yards and two touchdowns, and Blair White, playing because Gonzalez has a high ankle sprain, caught a TD pass one day after being promoted from the practice squad.

Broncos rookie cornerback Perrish Cox had a difficult debut as a starter in place of the injured Andre' Goodman. He was beaten for two scoring passes and also fumbled away a punt that led to a score.

Cox said he lost track of the ball on the two TDs.

"When you do that kind of stuff," he said, "Peyton Manning finds it."

And if you fumble the punt, Justin Tryon smothers it.

"The same thing. I took my eye off of it, trying to read my blockers too early," Cox admitted.

The Broncos weren't blaming the brash rookie, however.

"We can't dwell on this one because we're going to need Perrish all year," Haggan said, noting Cox isn't the first greenhorn Manning has exploited. "Peyton goes after vets, so it just happens."

Neither team ran the ball well, the Colts managing just 40 yards and the Broncos 47.

"We had to be patient because the run game was kind of a grind," said Manning, who was 27 of 43 for 325 yards and no interceptions.

Lloyd caught six passes for a career-high 169 yards and Jabar Gaffney hauled in 12 passes for 140 yards for the Broncos. Denver moved up and down the field but couldn't do much in the red zone, where it ran 21 plays without reaching the end zone.

"That's a good red zone football team," Orton said. "That's what their team is built around. Their defense is very fast. They play tough coverage to throw the ball against down there. We just didn't execute. Everything has to happen fast. Everybody has to be on the same page."

Trailing 13-0, the Broncos had first-and-goal from the 1, but failed to punch it in without fullback Spencer Larsen leading the way. He was knocked out of the game earlier with an ankle injury.

They thought they had a touchdown on Laurence Maroney's fourth-and-1 run around left tackle, but with smoke from fireworks wafting through Invesco Field, Caldwell challenged and the referee ruled Maroney's right knee hit the ground just before the ball broke the plane of the goal line.

Notes: The other two times Denver went for it on fourth down in the red zone, Orton's tosses fell incomplete, once to Demaryius Thomas, who came down hard on his left arm and appeared to injure either his wrist or shoulder. ... Orton's 476 yards were second in team history behind Jake Plummer's 499 yards against Atlanta in 2004. ... Orton has 1,078 yards passing so far.