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Colts bracing for yet another road test

Oct 28, 2007 - 10:55 AM Indianapolis (6-0) at Carolina (4-2) Sunday 1:00 pm EDT

CHARLOTTE, North Carolina (Ticker) - The Indianapolis Colts have passed every road test this season. Now they face one more.

Fresh off a 29-7 thumping of the Jacksonville Jaguars, the Colts look to remain perfect on the season when they visit the Carolina Panthers.

Indianapolis dominated Jacksonville on Monday night to become just the third team in NFL history to start 6-0 for three straight seasons, matching the St. Louis Rams (1999-2001) and Green Bay Packers (1929-1931).

Now, with a high-profile showdown looming in Week Nine against the undefeated New England Patriots, the Colts must be careful not to look past the Panthers, who are coming off a bye week.

Peyton Manning threw one touchdown pass and ran for another as the Colts snapped the Jaguars' four-game winning streak and improved to 3-0 on the road - all against their AFC South rivals.

With two more touchdown passes, Manning will surpass the legendary Johnny Unitas (287) as the franchise's career leader.

Manning's favorite target against the Jaguars was Reggie Wayne, who hauled in nine catches for 131 yards. Tight end Dallas Clark added four receptions for 66 yards, including a 35-yard scoring pass with 3:58 to play. It was the fifth straight game in which Clark has scored.

The Colts continued to show good balance in the running game with Joseph Addai gaining 85 yards on 16 carries and former CFL star Kenton Keith adding 56 yards and a touchdown on 15 carries.

The bye week couldn't have come at a better time for the Panthers, who were forced to start 43-year-old Vinny Testaverde at quarterback in a 25-10 win over the Arizona Cardinals on October 14.

Testaverde had signed just four days before the game but was pressed into action due to season-ending surgery on starter Jake Delhomme and multiple injuries to backup David Carr.

The two-week hiatus allowed Carr to heal and he will start on Sunday.

Carr is plenty familiar with the Colts, facing them twice each season as a member of the Houston Texans. Although he is 1-9 lifetime against Indianapolis, Carr led the Texans to a 27-24 victory in their last matchup.

Curiously, Carolina is undefeated in four road games but has lost both home games this season.

The Panthers likely will look to rev up their running game and keep Manning off the field behind the duo of DeShaun Foster and DeAngelo Williams, who rushed for 121 yards and a touchdown on 10 carries against Arizona.