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Colts seek seventh straight win against winless Lions

Dec 9, 2008 - 3:33 PM Detroit (0-13) at Indianapolis (9-4), 1:00 pm EST

INDIANAPOLIS (Ticker) -- Christmas is still more than two weeks away, but the Indianapolis Colts can be forgiven if they feel like celebrating the holiday early.

Coming off a 35-3 rout of the Cincinnati Bengals, the Colts get another gift this week in the form of the winless Detroit Lions, who visit Lucas Oil Stadium on Sunday.

In consecutive weeks, Indianapolis (9-4) will face the league's two worst teams, who have a combined record of 1-24-1.

After the offense was held without a touchdown in a 10-6 victory at Cleveland the previous week, the Colts broke out against the Bengals to extend their winning streak to six games.

Peyton Manning completed 26-of-32 passes for 277 yards and three touchdowns. His 81.3 completion percentage was the sixth best of his career.

The Colts' five-year reign as AFC South champions ended when the Tennessee Titans (12-1) clinched the division with a 28-9 victory over the Cleveland Browns last week.

However, Indianapolis, which went 5-0 in November, remains in control of its destiny in a bid for a seventh consecutive playoff spot.

While the level of competition might have something to do with it, the Colts' defense also has played better of late - not allowing a touchdown in the last two games.

Indianapolis remains tied with Baltimore (9-4) for the AFC's two wild card spots. The Colts and Ravens are one game ahead of AFC East tri-leaders New York (8-5), Miami (8-5) and New England (8-5).

"Tennessee got the jump on us in the division, but the guys just kind of put that out of their mind and tried to improve, and we have," Colts coach Tony Dungy said. "I think we've gotten better each month.

"The first thing, we have to get in (the playoffs). We have a couple of more wins to get in, but if we get in, I think we have as good a shot as anyone."

The Colts have come a long way since they dropped to 3-4 following consecutive losses at Green Bay and Tennessee in October.

"It's truly been a one-game-at-a-time philosophy since we have been 3-4, and that was the philosophy (Sunday)," Manning said. "That will be the philosophy the rest of the month."

The sad-sack Lions (0-13) are now three games away from becoming the first team in NFL history to go 0-16. They host New Orleans next week and finish at Green Bay.

Detroit came close to its first win last week, but fell at home to the Minnesota Vikings, 20-16, to become the sixth team since the merger in 1970 to start 0-13.

With a loss Sunday, the Lions will join the 1976 expansion Tampa Bay Buccaneers as the only teams in NFL history to start 0-14. The Buccaneers only played a 14-game season as the NFL did not expand the schedule to 16 games until 1978.