Colts Win Matchup Of Manning Brothers

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J., Sept. 10 -- Big brother kept little brother in his place.

Both Mannings had their moments in their first matchup as NFL quarterbacks on Sunday night at Giants Stadium. But older brother Peyton's Indianapolis Colts did just enough right to outlast younger brother Eli's New York Giants, getting four field goals by Adam Vinatieri to escape with a 26-21 triumph in the highly anticipated marquee game of the league's opening weekend.

"I think both of those guys are probably glad it's over," Colts Coach Tony Dungy said. "It was great for the nation to see. I think the fans saw two outstanding quarterbacks and two outstanding teams. I think the buildup wore on all of us. Now we can go out and try to get our second win without all the fanfare."

The Colts built leads of 13-0 and 16-7 in the first half as Peyton Manning threw a second-quarter touchdown pass to tight end Dallas Clark and Vinatieri provided three field goals. But the Giants didn't wilt. They ran the ball effectively all night, with tailback Tiki Barber amassing 110 rushing yards and backup Brandon Jacobs 54 more, and Eli Manning threw touchdown passes to wide receiver Plaxico Burress in the second quarter and tight end Jeremy Shockey in the third quarter.

When Jacobs ran for a one-yard touchdown with just more than eight minutes to play to match the one-yard touchdown by Colts tailback Dominic Rhodes earlier in the fourth quarter, the Giants were within 23-21. But Eli Manning threw an interception to Colts cornerback Nick Harper on the Giants' next possession. That came one play after a controversial offensive pass interference call on wide receiver Tim Carter negated a first down. That led to Vinatieri's fourth field goal, from 32 yards, with 1 minute 12 seconds to go, and the Giants ran out of time on their last-gasp drive.

"I told him I love him and I was proud of the way he competed," said Peyton Manning, who completed 25 of 41 passes for 276 yards, with one interception. "I enjoyed watching him play in person. He's every bit as good as he looked on TV to me. He's going to be a great player in this league. I'm proud to be related to the guy, proud to be his brother. . . . Somebody had to win this game."

Eli completed 20 of 34 passes for 247 yards, losing a fumble in addition to his one interception.

"I'm glad it happened," he said, "but I'm obviously disappointed with the outcome. . . . I said, 'Good game. It's your win. Keep it up.' I'll talk to him next week. He played a good game and got a good win."

The patriarch of quarterbacking's first family, former New Orleans Saints quarterback Archie Manning, seemed drained after watching the game from a box high above the field, rooting for a high-scoring affair in which both his sons excelled. His wife, Olivia, said outside the Giants' locker room, "I'm glad we don't have to go through this for a few more years."

The Colts took the opening kickoff and crafted a 17-play drive, moving to the Giants 8-yard line. On a third-and-goal play, Giants safety James Butler dropped a would-be interception. Vinatieri, the two-time Super Bowl hero for the New England Patriots who signed with the Colts as a free agent in the offseason but was plagued in recent weeks by a sprained ligament and chipped bone in his left foot, connected from 26 yards.

Vinatieri drilled a 32-yarder after the Colts reached the Giants 9 on their second drive. Peyton Manning got them in the end zone on their third possession. The Colts picked on veteran cornerback Sam Madison all evening, and wideout Reggie Wayne beat Madison for a 34-yard catch. Giants middle linebacker Antonio Pierce dropped a possible interception and, on third and goal from the 2, Manning ran to his right and got the ball to Clark in the end zone.

The Giants, to that point, had been moving the ball but not converting their scoring chances into points. Burress dropped a pass on a fourth-and-five gamble from the Colts 33 on the Giants' opening drive, and place kicker Jay Feely yanked a 40-yard field goal attempt wide left on their second possession. But Eli Manning and Burress teamed to get the Giants to within 13-7 when Burress made a juggling catch over Harper for a 34-yard touchdown. Peyton Manning stayed calm, maneuvering the Colts into position for Vinatieri's 48-yard field goal as time expired in the first half.

"Adam couldn't have started better," Dungy said.

Eli Manning had settled into a groove by then, however, and he got the Giants to within 16-14 midway through the third quarter with a 15-yard scoring strike to Shockey. The tight end celebrated the touchdown by handing the ball to one of the soldiers watching the game from behind the end zone after participating in ceremonies to mark the five-year anniversary of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.

The Giants had a chance to take the lead when cornerback R.W. McQuarters intercepted a Peyton Manning pass. But Eli Manning lost a fumble on a botched handoff to Barber, and the Colts took advantage when Rhodes bulled to a one-yard touchdown to push the advantage to 23-14 just less than two minutes into the fourth quarter.

"We beat ourselves in a lot of ways," Giants defensive end Michael Strahan said. "Defensively, we had them in third-and-longs and we didn't get off the field. Offensively, we had that fumble. We had a missed field goal. We had penalties. We should have won a lot of ways."