Colts Don’t Pack It In This Time and Win, 41-38

The Indianapolis Colts finally found a team they could beat and it turned out to be the defending Super Bowl champions.

Cary Blanchard kicked a 20-yard field goal as time expired to give the Colts a 41-38 victory over the Green Bay Packers on Sunday. It was the Colts’ first victory this season and the third game-winning field goal by Blanchard against a defending Super Bowl champion in three years.

“At the end, I was kind of thinking on the sideline, ‘Get me a little closer, a little closer, run the time down,’ ” Blanchard said.

With the Colts lined up at the Packer 3-yard line, it was nothing more than an extra-point kick.

“I’m not going to miss an extra point. I’ve never missed an extra point,” Blanchard said. .

The Colts (1-10) moved 72 yards in the final 5:19 after Green Bay (8-3) tied the score at 38-38 on Brett Favre’s second touchdown pass to Antonio Freeman.

Paul Justin, who passed for a career-high 340 yards, completed four consecutive passes on the winning drive. His 27- and 28-yard completions to tight end Ken Dilger took the Colts to the Packer 1 with a little under two minutes to go. Instead of trying for a touchdown, Justin dropped to his knee on three consecutive plays, forcing Green Bay to use its last time out and running the clock down to three seconds.

Blanchard, whose field goals beat San Francisco two years ago and Dallas last year, then kicked the game-winner as time ran out. The Colts stormed onto the field in celebration.

“We decided to kneel on the ball. The way our luck has been going this year, we could have fumbled the ball. You just never know what is going to happen,” said Justin, who started in place of injured Jim Harbaugh for the third time this season.

“We showed today we’re not an 0-10 football team,” Blanchard said. “This is a big load off the players, the fans, everybody.”

Favre passed for 363 yards and three touchdowns, but had three turnovers that led to 17 points by the Colts.

Indianapolis trailed at halftime, 28-27, but an interception by Quentin Coryatt set up a 35-yard field goal by Blanchard. That put the Colts ahead, 30-28, late in the third quarter.

Green Bay’s Ryan Longwell countered with an 18-yard field goal, then both teams exchanged touchdowns in the final seven minutes. A two-point conversion pass from Justin to Marvin Harrison after Lamont Warren’s three-yard touchdown run made it 38-31.

“I’d be lying if I said this wasn’t special,” said Colt Coach Lindy Infante, who was fired by the Packers in 1992. “I’m human like everyone else. We beat a good football team today, and we did it with a bunch of guys who wouldn’t quit.”

The first half was a series of big plays. Dorsey Levens had three touchdowns, one on a career-long 52-yard run.

Each team punted only once, and the Colts scored twice in the second quarter on Packer turnovers.

Favre was sacked by Monty Montgomery and fumbled on the first play of the second quarter. Al Fontenot picked up the ball at the Packer 33 and returned it for a touchdown to give the Colts a 17-14 lead.

Favre later was intercepted by Robert Blackmon, who lateraled to Jason Belser as Blackmon was being tackled. Belser ran 50 yards for the touchdown that put Indianapolis ahead, 24-14.

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OTHER GAMES

* N.Y. Giants: 19

* Arizona: 10

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* Atlanta: 27

* St. Louis: 21

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* Pittsburgh: 20

* Cincinnati: 3

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* Jacksonville: 17

* Tennessee: 9

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* Detroit: 38

* Minnesota: 15

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* Tampa Bay: 27

* New England: 7

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* Philadelphia: 10

* Baltimore: 10

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* New Orleans: 20

* Seattle: (OT) 17

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* San Francisco: 27

* Carolina: 19

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* N.Y. Jets: 23

* Chicago: 15

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* Dallas: 17

* Washington: 14

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* Oakland: 38

* San Diego: 13

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* BAY WATCH

Tampa Bay moved into a three-way tie for the NFC Central lead by dominating New England, 27-7. C6

* A KISS-OFF

Baltimore and Philadelphia struggled offensively in playing to a 10-10 tie, the NFL’s first tie since 1989. C8