Palmer rallies Cardinals to steal 16-13 OT win at Indy

 Carson Palmer managed to get the Arizona Cardinals into overtime Sunday. Tyrann Mathieu and Phil Dawson made sure they got out of Indianapolis pretty darn quick.

Mathieu intercepted new Colts quarterback Jacoby Brissetton the first play from scrimmage in the extra period, and Dawson made a 30-yard field goal four plays later to give the Cardinals a 16-13 victory.

"The defense saved me," Dawson said. "Missed one with the game on the line and the game could have turned out another way."

The improbable rally was no small feat on a day full of comebacks.

Palmer seemed to be out of sync with his receivers most of the day, but made just enough plays in the final eight minutes of regulation to give the Cardinals a chance. He was 16 of 39 with 332 yards, one touchdown and one interception.

"The quarterback has to play better. It's that simple," coach Bruce Arians said. "And we have to block better."

Palmer did not respond to the critique.

Arizona's defense allowed scoring drives of 14, eight and 16 plays, but kept Brissett and the Colts out of the end zone for the final 52 minutes before Mathieu came up with the play of the game by undercutting Colts receiver Kamar Aiken.

The usually reliable Dawson then took advantage of a rare second chance after pushing a 42-yard field goal wide right as time expired in regulation.

Yes, everyone played a role as the Cardinals (1-1) avoided their first 0-2 start since 2005.

"We were making plays to win the game instead of to not lose a game," Arians said after tying the late Don Coryell for No. 2 on the franchise's career wins list with 42.

Indy simply blew it.

The Colts never trailed until the final play despite struggling in the red zone and being unable to close it out on offense or defense.

Now coach Chuck Pagano must dig his way out of a fourth consecutive 0-2 start, perhaps the most frustrating yet because of how it slipped away.

"In games like this, you've got to put teams away," he said. "There are no moral victories. We are 0-2 and it is what it is."

For 3 1/2 quarters, it looked as if Pagano made all the right moves.

He went with Brissett over Scott Tolzien, and Brissett led the Colts to 10 points on their first two possessions.

All Indy could muster after that was a chip shot field goal from Adam Vinatieri with 11:42 left in regulation for a 13-3 lead. Brissett was 20 of 37 for 216 yards in his third career start - his first with the Colts, who acquired him in a Sept. 2 trade.

Then, Palmer started playing vintage football.

He hooked up with Jaron Brown on a 22-yard completion and picked up another 15 yards on the play because of a roughing the passer call. On the next play, J.J. Nelson split two defenders and Palmer fit the ball in perfectly for a 45-yard TD pass that made it 13-10.

Palmer followed that with by getting Dawson into position for the tying field goal and they expected to be the winner.

Instead, the Cardinals needed Mathieu's interception and Dawson's second chance.

"I've played long enough to know a win's a win and we have to enjoy it," Palmer said. "It doesn't matter how you get it done, but we got it done."

RECORD BREAKER

Vinatieri's 29-yard field goal early in the fourth quarter broke another NFL record. He now has 177 field goals from 20 to 29 yards, one more than Morten Andersen.

Actually, his first kick of the day would have been the record breaker - if Arizona hadn't been called for leverage on the play. Indy pulled the points off the board and capped the drive with Frank Gore's 5-yard TD run.

KEY NUMBERS

Cardinals: Nelson caught five passes for 120 yards. Palmer was sacked four times. Chris Johnson had 11 carries for a team-best 44 yards.

Colts: Tight end Jack Doyle caught eight passes for 79 yards, while Indy's wide receivers had a combined nine catches for 98 yards. Malik Hooker got his first interception in his first career start. Brissett also was sacked four times.

INJURIES

Cardinals: Played without left tackle D.J. Humphries, left guard Mike Iupati or running back David Johnson, who has already had wrist surgery. But Arians didn't report new injuries form the game.

Colts: An already banged-up secondary pressed Indy into giving Hooker and cornerback Quincy Wilson, their top two draft picks, their first career starts. Pagano said the Colts came out injury-free, too.

UP NEXT

Cardinals: Host Dallas after opening the season with back-to-back road trips.

Colts: Host Cleveland to complete their longest homestand this season.

Goff's Rams blast Colts 46-9 in coach McVay's big debut

 Jared Goff passed for a career-high 306 yards and a touchdown in his first victory as an NFL starter, and the Los Angeles Rams routed the Indianapolis Colts 46-9 Sunday in Sean McVay's impressive debut as the youngest head coach in modern league history.

Todd Gurley had 40 yards rushing and 56 yards receiving while the Rams roared to a 37-3 lead in the third quarter. Los Angeles snapped a six-game skid at the Coliseum with its most impressive performance since returning home from St. Louis last year.

Rams linebacker Alec Ogletree celebrated the win with a Gatorade shower for McVay on the sideline in the final minutes.

Los Angeles' defense also excelled against fill-in Colts quarterback Scott Tolzien. Trumaine Johnson intercepted Tolzien's first pass and returned it 39 yards for a touchdown, while Lamarcus Joyner returned another pick 29 yards for another score in the third quarter.

Tolzien passed for 128 yards in his fourth career NFL start in place of Andrew Luck, who wasn't ready to return from a right shoulder injury.

Indianapolis also played without center Ryan Kelly and top cornerback Vontae Davis, and the Rams thoroughly exploited every absence with an aggressive, exciting performance for a team that finished last season with 11 losses in 12 games.

Goff went 0-7 as a starter last year, but the No. 1 pick in the 2016 draft looked much sharper after an offseason of study under the 31-year-old McVay. Goff went 21 for 29.

The Rams produced their highest-scoring performance since November 2014 in their first game since McVay took over a franchise that went 4-12 in its 13th straight non-winning season and 12th straight non-playoff season.

Rookie Cooper Kupp's first NFL touchdown catch put the Rams up 24-3 in the second quarter. That's a bigger lead than the Rams held at any point over the past two seasons in St. Louis and Los Angeles, when they had the NFL's worst offense.

BAD TO WORSE

Jacoby Brissett replaced Tolzien for the fourth quarter and led Indy's only touchdown drive - but Adam Vinatieri, who missed a field goal earlier, missed his first extra point since 2014. Brissett attempted three passes.

OLD SCHOOL

New Rams defensive coordinator Wade Phillips' unit also had a memorable debut, throttling the Colts' offense and adding a fourth-quarter safety to its two interception returns for TDs.

AD 99 RETURNS

All-Pro defensive lineman Aaron Donald missed the first game of his four-year NFL career for the Rams, but he reported to the team Saturday after ending his four-month contract holdout. Donald could play next week if he is physically ready.

INJURIES

Colts: Rookie LB Anthony Walker was ruled out in the first half with a hamstring injury.

Rams: Starting CB Kayvon Webster didn't return after injuring his right shoulder in the second quarter. Rookie CB Dominique Hatfield went to the locker room in the second quarter to be evaluated for a concussion.

UP NEXT

Colts: Host Arizona. Luck might not be ready to return until October.

Rams: Host Washington. McVay was Jay Gruden's offensive coordinator with the Redskins for the past three seasons.

Luck still perfect vs. Titans as Colts pull out 34-26 win

 No matter how much the Indianapolis Colts are hurting or struggling, they can always count on beating the Tennessee Titans.

Especially with Andrew Luck.

Luck threw a 7-yard touchdown pass to Jack Doyle with 1:55 left to put Indianapolis ahead to stay, and the Colts rallied to beat the Titans 34-26 Sunday for their 10th straight win against their AFC South rival.

The Colts (3-4) came in having lost two of three, including blowing a 14-point lead in an overtime loss last week at Houston. But Luck improved to 8-0 against the Titans with yet another comeback win. He finished with 353 yards passing and three TDs, the last after Tennessee went up 23-20.

The Titans (3-4) saw their two-game winning streak end. They can't explain why Luck has their number despite his changing supporting cast.

"He's that good of a quarterback he's going to make players make plays," Titans coach Mike Mularkey said of Luck.

T.Y. Hilton caught seven passes for 133 yards, including a 37-yard TD . The Colts shook off 12 penalties for 131 yards in pulling out their 15th win in 16 games against Tennessee.

The Colts were missing wide receiver Donte Moncrief and tight end Allen, and Jack Doyle caught nine passes for 78 yards to fill in at tight end.

"We as a team, if we're dealt those cards, we embrace it," Luck said of the injuries. "We welcome everybody in and say this is what you've got to do to help this team get a win. That's the beauty of it."

Marcus Mariota had a chance to rally the Titans, but T.Y. McGill sacked him and stripped out the ball. Robert Mathis picked it up and ran 14 yards for the clinching TD with 1:47 left and a 34-23 lead. The Colts finished with three sacks

VINATIERI'S RECORD

Colts kicker Adam Vinatieri kicked a pair of field goals, and the second, a 33-yarder with 3:46 left in the third quarter gave him an NFL record 43 consecutive field goals made. His first tied him with former Colts kicker Mike Vanderjagt who made 42 straight between 2002 and 2004. "I'm happy that we won the game and that this is a little bit to go along with it," Vinatieri said.

ONSIDE KICK

The Colts pounced on the Titans with an onside kick after Luck's second TD in the second quarter. Titans tight end Phillip Supernaw had a chance to scoop up the ball only to fail, and Robert Turbin recovered for Indianapolis at the Tennessee 35. The Colts had to settle for a 28-yard field goal by Vinatieri after having first-and-goal, but the onside kick helped the Colts go up 17-6 with 10 straight points.

BIG MAN TD

The Titans opened a game driving for a touchdown for a second straight game, and Mariota being a perfect 5 of 5 for 47 yards wasn't the best part of the possession. Under pressure, Mariota dumped a pass off to left tackle Taylor Lewan, who ran 10 yards for the TD. Lewan was so wide open he looked back as he ran into the end zone for the first TD by a left tackle for this franchise, according to Pro Football Reference.

CARTED OFF

The Titans lost left guard Quinton Spain to an injured right knee on incomplete pass in the second quarter. He was carted off to the locker room. Then cornerback Perrish Cox went down late in the same quarter when linebacker Sean Spence appeared to land on him, and Cox was carted to the locker room, where he was evaluated for a concussion. Neither returned.

Mularkey said after the game that Spain was being taken for tests of a sprained knee.

UP NEXT

The Colts go home after splitting a two-game swing to host Kansas City. The Titans wrap up a three-game homestand hosting Jacksonville on Thursday night.

Brock Osweiler rallies Texans to 26-23 OT victory over Colts

 After three lackluster quarters by the Houston Texans on Sunday night, a good chunk of the home crowd headed out early.

Tough luck for them.

Nick Novak made a 33-yard field goal in overtime to give Houston a 26-23 victory over the Indianapolis Colts. Houston became the first NFL team to rally from a 14-point deficit in the final 3 minutes since the Tim Tebow-led Broncos did it in 2011 against the Dolphins.

Brock Osweiler threw a 36-yard pass to Jaelen Strong to get Houston to the 12 and Novak's field goal came two plays later.

"I think a lot of fans tonight missed a terrific performance in the third, fourth quarter by a team," Osweiler said. "Nothing was perfect early on, I understand why fans were frustrated but I hope they learned tonight that this team is never going to quit fighting."

Indianapolis (2-4) got the ball first in overtime, but Benardrick McKinney sacked Andrew Luck on third down to force a punt.

Osweiler shook off a tough start to throw two touchdown passes in less than 2 minutes in the fourth quarter as Houston (4-2) tied it at 23 with 54 seconds left. He found Lamar Miller on a 10-yard catch-and-run TD with 2:47 remaining and, after a stop by the defense, connected with C.J. Fiedorowicz on a 26-yarder that tied it.

"When you have them down and have a 14-point lead late in the fourth quarter, you've got to be able to close games out," Colts coach Chuck Pagano said. "We did not do that today."

Houston's defense forced a punt by Indianapolis to send it to OT.

"Everybody stood together and everybody did their job and made plays and (was) trying to get the ball back to the offense," Jadeveon Clowney said.

Luck had a 22-yard touchdown throw in the first quarter and pushed the lead to 20-9 when he dashed into the end zone untouched on a 14-yard run early in the fourth.

Miller scored his first touchdown as a Texan on a 1-yard run on Houston's first drive of the second half, but the extra point failed to leave the Texans down 13-9.

The Texans stopped the Colts on fourth down after that, but Osweiler's pass was intercepted two plays later. Luck's TD run came on the next drive.

The Colts led 13-0 in the second quarter after two field goals by Adam Vinatieri and a touchdown catch byJack Doyle. Osweiler and Houston's offense struggled to get going early and Osweiler had negative-9 yards passing in the first quarter. The Texans cut it to 13-3 before halftime on Novak's 27-yard field goal.

MILLER'S TIME: Miller finished with a season-high 149 yards rushing and added 29 yards receiving.

"We felt like he was the guy throughout the game that was probably playing the best on offense so at halftime we said, `Look, we've got to keep finding ways to get this guy the ball,'" coach Bill O'Brien said.

CENTURY MARK: Indianapolis' Frank Gore had 22 carries for 106 yards to end the NFL's longest active streak of consecutive games by a team without a 100-yard rusher at 55. The last Colt to have 100 yards rushing was Vick Ballard in 2012.

RECORD CHASE: Vinatieri made three field goals on Sunday night to extend his streak to 41 in a row and leave him one away from tying the NFL record set by Mike Vanderjagt from 2002-04. Vinatieri made field goals of 41, 37 and 36 yards on Sunday night.

"I wish one of those points would have been the difference in the outcome of the game," he said.

FULLER OUT: Houston rookie receiver Will Fuller was active but did not play on Sunday night because of a hamstring injury. He leads all rookies with 327 yards receiving.

UP NEXT

Colts: Visit Titans next Sunday.

Texans: Visit Denver on Oct. 24.

Faster tempo allows Colts, Luck to hold off Bears 29-23

The Indianapolis Colts got Andrew Luck on track by playing fast Sunday. Now they'll try to use the same strategy to save their season.

After hearing the clamor for changes all week, the Colts cranked up the pace, took their first halftime lead of the season and, yes, even managed to pull out a badly needed victory, 29-23 victory over the Chicago Bears.

"We needed to get off the snide and get a win," Luck said after throwing a 35-yard TD pass to T.Y. Hilton with 3:43 to play to retake the lead. "We needed to get that taste out of our mouth. We needed a win. Winning cures all in this league."

The Colts (2-3) had plenty of concerns all week.

So Indy threw a change-up at the Bears' defense and Luck took full advantage by taking shots down the field and putting points on the scoreboard early.

The result: Indy had its first halftime lead of the season, 16-13.

But after bogging down in the regular offense most of the second half, the Colts switched back after Chicago took a 23-19 lead midway through the fourth quarter. This time, Luck needed only six plays to go 82 yards - the last 35 coming on the TD pass to Hilton that made it 26-23.

Luck was 28 of 39 with 322 yards and two TDs despite being sacked five times. Hilton caught 10 passes for 171 yards.

Bears quarterback Brian Hoyer was solid in his third straight start and gave Chicago (1-4) a 23-19 lead with a 24-yard TD pass to Jordan Howard with 7:04 left in the game. The 94-yard drive was Chicago's longest in more than seven years. Hoyer finished 33 of 43 for 397 yards and two TDs.

But after a late Bears fumble led to Adam Vinatieri's fifth field goal, Hoyer couldn't convert on fourth-and-8 from Indy's 28-yard line.

"It is frustrating," Chicago coach John Fox said. "It is a hard pill to swallow anytime you lose a game."

PASSING THE TEST

When the Colts opted not to take their bye following last week's trip to London, NFL officials were eager to see how Indy performed on a regular week. The Colts easily passed the test, performing even better than they did last week. And instead of playing catch-up all day, the Colts only trailed twice - at 3-0 and 23-19. The win could prove the long road trip wouldn't necessarily create at a disadvantage if London hosted more games.

MOVING ON UP

Frank Gore continues climbing the NFL's career rushing list. On Sunday, the Colts' feature back passed Jim Brown for No. 9 overall with a 16-yard run late in the first quarter. Brown retired in 1965 with 12,312 yards, a league record that stood for nearly two decades. Gore had 14 carries for 75 yards Sunday, giving him 12,367. In five games, Gore has passed five Hall of Famers and Edgerrin James, the Colts' career rushing leader.

HOWARD'S START

Howard has already established himself as a key component in the Bears' offense. The rookie ran 16 times for 118 yards and caught three passes for 45 yards and a score in his second straight start. Since Jeremy Langford, the starter went down with an ankle injury in Week 3, Howard has posted back-to-back 100-yard games.

THEY SAID IT

Bears: Hoyer talking about an uncovered Howard before Indy called timeout: "I was trying to get the ball snapped. They were messed up. But they called timeout before we could get set."

Colts: Luck on Gore's milestone: "You won't find a guy who loves football more than Frank Gore. He's a beautiful teammate, a great locker room guy. And to pass Jim Brown, that's great. My dad grew up in Cleveland and so he always used to talk about Jim Brown."

INJURY REPORT

Bears: After entering the game without Cutler (thumb), Langford or outside linebacker Leonard Floyd (calf), the only significant injury appeared to be backup cornerback Bryce Callahan, who left in the second half with an injured hamstring.

Colts: Defensive tackle Art Jones (returning from four-game suspension) and running back Robert Turbin (wrist and shoulder) were both inactive. The only player who did not return was inside linebacker Josh McNary(stinger).

Jaguars survive late Colts rally, win 30-27 in London

Blake Bortles threw for two touchdowns and ran for another as Jacksonville held off a furious Indianapolis Colts rally to win 30-27 in London for the Jaguars' first win of the season.

Sunday's victory at a raucous Wembley Stadium elevated Jacksonville into a tie with Indianapolis at 1-3 in the AFC South.

Andrew Luck led the Colts on three fourth-quarter touchdown drives to rattle the Jaguars' nerves. But his fourth-and-1 pass at the Jacksonville 49 with 1:36 remaining fell from the hands of tight end Dwayne Allen to preserve the victory for under-fire Jaguars coach Gus Bradley.

The Jaguars got a semblance of a running game going for the first time this season. T.J. Yeldon carried 13 times for 68 yards and Bortles added seven scrambles for 36 yards, including a 1-yard run that put Jacksonville ahead 14-6 midway through the second quarter.

The Colts repeatedly self-destructed on offense with dropped balls and another costly Luck interception that led to Jacksonville's opening touchdown. The Colts proved just as reckless on defense as pass interference and unnecessary roughness penalties extended three Jacksonville scoring drives.

The Jaguars led 23-6 after three quarters before the Colts mounted a tenacious comeback.

Their first touchdown drive of the final period was aided by an end zone pass interference on safety Jonathan Cyprien. Frank Gore (16 carries for 68 yards) punched the ball through on the next play to complete a nine-play, 75-yard drive barely seconds into the final period.

After a Jacksonville punt, Luck led a 12-play, 78-yard touchdown drive capped by his rollout scoring toss toT.Y. Hilton alone in the right corner of the end zone.

But Bortles found Allen Hurns on a short out route. Hurns made reserve cornerback Rashaan Melvin miss, then cut inside and through the defense for a 42-yard touchdown that seemingly put the Jaguars safely ahead 30-20 with 5:31 left.

But Luck pulled the Colts back to 30-27 barely two minutes later. A defensive miscue by Jaguars rookie Jalen Ramsey left Phillip Dorsett streaking alone to haul in a 64-yard touchdown throw.

FOREIGN POWER: Frank Gore added to his somewhat strange status as the NFL's greatest rusher outside the United States. Sunday marked his fourth time in regular-season action on foreign soil dating back to his rookie year of 2005 in Mexico City. Gore also had strong 2010 and 2013 performances as a 49er in London's Wembley. Adding Sunday's productive numbers leaves Gore with 66 non-American carries for 264 yards and four touchdowns.

BIG CROWD: Wembley Stadium announced a sold-out attendance of 83,764, divided fairly equally between Jaguars and Colts supporters.

WHAT'S NEXT: The Jaguars enjoy a bye week before traveling to Chicago to face the Bears. The Colts, unusually for teams making the London trip, chose not to schedule their bye after the game and will face the Bears at home Oct. 9.

Luck, Hilton hook up to rally Colts past Chargers 26-22

 Andrew Luck missed T.Y. Hilton on one critical play Sunday. The Colts quarterback didn't make the same mistake again.

On his second chance, Luck threw a perfect strike to Hilton with 1:17 to play, and the Pro Bowl receiver spun out of a tackle and zig-zagged 63 yards down the field to give Indianapolis a 26-22 victory over San Diego.

Just 35 seconds earlier, Luck tried the same play with Hilton on fourth-and-7 but an off-target throw forced Hilton to spin around for an 8-yard catch on fourth-and-7. The next time, Luck got it right.

"It was the same sort of play and I kind of missed him," Luck said, referring to the fourth-down throw. "So I came back to him and this time I hit him in stride."

Hilton took care of the rest.

It's the second time on Luck's home turf that he has led the Colts (1-2) to a go-ahead score in the waning seconds. But, unlike the season opener two weeks ago, the Colts recovered two fumbles in the final 62 seconds to preserve the victory.

Luck finished 24 of 37 for 331 yards with one TD and one interception to earn his 15th career come-from-behind win.

No, he wasn't flawless. But when it mattered most, Luck excelled with the two big plays to Hilton.

Philip Rivers got two chances to win it. The first ended when Pro Bowl safety Mike Adams recovered a fumble with 62 seconds left. The second ended when linebacker D'Qwell Jackson covered the bouncing ball on the Chargers' last gasp desperation play.

Rivers was 26 of 39 for 330 yards.

"You have to put teams away when you have opportunities to do it or make the plays earlier in the game," Chargers coach Mike McCoy said. "We didn't do that for four quarters. We have to make those plays."

STILL WAITING

Chargers defensive end Joey Bosa practiced in pads for the first time this week. The No. 3 overall draft pick still has not made his NFL debut. After showing up following a prolonged contract holdout, Bosa's return was set back by a hamstring injury. Now the question is how much longer will the Chargers keep him out?

DIGGING OUT

Indy still hasn't started 0-3 since 2011, when Peyton Manning missed the entire season with an injured nerve. How big was this win? Since the current playoff format took effect in 1990, only five 0-3 teams have made the postseason and nobody has done it since the 1998 Buffalo Bills.

STRANGE DAYS

On what was supposed to be the final play of the game, the Chargers had no punt returner so they could send everyone to block Pat McAfee's kick. McAfee pooched it inside the Chargers' 20-yard line where the Colts downed it. One problem: The refs called illegal touching, giving San Diego an untimed play. Afterward, Pagano explained the Colts weren't allowed to touch it until the refs blew the ball dead.

THEY SAID IT

Chargers: Rivers on the unsportsmanlike conduct call he drew after a 43-yard completion put San Diego at the Indy 6: "That's the most unfair penalty I've ever gotten. I've never gotten one like that. I've never gotten one for really doing nothing. It maybe was the cleanest thing said on that field today and he (the official) was 30 yards away. From what I hear, it looked like nothing on the TV, but I don't know."

Colts: Coach Chuck Pagano on his thoughts as Hilton broke the tackle: "Probably like you guys, too much time on the clock. If you're going to score, don't score so fast."

INJURY REPORT

Chargers: Linebacker Manti Te'o came in as San Diego's leading tackler, but left in the first quarter with an Achilles tendon injury and did not return. The injury occurred when he appeared to plant his left leg while chasing Gore into the flat. McCoy said Te'o will undergo tests Monday morning to confirm the initial diagnosis.

Colts: The Colts played most of the game their regular starters on the right side of their offensive line. GuardDenzelle Good (back) was inactive and Reitz (back) left during the first half.

Miller's sack-strip leads Broncos past Colts 34-20

When the Denver Broncos settled for another field goal and were clinging to a six-point lead over the Indianapolis Colts with 1:51 remaining, one thought went through Von Miller's head.

"It's time to close."

And they did, thanks once again to Miller, who gave the Denver fans a reminder of his Super Bowl 50 MVP performance, sweeping in for the sack-strip of Andrew Luck that sealed the Broncos' 34-20 win Sunday.

Miller burst past right tackle Joe Reitz and swiped the ball from Luck's grasp. Fellow linebacker Shane Ray scooped it up and returned it 15 yards for the touchdown.

"It was Von Miller being Von Miller," Colts coach Chuck Pagano lamented. "We did a great job on him at some points in the game. But he's a great, great player and he made a great, great play."

Miller added a sack on the last play for his third of the game as the Broncos (2-0) sent the banged-up Colts limping to their third consecutive 0-2 start.

"He obviously got the better of me today," Reitz said. "I'm disappointed in myself, especially that last play in a critical situation. He got a good jump and got around the edge, got to Andrew. The rest is history."

All afternoon, the Broncos rattled Luck, who started 5 for 18 before he engineered a couple of second-half touchdown drives. Luck completed just 21 of 40 passes for 197 yards and was sacked five times.

Trevor Siemian outshone Luck, just as he did Cam Newton in the opener. He completed 22 of 33 passes for 266 yards.

Cornerback Aqib Talib returned an interception 46 yards for a touchdown early in the fourth quarter, giving Denver a 23-13 lead.

Talib stepped in front of wide receiver Phillip Dorsett to snag Luck's pass, which he returned through traffic down Denver's jubilant sideline. His ninth career pick-6 was his fifth for Denver, a franchise record.

"The good thing about Aqib is if he ever gets his hands on the ball, he's not only a DB, he's a returner," coach Gary Kubiak said.

It's not luck, it's preparation, Talib said.

"I practice it," he said. "When I get an interception in practice, I go score on it. Practice makes perfect."

D'Qwell Jackson stuffed C.J. Anderson on third-and-1 from the Colts 17 and Brandon McManus's 35-yard field goal made it 26-20 with 1:51 left.

After a touchback, Luck lined up and took the snap.

In a split second the ball was on the ground, and Luck watched helplessly as Ray scooped it up and scored.

"You can't turn the football over, have pick-6s, sack-fumbles returned for touchdowns," Luck said "It's just too hard to overcome."

STEWART AGAIN: Luck threw a 7-yard TD pass to Frank Gore with 4:02 remaining, pulling the Colts to 23-20. The drive was kept alive by safety Darian Stewart's roughing penalty for smacking the quarterback in the helmet as he slid for the first down on a third-and-1 scramble at his own 30. Stewart was fined $18,231 for a helmet-to-helmet hit on Newton in the opener and can expect another fine this week.

THIN AIR: One week after Panthers punter Andy Lee had a 76-yard kick in Denver's mile-high air, Pat McAfee had a 72-yarder for the Colts that was nearly blocked but ended up bouncing into the north end zone for a touchback.

HONORING GREATS: The Broncos unveiled signs in the south end zone before the game honoring the players with retired numbers: Hall of Famers John Elway (7) and Floyd Little (44) and the No. 18 for Frank Tripucka, the first QB in franchise history. Tripucka's sign included a mention of Peyton Manning . Tripucka, who played from 1960-63, gave his blessing for Manning to wear the number when he was with the Broncos from 2012-15.

INJURY UPDATE:

Colts: CB Antonio Cromartie (shoulder) got hurt when he smacked into Emmanuel Sanders on the game's second snap, but returned in the second quarter. WR Donte Moncrief left in the second quarter with a head and neck injury. CB Rashaan Melvin left in the third quarter with cramps. RG Denzelle Good left in the fourth quarter with a back injury. Indianapolis began the day without three starters from their secondary in cornerback Vontae Davis (ankle) andPatrick Robinson (concussion) and safety T.J. Green (knee).

Broncos: Denver sustained three big injuries: OLB DeMarcus Ware broke his right forearm, and Kubiak said he didn't know if Ware will have surgery right away. Also, RT Donald Stephenson and TE Virgil Green suffered calf injuries that could sideline them for a while.

Prater gets redemption with late field in 39-35 win at Indy

 Matthew Stafford took advantage of one last chance Sunday and Matt Prater redeemed himself with a 43-yard field goal with 8 seconds to give the Detroit Lions a 39-35 victory at Indianapolis.

Prater missed an extra point wide right with 4:04 left in the season opener, a miscue that nearly cost the Lions.

Detroit won for only the second time in Indy, and it came just 37 seconds after it looked like Andrew Luck had rallied the Colts for an improbable last-minute victory.

It just wasn't enough to avoid Indy's third straight opening day loss in a wild finish.

After Prater's miss, Luck drove the Colts 75 yards and hooked up with Jack Doyle on a 6-yard TD pass with 37 seconds left. Adam Vinatieri's extra point gave the Colts a 35-34 lead.

This time, Stafford connected with receivers who took advantage of their speed against Indy's thin secondary. He quickly got the Lions into position for Prater to atone for the earlier miss.

Stafford was 31 of 39 for 340 yards with three touchdowns and no interceptions.

Indy was called for a safety on the final play of the game, for throwing an illegal forward pass in its end zone.

LUCK'S RETURN: In Luck's first meaningful game in more than 10 months, he started slowly and finished strong, as he usually does.

Luck wound up 31 of 47 for 385 yards with four touchdowns and had no turnovers - a stark contrast to his mistake-prone ways during an injury-riddled 2015 season.

KEY NUMBERS: Detroit averaged a league-low 83.4 yards rushing per game in 2015 but had 87 at halftime and finished with 116.

Frank Gore rushed 14 times for 59 yards, but the Colts extended their streak of consecutive games without a 100-yard rusher to 51.

SLOW START: Indianapolis spent the offseason looking for ways to start faster. The results didn't match the effort. Indy trailed 14-0 before Luck finally got in sync by finishing the first half with two scoring drives to make it 21-10.

OLYMPIC MOMENT: For the second straight day, Olympic gold medalist Lilly King received the loudest ovation of the Indiana contingent that competed at the Rio Olympics. On Saturday, Indiana University honored the Hoosiers who competed between the first and second quarters. On Sunday, the reaction was the same at halftime of Lions-Colts.

INJURY REPORT: Detroit's Theo Riddick left for a while to undergo the concussion protocol, but returned late in the game after being cleared.

Indy had three defenders go down on one series late in the first half: safety T.J. Green (sprained knee), cornerbackPatrick Robinson (medical evaluation), and linebacker Sio Moore. Cornerback Antonio Cromartie also left briefly in the first half, holding his left wrist. Moore and Cromartie returned. Green and Robinson did not. Safety Winston Guy(ankle) also left late in the game and did not return.