Colts use 'D' to rough up Leftwich, Jags in win

INDIANAPOLIS -- It's not every day the Indianapolis Colts win in a low-scoring dog fight, where they depend on their running game and defense to get the win. Glimpses of the changing times were seen in the Colts home opener, as it was Peyton Manning and the offense on life support while the Colts' defense led the team to a 10-3 victory over Jacksonville Sunday.\n"I'm in heaven right now," said Colts defensive end Dwight Freeney, who had a sack and several quarterback rushes. "We had fun defensively, and we showed everyone that our D-line is something to be reckoned with." \nThe Colts' defensive line brutally battered Jacksonville quarterback Byron Leftwich all afternoon, sacking him six times and holding him to under 200 yards passing for the night. \n"They held us to three and Baltimore to seven," Jacksonville head coach Jack Del Rio said. "I think (Dungy) is getting his guys to play pretty good." \nAfter a dominating performance by the Colts' defense last week against Baltimore, many wondered if the inflated image of the new defense would hold up. Sunday, the defense did just that, needing help from the rarely inefficient Colts offense for help. Despite several three-receiver sets and shotgun formations, the Colts could not move the ball through the air. \nThe Jaguars' defense and their elaborate coverage schemes baffled Peyton Manning and the Colts' offense through much of the game, as the Colts were plagued with overthrown balls, dropped passes and several penalties. \n"There are no excuses -- we should have thrown and caught the ball better," said Colts receiver Brandon Stokley. "We missed a lot of third downs by a yard or an inch. It's nice to have the win though."\nPeyton Manning's only first half red zone visit resulted in a Mike Peterson interception. Last year's most valuable player, Manning finished the day with 122 yards passing and no touchdowns.\nJacksonville struck first with a Jeff Scobee field goal in the third quarter, but the Jaguars had little luck after that.\nAlthough the Indianapolis passing attack was struggling, Jacksonville fell victim to a dominating ground attack spearheaded by Edgerrin James, who rushed for 128 yards and was also the team's leading receiver with 39 yards. Rookie Ran Carthon contributed to the running game, scoring the game's only touchdown with a 6-yard scamper in the fourth quarter, capping off a drive on which 14 of the 17 plays were runs. \nDespite the way the offense struggled, Colts head coach Tony Dungy sees improvement in his team.\n"Two games is 1/8 of a season," Dungy said. "If you have 1/8 tank of gas in your car you are not going to feel too good. Our offense is disappointed, but to win a game where your offense doesn't play its best, that's a sign of a good team"