Colts trying to stay out of trap against Bills

INDIANAPOLIS -- The Indianapolis Colts are aware of the trap.\nAt 8-0, on the verge of making NFL history and a heavy favorite at home against Buffalo, the NFL's last unbeaten team didn't need a reminder about keeping focus this week.\nThe Chicago Bears taught the Colts that lesson last week.\n"Exactly. Chicago loses to a team that had one win coming in, and Miami has a lot of good players who made a lot of plays," two-time MVP Peyton Manning said. "It's the same thing with Buffalo: they have Takeo Spikes and London Fletcher, guys like that."\nIf the Colts learned anything from last year's quest for perfection, it was this: take nothing for granted.\nSure, on paper, Sunday's game looks like a mismatch to everyone outside the locker rooms.\nThe Bills (3-5) have struggled offensively, rank near the bottom of the league in turnover differential, have a mid-level rating against the pass and will play without their leading rusher, Willis McGahee.\nIndianapolis, in contrast, is coming off back-to-back wins at Denver and New England, setting up what some believe could be a letdown before heading to Dallas.\nThe Colts don't buy it. They know it takes consistency and concentration each week and how dangerous it can be to discount an NFL team, even one that's still trying to find its footing.\n"Those games are sometimes harder," cornerback Nick Harper said.\nThat attitude might be the best explanation for the Colt's recent successes.\nManning and coach Tony Dungy have won more games in 4 1/2 years (56) than any other quarterback-coach combination in franchise history after winning at New England Sunday. The previous record belonged to two Hall of Famers, John Unitas and Don Shula, who won 55.\nThe Colts also have won 30 of their last 33 regular-season games and haven't lost consecutive meaningful games since that streak started in November 2004.\nA victory Sunday would also make Indianapolis the first team in league history to start back-to-back seasons at 9-0. The Green Bay Packers were 8-0 three straight times from 1929-31 but lost Game 9 in 1930.\nTo avoid a similar fate, they're taking the Bills every bit as seriously as they did the Pats.\n"I think the reason we've been able to do this is because of the practice schedule that's laid out and our attention to detail," Manning said. "It's the coaching philosophy here, and this team has bought into that."\nAs the Bills know all too well, the bigger challenge is designing a game plan to beat Indianapolis.\nManning and Marvin Harrison have combined for 99 career touchdowns, the best combo in league history. When Harrison's not involved, Reggie Wayne usually is. The offensive line has yielded 10 sacks all season, and the Colts' small, speedy defense played its best game of the season Sunday.\nTo coach Dick Jauron, it's almost too much to ponder.\n"Boy, I hope they don't get better, or at least if they do, I hope they wait a week," he said. "They've got it all going right now, and as far as I'm concerned, the defense is part of that 8-0 thing, too."\nWhat the Bills must do is avoid mistakes.\nQuarterback J.P. Losman finished last week's game with no turnovers, a major factor in ending the Bills' three-game losing streak.\nWith the Colts' propensity for scoring points, he must be even better -- and more efficient -- this week.\n"We want to keep the ball a little bit, keep them off the field, but we definitely have to score points, and we have to score touchdowns," Losman said.\nThat's likely to mean testing Indianapolis' poorly run defense even with Anthony Thomas in the lineup.\nThe Colts expect nothing less.\n"Why wouldn't you run it until we show we can stop it?" Harper said. "If I was the offensive coordinator, I'd run the ball against us, too."\nStill, the temptation is there.\nNow that Chicago has lost, the media focus has shifted back to Indianapolis where the questions have again started in earnest about a possible undefeated season. Next up is a trip to Dallas, then a home game against Philadelphia.\nTo the Colts, there's only one game that matters: Buffalo.\n"When you get to midseason, you really don't know what the other team's record is," Manning said. "Really, the record is not relevant. It's how you play on that particular Sunday"