INDIANAPOLIS (Ticker) -- Peyton Manning pulled off another fourth-quarter comeback, but the Carolina Panthers did not give him a crack in overtime.
After DeShaun Foster filled in for the injured Stephen Davis and broke off two big runs, John Kasay kicked a 47-yard field goal 5:39 into overtime to lift the Panthers to a 23-20 victory over the Indianapolis Colts.
In a battle of unbeaten teams, Carolina (5-0) improved on its best start in franchise history and is one of three NFL teams that has yet to lose, along with Kansas City and Minnesota.
"This is our second road trip, and both times we've gone into a pretty hostile environment against undefeated teams," said Panthers second-year coach John Fox. "I'm really proud of our guys."
Manning rallied the Colts (5-1) from a 35-14 deficit with less than four minutes left to a dramatic 38-35 win at Tampa Bay on Monday.
He had it going again as he completed 8-of-9 passes for 91 yards on Indianapolis' last possession, capping it with a game-tying 25-yard touchdown pass to a diving Reggie Wayne with 45 seconds left in the fourth quarter.
But Manning never saw the ball again.
"Obviously, you want to win the (coin) toss and get the ball first," Manning said. "(Coach) Tony (Dungy) was saying that's what we want right there, to get a punt and good field position. It worked in our favor last week (Monday at Tampa Bay), but this week we weren't as fortunate."
Carolina went 40 yards in 11 plays to the Indianapolis 30. Foster ran eight yards on 3rd-and-1 to the Carolina 44. A defensive holding penalty on Colts rookie cornerback Donald Strickland on 3rd-and-3 kept the drive alive before Foster broke off a 12-yard run to the Indianapolis 32.
After three running plays netted two yards, Kasay drilled his third field goal of the game.
The interconference contest matched Carolina's power running attack against Manning's aerial show. The Panthers rushed for 189 yards while Manning completed 23-of-34 passes for 293 yards and a touchdown with an interception.
Foster had 85 yards on 16 carries after filling in for Davis, who spent the fourth quarter and overtime on the bench with a bruised forearm.
"Coming off of last season, I just wanted to show I could still play football, and got my opportunity," said Foster, who spent the 2002 season on injured reserve. "Our linemen were getting the blocks and I was able to get outside."
Davis, who was seeking his fifth straight 100-yard game, finished with 76 yards on 15 carries, including a 28-yard TD. Afterwards, he praised Foster.
"I'm very proud of him," Davis said. "He went in there and did what he had to do. He makes a lot of plays when given the opportunity and he's going to make a lot more. A lot of people are in trouble now. We're a two-headed monster."
Indianapolis' Marvin Harrison became the fastest player in NFL history to 700 catches, achieving it in 114 games, 25 less games than former record-holder Jerry Rice. He needed seven yards to eclipse Raymond Berry's franchise receiving record of 9,275 yards and finished with eight catches for 119 yards.
The Colts again played without two-time rushing champion Edgerrin James, who missed his third straight game with a sore back. Ricky Williams produced 57 yards on 17 carries and James Mungro had just 10 yards on eight carries. Each also fumbled once.
"They did a good job, other than the fumbles," Dungy said. "You just can't fumble the ball. It ended up hurting us and giving them a little momentum."
In the first quarter, Williams fumbled at the Carolina 42 after being hit by linebacker Greg Favors and Dan Morgan recovered for the Panthers. Foster turned a short pass by Jake Delhomme into a 47-yard gain to the Indianapolis 13, setting up a 29-yard field goal by Kasay with 2:32 left in the quarter.
The Colts scored 13 points in the second quarter to take a 13-3 halftime lead.
Mungro's one-yard touchdown run 1:27 into the quarter capped an eight-play, 81-yard drive. The highlight was a 33-yard pass from Manning to Harrison to the Carolina 1. Three plays later, Mungro reached the end zone.
On Carolina's next possession, Colts safety Idrees Bashir intercepted a pass intended for Muhsin Muhammad and returned it nine yards to the Carolina 36. A defensive pass interference penalty against Morgan moved the Colts to the 20, but they had to settle for a 39-yard field goal by Mike Vanderjagt with 8:19 left in the second.
Vanderjagt increased the lead to 13-3 with a 22-yard field goal with 15 seconds remaining in the half to cap a 12-play, 76-yard drive. Manning completed 5-of-6 passes for 59 yards.
However, on Indianapolis' opening possession of the second half, Panthers rookie Ricky Manning intercepted a pass intended for Harrison at the Colts 28.
"I was really aggressive. I didn't sit back on the screen, I attacked it," Ricky Manning said. "Marvin tried to block me. He just happened to hit the ball and I was right there."
On the next play, Davis, who had just 10 yards on eight carries in the first half, broke four tackles and scored on a 28-yard run 1:01 into the third quarter.
After Carolina's defense held, the Panthers took over on their own 15. Davis rushed four straight times for 33 yards before Delhomme connected with Steve Smith on a 52-yard touchdown, giving the Panthers a 17-13 lead with 10:22 left in the third quarter.
The Colts crossed midfield on their next possession, but Williams fumbled after gaining 10 yards on a running play and safety Deon Grant recovered for the Panthers at the Carolina 34.
The Panthers also squandered an opportunity when Davis fumbled at the Indianapolis 12 after being hit by Bashir and cornerback Walt Harris recovered for the Colts. Davis not return after that fumble due to a forearm injury.
"I wanted to go back in badly but they kept me out," Davis said. "My arm was weak and it was hard for me to hold on to the ball."
A 36-yard punt return by Smith to the Indianapolis 21 set up a 23-yard field goal by Kasay with 11:17 left in the fourth quarter.
Indianapolis' defense nearly turned the momentum when it appeared end Chad Bratzke wrestled the ball away from tight end Kris Mangum and Raheem Brock recovered the fumble for the Colts at the Carolina 5 with 8:14 left. But the play was challenged by Fox and reversed to an incompletion.
"The ruling on the field was that it was an interception and a fumble, recovery by the defensive team," said referee Larry Nemmers. "In the replay, I thought that both players, defense and offense, grabbed the ball (and) never had control of it and the ball popped out, Therefore, it's an incomplete pass."
"There were two people who had the ball, and it ended up out," Fox said. "In my mind, it was incomplete."
The Panthers held the ball until the 3:08 mark, but that was enough time for Peyton Manning to march the Colts to the tying touchdown. He hit tight end Marcus Pollard three times for 27 yards and Harrison twice for 29 yards before Wayne made a diving catch in the end zone.
"There was nothing easy about any of that," Manning said of the tying drive. "Marvin made a catch behind his back. Pollard caught tight throws as corners were about to blow him up."
