NASHVILLE, Tennessee (Ticker) -- Steve McNair could not overcome four turnovers by his team. Peyton Manning's teammates made no such mistakes.
Edgerrin James rushed for 95 yards and two touchdowns and Mike Vanderjagt kicked five field goals to lead the Indianapolis Colts to a 29-27 victory over the Tennessee Titans and into sole possession of first place in the AFC South.
The win gave the Colts (10-3) a one-game lead over Tennessee (9-4) and a sweep of the season series for the tiebreaker advantage.
The game was billed as a duel between McNair and Manning - the NFL's first- and third-rated quarterbacks - but was decided by turnovers. Indianapolis didn't have any while the Titans fumbled the ball away four times, including a combined three by kick returners Eddie Berlin and Justin McCareins. Berlin's two and a fumble by tight end Shad Meier led to three of Vanderjagt's field goals.
"You can't turn the ball over as many times as we did and expect to beat Peyton Manning and those guys," said Titans coach Jeff Fisher.
The last turnover by McCareins, a fumbled punt return recovered by Anthony Floyd at the Tennessee 40 with less than a minute left, spoiled any possible chance McNair had of leading a game-winning drive.
McNair had rallied the Titans from a 29-13 deficit with a pair of fourth-quarter touchdown passes and ran for a two-point conversion. After Derrick Mason made a leaping catch in the back of the end zone to pull the Titans within 29-27 with 1:49 left, the Titans had an opportunity to tie the game with another two-point conversion. But Colts defensive end Dwight Freeney leaped and deflected a pass by McNair intended for Mason in the end zone.
"It was there if it wasn't tipped," said McNair, who was 22-of-38 for 235 yards and also rushed for a touchdown. "The slant was there, but the defensive end on the goal line who you would think would come out from down on a three-point stance to deflect the ball. But it happened and we have to live with it."
Tennessee's defense came through with a three-and-out on the Colts' next possession, forcing a punt by Hunter Smith with 57 seconds remaining. But Cliff Crosby jarred the ball loose from McCareins after an 11-yard return and Floyd recovered, clinching the sixth win in seven road games for Indianapolis and snapping the Titans' 10-game home winning streak.
"You have to be able to win on the road and this was a huge win for us," said Manning, who was 22-of-34 for 228 yards. "There's a chance we could see them again (in the playoffs)."
The Colts succeeded in keeping McNair off the field for nearly a 15-minute stretch bridging the second and third quarters in which they ran 34 straight offensive plays.
Returning kicks for the first time, Berlin fumbled at the Tennessee 29 and rookie Mike Doss recovered for the Colts. That led to Vanderjagt's fourth field goal of the game, a 23-yarder with two seconds left in the second quarter, giving Indianapolis a 12-10 halftime lead.
James scored on a two-yard run 5:27 into the third quarter and Berlin fumbled the ensuing kickoff after being hit by Robert Mathis and Ricky Williams recovered for the Colts at the Tennessee 16. Four plays later, Vanderjagt kicked his fifth field goal, increasing the lead to 22-10 with 7:16 left in the third quarter.
The 5-for-5 day extended Vanderjagt's streak to 37 consecutive field goals, three shy of tying Gary Anderson's NFL record of 40 in a row. Ironically, Anderson now plays for Tennessee and booted a pair of field goals.
Marvin Harrison, who finished with 10 receptions for 124 yards, caught passes of 16 and 42 yards before James scored on a five-yard run with 37 seconds remaining in the third quarter.
