Reggie Wayne

Nothing has gone right for the Indianapolis Colts this season. They lost Peyton Manning for at least two months with a neck injury. They're 0-2 for the first time since 1998. In eight quarters, they've scored only two touchdowns. And now, some panicked fans are even calling for a quarterback change. Pro Bowl receiver Reggie Wayne is sounding the alarm, too. He says the Colts must get things fixed and fast because Indianapolis is running out of time. Players and coaches insist the problems are all "correctable.

The Globe's Greg A. Bedard takes a look at some of the top free agents available. Teams can begin signing players Tuesday at 4 p.m. Players are listed with age, height, and weight. OFFENSE QUARTERBACK Peyton Manning, Colts, 35, 6-5, 230 He'll turn 36 this month. If he's healthy, a team is getting a Hall of Famer with four good years left. That never happens. Alex Smith, 49ers, 27, 6-4, 217 On his way back to San Francisco, where he revived his career under coach Jim Harbaugh.

HOUSTON -- Peyton Manning broke one of Dan Marino's touchdown records, just not the one everybody has been talking about. But Manning got the only things that really matter to him -- an Indianapolis win and a playoff berth. The Colts beat the Houston Texans, 23-14, yesterday to clinch their second straight AFC South title with their sixth consecutive win. Manning threw touchdown passes on the first two Colts drives to get within two of Marino's 20-year-old record of 48 TDs in a season.

The Globe's Greg A. Bedard takes a look at some of the top free agents available. Teams can begin signing players Tuesday at 4 p.m. Players are listed with age, height, and weight. OFFENSE QUARTERBACK Peyton Manning, Colts, 35, 6-5, 230 He'll turn 36 this month. If he's healthy, a team is getting a Hall of Famer with four good years left. That never happens. Alex Smith, 49ers, 27, 6-4, 217 On his way back to San Francisco, where he revived his career under coach Jim Harbaugh.

Who: Houston at Indianapolis Time: 8:20 p.m. (NFL Network) Line: Texans by 6 Records: Texans 10-4 (9-4-1 vs. spread), Colts 1-13 (5-9 vs. spread). Comments: Texans routed Colts, 34-7, Sept. 11 . . . Houston QB T.J. Yates was born in Indianapolis . . . Indianapolis QB Dan Orlovsky played in Houston the last two seasons . . . Texans are 0-9 all time in Indianapolis . . . Colts WR Pierre Garcon is 125 yards shy of his first 1,000-yard season. Running mate Reggie Wayne needs 219 receiving yards to tie Marvin Harrison's franchise mark of eight straight 1,000-yard campaigns . . . Texans' Arian Foster is...

The Indianapolis Colts are winless no longer. Dan Orlovsky threw one touchdown pass and the key block on an 80-yard TD run, leading the Colts to their first win of the season, 27-13 over Tennessee on Sunday. Indianapolis (1-13) avoided becoming the second team in NFL history to go 0-16. The loss dealt a serious blow to the Titans' playoff hopes. Quarterback Matt Hasselbeck was picked off twice and Chris Johnson rushed for only 55 yards for Tennessee (7-7). Orlovsky gave Indy a 10-6 lead with an 18-yard TD pass to Reggie Wayne in the third quarter, and Jacob Lacey made it...

By Steve Silva, Globe Staff The Globe's Chris Gasper breaks down his three keys for the Patriots to focus on when they take on the winless Indianapolis Colts Sunday at Gillette Stadium: This week's keys to victory detailed in the video embedded above: 1. Patriots must get off to a fast start 2. Slow down Colts pass rushers Dwight Freeney and Robert Mathis 3. Contain the Colts receivers, especially...

INDIANAPOLIS - The Colts avoided their first 0-16 season thanks to a quarterback who was trying to prevent his second. Dan Orlovsky, who closed out the NFL's only 0-16 season with Detroit in 2008, threw one touchdown pass and the key block to spring an 80-yard touchdown run yesterday and lead the previously winless Colts to a 27-13 win over playoff hopeful Tennessee. It was the franchise's first win in 14 years without Peyton Manning, and all it took was 14 tries and three quarterbacks.

INDIANAPOLIS - The Carolina Panthers finally found somewhere they could pull out a road victory: Indianapolis, home of the winless Colts. DeAngelo Williams ran for two touchdowns and Cam Newton added another, leading the Panthers to a 27-19 win yesterday, their first outside of Charlotte, N.C., in nearly two years. "This is something we can build off of, use as a springboard as we go forward," coach Ron Rivera said. "It's not where you are now - it's where you're headed. " The Panthers (3-8)

KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- On a day dominated by offense, it took a defensive back to settle things. Indianapolis star Peyton Manning had already thrown five touchdown passes when he lofted the ball into Kansas City's end zone with just under two minutes left yesterday. This time, the catch in the end zone belonged to Chiefs safety Greg Wesley, who returned the ball 65 yards to seal Kansas City's 45-35 victory. "We didn't want it to have to happen that way," Wesley said. "But they've got a powerful offense.

Now that the meat has been cut and the Colts have parted ways with Peyton Manning, let's take a Patriot-centric look at ol' No. 18, who became the most feared and respected individual opponent of the Brady/Belichick era ... 1. It was a graceful, gracious exit for Manning, and it's impossible to exaggerate how much Manning meant to Indiana. You've probably got a sense for this already, but it really hit me at the Super Bowl when Manning jerseys were far more prevalent than jerseys of any Patriot or Giant -- you know, guys who were actually playing in the game.

Peyton Manning's departure from Indianapolis was so graceful we might as well call it "The Anti-Decision. " That doesn't mean he still can't learn a thing or two from LeBron James. With some sacrifice, a little bit of luck and a lot of creative number-crunching, Manning could begin assembling his own, Heat-styled "superteam" in Miami in a hurry. The Dolphins won't be the only team competing for Manning's services, though they might be the best fit. They're one of two NFL teams that could benefit most from the "Manning bump.

By Chad Finn, Globe Staff Now that the meat has been cut , let's take a Patriot-centric look at ol' No. 18, who became the most feared and respected individual opponent of the Brady/Belichick era ... 1. It was a graceful, gracious exit for Manning, and It's impossible to exaggerate how much Manning meant to Indiana. You've probably got a sense for this already, but it really hit me at the Super Bowl when Manning jerseys were far more prevalent than jerseys of any Patriot or Giant -- you know, guys who were actually playing in the game.

Jim Irsay is trying to put a happy face on an ugly public spectacle. After Peyton Manning stole the big stage from his little brother, Eli, all week, the Indianapolis Colts owner tried to resolve the second public spat in two weeks with his star quarterback. The latest controversy is over Manning's health and whether he's actually been cleared to start taking hits again. "Peyton Manning, Jim Irsay and the entire Colts family remain close and unified as we continue to work through all the options that relate to his future with the Colts," Irsay said in...

Ryan Grigson is a big man walking into a big job in Indianapolis. The former Philadelphia Eagles director of player personnel and offensive lineman was hired yesterday as the new general manager of the Indianapolis Colts. He will have to make a quick decision about whether to keep coach Jim Caldwell, and then whether to build next season's team around four-time league MVP Peyton Manning or probable No. 1 draft pick Andrew Luck. And it's the first time he's had this kind of power in the NFL. "I've been on teams whose guys were run off for the sake of...

Arian Foster has rushed for 138 yards and the game's only touchdown to help the Houston Texans lead the Colts 13-9 at the end of the third quarter on Thursday night. Foster's 9-yard touchdown run came less than a minute into the game, but the defenses have dominated since. Houston quarterback T.J. Yates has completed 9 of 11 passes for 93 yards. Indy's Dan Orlovsky has connected on 14 of 25 passes for 130 yards. Joseph Addai has 18 carries for 56 yards and Reggie Wayne has five catches for 54 yards for the Colts.

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. - Peyton Manning completed every pass early and one big one late, exactly what the Indianapolis Colts needed to stay unbeaten. Manning threw for 308 yards and four touchdowns, including a 65-yarder to Reggie Wayne to go ahead for good, and the Colts beat the Jacksonville Jaguars last night, 35-31, to improve to 14-0 for the first time in franchise history. The wild game on a cool night included 714 yards, 43 first downs, 10 lead changes, six punts, several big plays, and just two turnovers.

INDIANAPOLIS - It took the Colts one half to shake off their post-Super Bowl hangover. Then Peyton Manning and friends came alive to beat New Orleans, 41-10, last night in the NFL's opener, running away in the final 30 minutes. Playing against his hometown team, Manning had three touchdown passes, two to Reggie Wayne and another to Marvin Harrison. Joseph Addai ran for 118 yards on 23 carries and a super-quick defense with four new starters shut down Drew Brees, Reggie Bush, and the explosive New Orleans offense.

INDIANAPOLIS - Reggie Wayne kept the ball after all of his NFL touchdowns. Until Thursday night. Wayne made one of his trademark moves to outmaneuver a Houston defensive back with 19 seconds left, freeing himself for a 1-yard touchdown catch that gave the Colts a 19-16 victory over the AFC South champion Texans. After perhaps making his last catch as a Colt in front of the home crowd, the 11-year veteran who is in the final year of his contract handed the ball to Dan Orlovsky, the quarterback who threw it to him. Orlovsky has overcome the stigma of being the quarterback of the...