NFL Football

Peyton Manning is adjusting to being without Marvin Harrison. Tony Dungy is finally adjusting to instant replay. So the Indianapolis Colts are on the verge of their fifth straight AFC South title. Manning, hampered by a lack of receivers for the past six weeks, threw four touchdown passes, two after the Colts won replay challenges, to beat Jacksonville 28-25 Sunday and take a two-game lead with four games to go. It was the second victory by the Colts (10-2) over Jacksonville (8-4) this season, essentially giving them a three-game lead with four games left in a division they've controlled since Tennessee won it the first year of the current configuration.

JaMarcus Russell made his NFL debut for the Oakland Raiders on Sunday, entering the game in the second quarter against the Denver Broncos. Russell, the No. 1 overall draft pick in April, had been brought along slowly after missing all of training camp and the exhibition season in a contract dispute. He signed a deal that guaranteed him at least $29 million three days after the season opener. Russell has been working mostly with the scout team and in extra practice sessions designed to help him catch up. Russell got some work with the first team this week because of a quadriceps injury to starter Daunte Culpepper. Coach Lane Kiffin said recently that he wanted to use Russell for a few series at a time at first, to keep him out of difficult situations like the two-minute drill. By making him the second-string quarterback this week, Kiffin was able to make that happen this week. Russell entered to a standing ovation with 13:48 remaining in the second quarter and completed a 16-yard pass to Jerry Porter on his first play. By NFL rules, if the No. 3 quarterback plays before the fourth quarter, the first two quarterbacks aren't allowed back into the game. Andrew Walter was the third quarterback.

A few thousand spectators remained when the Miami Dolphins called timeout with 10 seconds left, triggering the most emphatic boos of a miserable afternoon. For Miami fans, this is not a season to be prolonged. Sunday's game was touted as the Dolphins' best remaining chance to avoid the first 0-16 season in NFL history. Instead, they sustained their most lopsided defeat of the year. Rookie quarterback John Beck threw three interceptions and lost two fumbles, and Miami fell to 0-12 by falling to the New York Jets 40-13. The loss represented a big step - or stumble - toward a winless season. Despite the Dolphins' woeful record, they were favored by 1 1/2 points. Miami extended a franchise-record losing streak to 15 games, and Cam Cameron remained winless as an NFL coach. Beck's turnovers were the biggest problem. They led to a touchdown and three field goals for the Jets.

NFL scores