Texans match-up may be cure for Manning's TD record goal

HOUSTON -- With only a few seconds left in a certain victory for Miami, Peyton Manning threw a meaningless 6-yard touchdown pass to Marvin Harrison to cut the score to 24-15.\nThe date was Sept. 6, 1998, and Manning had salvaged his rough NFL debut with the first touchdown pass of his pro career.\nOn the other sideline was Dolphins quarterback Dan Marino, who was in the twilight of a career almost certain to be immortalized in Canton. Marino certainly couldn't have predicted greatness that afternoon for the highly touted rookie, who also threw three interceptions and was sacked four times in the game.\n"I don't think anybody can see how a guy's future is going to be in one game," Marino said earlier this week, "but as the year went on you could tell he was going to be a heck of a player."\nNo kidding. Manning has gone on to throw TD passes at a rate unlike anyone before him, and he needs only four more on Sunday against the Houston Texans (5-7) to tie Marino's NFL record of 48 set in 1984.\nDuring the Colts' five-game winning streak, Manning has thrown fewer than four touchdowns only once -- in a 51-24 win over Tennessee last week. He threw five in three quarters against Houston in a 49-14 victory in Indianapolis a month ago.\nConsidering that kind of dominance and the Texans' continued struggles on defense, Manning and the Colts (9-3) might want to bring confetti and a few bottles of champagne to Houston. Indianapolis could also clinch the AFC South with a win.\n"You don't want to be the team that gives him the record," Texans cornerback Aaron Glenn said. "But also you don't want to go into a game and solely focus on him not breaking the record."\nThere might not be a dependable way -- or legal one -- to keep the high-powered Colts out of the end zone.\nThe Titans tried three onside kicks in the first quarter. The Detroit Lions tried to confuse Manning with a variety of blitzes. The Chicago Bears tried to keep everyone in front of them with a zone defense.\nNone of it worked.\nIf the Colts score 40 or more points against Houston, they would become the first team in NFL history to do that in five consecutive games. The L.A. Chargers in 1960 and the St. Louis Rams in 2000 are the only other teams with four straight.\n"These are the types of offenses you like to play against, because nobody has figured out how to slow them down yet," said Texans defensive end Gary Walker, who accused the Colts of running up the score in their last meeting.\n"Who can you go out there and concentrate on shutting down?" Walker said. "They make you play disciplined and sound, the whole game."\nThe Texans will be hard-pressed to keep Manning from surpassing Marino, especially after losing starters and primary signal-callers Marcus Coleman (shoulder) and Jay Foreman (ankle) for the season with injuries.\nMaking this even more of a mismatch is the fact Houston has one of the league's worst pass defenses.\nThe Texans rank last in the NFL in touchdown passes allowed and are 28th out of 32 teams in yards allowed. The Texans are also last in sacks, meaning Manning will have plenty of time to wait for his talented corps of receivers to work free in the Texans' zone defense.\nColts coach Tony Dungy would love for Manning to set the mark Sunday, if only to put an end to the media frenzy surrounding the chase for Marino's 20-year-old mark.\n"It's been mind-boggling to me the attention we've gotten in this three- or four-week period," Dungy said. "Hopefully we can get it behind us as quick as possible."\nManning's poise and focus while dealing with the increased attention has impressed even the guy who holds the record, once thought to be the sport's crowning achievement by an individual. While pursuing George Blanda's NFL record (36) in 1984, Marino said the mark didn't attract anywhere near the same amount of interest.\n"It was totally different," Marino said. "I remember it not being much till I got close to Blanda. When it was a couple weeks away ... the Dolphins' P.R. guy came up to me and said I had chance to break it."\nFittingly enough, Marino witnessed the first career start of the quarterback who would someday pose the biggest threat to his treasured record.\nNeedless to say, much has changed since that day in 1998.\nThe Dolphins were playoff contenders and the Colts were terrible. Marshall Faulk was Manning's top running back, not Edgerrin James. And some folks were still debating whether Ryan Leaf would be the better of the rookie quarterbacks.\nManning's first pass for points actually went to Miami cornerback Terrell Buckley, who returned an interception 21 yards to seal the Dolphins' season-opening win. Manning later rebounded with a short TD throw to Harrison as time expired, capping a tough debut in which he still threw for more yards (302) than Marino (135).\nThen in his 16th and second-to-last season, Marino predicted a bright future for Manning.\n"You could see him developing," Marino said. "You could see that he was going to be something special for sure."\nHe had no idea.