INDIANAPOLIS – Tennessee coach Jeff Fisher thought he could halt Peyton Manning and the Indianapolis Colts by playing keepaway. All it did was slow down the inevitable.

Manning threw three touchdown passes, Edgerrin James ran for two more and Indianapolis returned a blocked field goal for another TD as the Colts routed Tennessee 51-24 Sunday and moved closer to clinching the AFC South.

Indianapolis (9-3) won its fifth straight by tying the NFL record for most consecutive 40-point games with four. Only two other teams have done it – the 2000 St. Louis Rams and the 1960 San Diego Chargers.

The Titans (4-8) have now lost three of four after allowing their most points since a 52-25 loss to the Oakland Raiders on Sept. 29, 2002.

Fisher’s strategy turned the game into a wild contest as he called three onside kicks in the first quarter, and then attempted a fake punt in the third quarter.

Manning still threw for 317 yards in the first half when receivers Brandon Stokley and Marvin Harrison each topped 100 yards. Manning finished 25-for-33 for 425 yards with two interceptions as he moved to within four TD passes of Dan Marino’s single-season record (48) before being pulled early in the fourth quarter.

Stokley finished with eight catches for a career-high 153 yards and one TD, while Harrison had four receptions for 106 yards and a score. James ran 18 times for 105 yards and as he tried to catch Seattle’s Shaun Alexander for the NFL rushing lead, and Reggie Wayne just missed becoming the Colts’ third 100-yard receiver by catching six passes for 96 yards.

Manning also tied John Unitas’ 45-year-old record by throwing for multiple touchdowns in 12 straight games to start a season.

It was just another typical day for the Colts.

With Tennessee quarterback Steve McNair inactive after aggravating his bruised sternum in last week’s loss at Houston, backup Billy Volek tried to match the Colts high-scoring offense but ran out of steam.

He connected with Drew Bennett on TD passes of 48, 28 and 48 yards in the first quarter.

And after each score, the Titans attempted onside kicks, recovering two. The other went out of bounds and Tennessee then kicked the ball deep.

But after the Titans built leads of 10-3, 17-10 and 24-17, Manning took control.

He hit Harrison on a 24-yard TD pass to tie the score at 10 and James scored on a 4-yard run to tie it at 17. Then Manning hooked up with Stokley on a 28-yard TD pass with 9:02 left in the half to make it 24-24.

Manning and Harrison have now combined on 80 touchdowns, the second-most in NFL history, passing Miami’s Dan Marino and Mark Clayton. Only Steve Young and Jerry Rice (85) have more.

The game turned, however, when Montae Reagor burst through the middle and blocked Gary Anderson’s 43-yard field goal attempt with 5:05 left in the half. Rob Morris scooped it up for the Colts and returned it 68 yards for a 31-24 lead. It was the Colts first touchdown return off a blocked field goal since Oct. 26, 1997.

That was all the Colts needed.

Mike Vanderjagt opened the second half with a 20-yard field goal to make it 34-24, and James ran 12 yards for a TD late in the third quarter to make it 41-24.

Tennessee never got restarted and was shut out after the first quarter.

Volek finished 21-of-35 for 269 yards with three TDs and two interceptions, while Brown ran 19 times for 104 yards before leaving in the third quarter after he appeared to aggravate his turf toe injury. Bennett finished with three receptions for 124 yards.

AP-ES-12-05-04 1700EST