Colts do what they have to do

The Colts' win over the Jaguars wasn't pretty. The first half, in fact, was almost the worst bad dream possible: Jacksonville ran through the defense like it wasn't there and all Peyton Manning and the offense could do was chill on the sidelines.

In the world of division contenders, however, a win is a win.

Here's how I saw the various areas of the Colts' game:

Passing game: Manning's completion percentage was a rare under-.500 (14 of 31), but at least one of those Marvin Harrison vs. Rashean Mathis incompletions could have been called for interference or caught by Harrison if Mathis had kept his hands off. The overturn on the Reggie Wayne reception seemed questionable from most angles and Colts coach Tony Dungy compared it to Troy Polamalu's play in the playoffs. But Manning made the plays he needed to make -- finding Dallas Clark for the TD, and Wayne's clutch catch at the goal line was pure determination.

Running game: This took a step backward, but the Colts didn't spend as much time developing it, probably because of the urgency of playing from behind or tied. Dominic Rhodes had a couple nice carries, but still seems to lack a quick burst. Joseph Addai had only three carries. It's not necessarily good when your most memorable run is by Manning.

Pass defense: Once the Jags were in catch-up mode, the Colts got better pressure on Byron Leftwich. The secondary played well despite the absence of Bob Sanders. Give credit to Mike Doss, who played as if his career depended on it. That sense of urgency comes with losing your starting position.

Run defense: Stinks.

Special teams: The Colts survived the absence of Adam Vinatieri. Fortunately, no clutch field goals were needed. After making a poor decision to come out of the end zone on a deep kickoff, Terrence Wilkins did what he was paid to do by returning a punt 82 yards for the touchdown. Good blocking on the return by everyone, including Jason David with the final blow on punter Chris Hanson.

Coaching: A great move by Dungy to call for Manning's bootleg. A refresher coaching course is needed this week on tackling running backs, unless Maurice Jones-Drew really is the next Barry Sanders.