By MICHAEL MAROT
AP Sports Writer

INDIANAPOLIS(AP) -- The Colts have no problems with close games -
as long as they keep winning them.

Peyton Manning delivered another milestone performance, Joseph
Addai produced a second straight winning score, and the Colts
found another unconventional way to win when Houston's Kris
Brown missed a 42-yard field goal as time expired, keeping
Indy's winning streak intact 20-17.

"I think that's the mark of a great football team," center Jeff
Saturday said, referring to the close calls. "We've won eight
games so far, and we're ahead in our division, which is really
our main focus and goal."

The implications of Sunday's victory are monumental.

Indy is the fourth team in league history with 17 straight
regular-season wins. New England did it twice - winning a record
21 straight from 2006-08 and 18 in a row from 2003-04. Chicago
won 17 straight from 1933-34.

Next week, the Patriots come to town with a chance to prevent
Indy from matching its original record.

There were plenty of accolades to go around for the Colts on
Sunday, too.

Jim Caldwell became the NFL's first rookie coach to start 8-0
since Potsy Clark in 1931.

Manning, the three-time MVP, tied Hall of Famer Fran Tarkenton
for fourth in career victories (125) and became the first player
in league history to throw for 40,000 yards in one decade. Tight
end Dallas Clark caught 14 passes, the third-highest single-game
total by an NFL tight end, and with eight receptions, Reggie
Wayne moved past Hall of Famer Raymond Berry and into second on
the Colts' career reception list.

A week after rallying the Colts with a fourth-quarter TD pass,
Addai caught a touchdown pass, then ran 2 yards for the winning
score with 7:11 to go.

The biggest impact: Indy holds a commanding 3 1/2-game lead in
the AFC South over second-place Houston (5-4) and is 3-0 against
its division rivals. The Texans (5-4) dropped to 1-14 all time
against the Colts, including 0-8 in Indianapolis.

But this loss was easily the most frustrating of the series.

After shrugging off the Colts early run and fighting back to
take the lead, the Texans had two chances to win it or force
overtime. Both failed. Matt Schaub, under pressure from Gary
Brackett, was intercepted by Clint Session in Colts territory
with 2:13 to go.

Then after forcing a rare three-and-out, Matt Schaub moved
Houston into scoring position again only to see Brown push his
field goal attempt to the left, leaving some teammates sprawled
on the field in disbelief.

"I missed the kick," Brown said. "I was going through my
routine, and I felt good walking on the field. I take a lot of
pride in kicking, especially in these situations. To have that
happen is very disappointing."

It was a strange day indeed.

Though Indy dominated early, running 37 of the game's first 44
plays, the Colts couldn't finish drives and never led by more
than 13-0.

Things got really weird late in the first half.

Houston lost one scoring chance when a replay reversal ruled
Ryan Moats had fumbled at the Colts 1. Further review gave the
Colts a touchback instead of putting the ball at the Indy 1.

And then on the final play, Brown's 56-yard field goal attempt
was blocked. One problem: the Colts called timeout to put a
returner underneath the goal post, and when Brown got a second
chance, he knocked it through to make it 13-3.

"Every decision that is made is mine," Caldwell said. "You want
to know if I wish I had it back? That's just the way it goes
sometimes."

Houston pulled a page out of the Colts' playbook in the second
half.

The Texans held the ball for all but three plays in the third
quarter, getting a 1-yard TD pass from Schaub to Moats, who
replaced the fumble-prone Steve Slaton in the starting lineup,
and a 1-yard run from Slaton to take the lead on the first play
of the fourth quarter.

Manning responded by moving the Colts 61 yards in eight plays,
handing off to Addai for his 2-yard score with 7:11 to go.
Manning was 34 of 50 for 318 yards - his seventh 300-yard game
this season.

But he still had to wait out Brown's kick before celebrating.

"Huge win, great effort," Manning said. "It was a great job kind
of hanging in there. Obviously, everything wasn't perfect, but
we did a good job of just kind of fighting, and came away with a
big win."

NOTES: Manning threw 25 passes in the first quarter, the most in
an opening quarter since 1991. Manning also had the previous
high mark (22) in 2004 against Green Bay. ... Dwight Freeney
extended his streak of consecutive games with a sack to nine,
breaking Robert Mathis' franchise record. The NFL record is 10.
... Mario Williams' late sack of Manning marked the first time
this season Manning went down in the fourth quarter.