By MICHAEL MAROT
AP Sports Writer

INDIANAPOLIS(AP) -- Indianapolis spent all offseason trying to fix
the defense. Mission accomplished - maybe.

On a day Peyton Manning tied the franchise record for victories
and Jim Caldwell won his NFL debut as a head coach, the game
came down to two fourth-quarter defensive stops. The Colts made
both of them to preserve Indy's 14-12 victory over Jacksonville.

"Obviously, the defense played well and came up big at the end,"
Caldwell said. "We thought it would be a grind, and it was. I
think our team certainly played tough, played hard, played with
a lot of energy."

Now the defense must prove it can continue playing this way.

Caldwell has instilled a tougher attitude and new defensive
coordinator Larry Coyer has implemented a more aggressive scheme
to take advantage of the Colts' speed. The changes paid
dividends, especially late when pressure forced David Garrard
into poor throws, bad decisions, and finally a four-and-out to
end it.

The bulkier defensive line also held up better against an old
nemesis, Maurice Jones-Drew, who rushed 21 times for 97 yards
and scored Jacksonville's only touchdown Sunday. He had averaged
6.3 yards per carry in six previous games against the Colts

And it gave Manning win No. 118 as a Colt, tying John Unitas'
franchise record.

"I've never felt comfortable with comparisons with him. I think
he's kind of in his own category," Manning said. "But I am proud
of those wins."

Manning, the three-time MVP, was 28 of 38 for 301 yards and one
TD with an interception in the end zone that cost Indy one
scoring chance. Joseph Addai's fumble deep in Jags territory
ended another drive, though he made up for it later in the first
half with a 3-yard TD run.

Not exactly picture perfect.

Worse, receiver Anthony Gonzalez left late in the first quarter
with a right knee injury. He ran across the line of scrimmage on
a running play, didn't hit anyone and crumpled to the ground. He
did not return, and Caldwell had no update on the injury. Reggie
Wayne made up for it by catching 10 passes for 162 yards,
including a 35-yard TD in the third quarter.

"I asked (Rashean) Mathis what happened and he said, 'I didn't
even touch him (Gonzalez),"' Manning said. "He has worked so
hard in the offseason, I just hope it's not a season-ending
injury."

Defensively, things went smoother.

The Colts forced Jacksonville to settle for field goals until
Jones-Drew finally took a pitch, made a nifty move in the
backfield to avoid tacklers and then jogged in for a 7-yard TD
run early in the fourth quarter. When Jones-Drew tried to tie it
on a 2-point conversion out of the wildcat formation with 11:07
left, the Colts stuffed the middle.

"They just did a great job in the red zone stifling our
offense," Jones-Drew said. "My hat's off to them. But we have to
learn how to finish."

Otherwise, it was a solid effort.

Jacksonville finished with 228 total yards, and had one last
chance to win it - just it did last year on Josh Scobee's
51-yard field goal with 4 seconds left.

But the Colts never gave Scobee a chance to get on the field
this time.

After running back Donald Brown couldn't convert on fourth-and-1
just before the 2-minute warning, Jacksonville took over at its
35 with one timeout.

Garrard started with a 2-yard pass to Jones-Drew, who dropped a
pass on second down. Indy then pressured Garrard into
back-to-back incompletions, including a desperation fourth-down
flip, while being surrounded by Colts.

"I thought, 'Here we go again, we have a great chance,"' Garrard
said. "You love to be in that situation. We were trying to get
the ball to Maurice, but you've got to slow those pass rushers
down. We did what we could do."

The Colts' defense was just better.

NOTES: Jags coach Jack Del Rio said defensive end Reggie Hayward
bruised his shin or thigh late in the game. ... Rookie
cornerback Derek Cox had an interesting NFL debut: intercepting
Manning, recovering Addai's fumble and giving up Wayne's TD. ...
The Colts played without safety Bob Sanders (knee) and defensive
tackle Ed Johnson, who served a league-imposed one-game
suspension. ... Garrard was 14 of 28 for 122 yards and Torry
Holt caught five passes for 47 yards in his Jags debut.