By KRISTIE RIEKEN
AP Sports Writer

HOUSTON(AP) -- The AFC South champion Indianapolis Colts have
perfected the art of the comeback in their undefeated march into
the playoffs.

Peyton Manning threw for three touchdowns and the Colts rallied
from a 13-point halftime deficit Sunday for a 35-27 win over the
Texans, their 20th straight regular-season victory. Indianapolis
(11-0) is one win shy of the New England Patriots' NFL-record
21-game run from 2006-08. The Colts can tie the record if they
beat Tennessee at home next weekend.

The Colts improved to 15-1 against Houston (5-6) in their fifth
straight come-from-behind win. They became the first team to
secure a playoff berth and gained the AFC South title Sunday
evening when San Francisco beat Jacksonville 20-3.

"That's our goal coming into training camp," safety Antoine
Bethea said. "We wanted to win our division."

Manning and the Colts kept their cool after falling behind in
the first half.

"We don't get overexcited certainly when things aren't going the
way we want them to," Manning said. "We don't panic, we don't
yell, we don't throw helmets. We just try to put the series
behind us and move on to the next one. There was a lot of that
(Sunday)."

Manning threw two first-half interceptions, but had a pair of
second-half TD passes, including a 4-yarder to Dallas Clark that
gave the Colts a 21-20 lead with about nine minutes left.

Clint Session stretched the lead to 28-20 when he returned an
interception by Matt Schaub 26 yards for a touchdown seconds
later.

"That's a good team over there, but we're the Colts," Session
said. "We do things the right way and we try to get every win we
can get."

Schaub fumbled on Houston's next possession and Chad Simpson's
touchdown run put the game out of reach.

"If you doubt, you're done," Reggie Wayne said. "It's just like
showing a bad poker face. If they see that, you're in trouble.
Guys just stick with it. We knew the defense was going to pick
it up. We know we have to take care of the offense and get some
drives going."

Houston, which has lost three straight, was all but unstoppable
in the first half, and the Texans scored on their first four
possessions. It was a different story after halftime, with the
Texans unable to get anything going offensively until Schaub hit
Jacoby Jones for a touchdown with 18 seconds remaining.

"This isn't the first time this has happened to us," Andre
Johnson said. "It's just real frustrating. I'm very upset with
myself. It's kind of sounding like a broken record, we've just
got to find a way to play for four quarters."

The Colts' first lead came on Manning's touchdown pass to Clark.
In what was a theme Sunday, the drive was helped by a 17-yard
pass interference penalty on Houston.

Matt Stover's missed a 32-yard field goal early in the fourth
quarter to keep Houston's lead at 20-14.

In the third quarter, the Texans were called for pass
interference on third-and-goal from the 8-yard line, giving the
Colts a first down at the 1. Wayne caught a touchdown pass three
plays later to make it 20-14.

Houston's Jacques Reeves got a 43-yard pass interference penalty
on the third play of that drive.

"You can't play a half against this football team," Houston
cornerback Dunta Robinson said. "We knew coming out of halftime
that this game was far from over. ... (Manning) is great. He's
going to find a way to not get sacked and he's going to find a
way to make plays and that's what he did."

Manning finished 27 of 35 for 244 yards. Schaub was 31 of 42 for
284 yards with two TDs and two interceptions.

The Colts' first score came when Manning found Pierre Garcon for
a 9-yard touchdown about six minutes before halftime. That drive
was helped by a 15-yard roughing-the-passer penalty on Antonio
Smith for hitting Manning in the facemask.

Houston scored on its first possession for the first time this
season when Schaub completed an 11-play, 79-yard drive with a
7-yard pass to Vonta Leach to make it 7-0. The Texans marched
downfield again on the next drive and went up 14-0 on a 5-yard
run by Chris Brown.

Manning was under heavy pressure when he threw an interception
to Brian Cushing early in the second quarter. The Texans got to
the Indianapolis 12 before Kris Brown's 35-yard field goal
pushed the lead to 17-0. Brown also made a 33-yard field goal in
the second quarter.

"We've been really, really good and then poor in some
situations, so it's my job to find some consistency," Houston
coach Gary Kubiak said.

NOTES: The Colts were without star defensive end Dwight Freeney,
out with an abdomen injury. ... Chris Brown and Steve Slaton
combined for 113 yards rushing for Houston.