Peyton Manning owns the night

Ed. note: Nate Dunlevy's wrap-up (below) of Indy's 30-17 win over Houston Monday night rolled into the Cold, Hard Football Facts cardboard-box world headquarters Tuesday morning with the title "Peyton Manning own's the night." That statement was news to us. After all, last we remembered, it was Miami Vice detective Sonny Crockett who in fact owned the night. We guess Dunlevy will have to hash it out with Chaka Khan.

 

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Don't bet against Peyton Manning at night.

 

Why? 

 

Because you'll lose.

 

Despite a bevy of injuries which forced the Colts to use their third-string tight end, fifth-string running back and a fifth-string wide receiver, the Colts beat the Texans 30-17 Monday night. 

 

The win put Indianapolis on top of the NFL's best division and tied the Colts for the second best record in the league.

 

As it turns out, everyone should have seen an Indianapolis victory coming. After all, it was a Monday night game. 

 

Manning moved to 11-3 (.786) on Monday Night Football, the best winning percentage by any quarterback in the marquee weekday showdown. Manning has lost only one Monday night game in the last seven years.

 

Manning's Colts have also won 11 consecutive games played in primetime.

 

Indianapolis is already 3-0 in 2010 in prime time and Manning has been a big reason why. In three primetime wins this season, Manning has posted the following line:

The combined record of the three teams Indianapolis has bested in prime time, the Giants, Redskins and Texans, is 13-9 (.590). 

 

During his career, Manning has been dominant in night football. In 43 career primetime games, Manning's Colts have gone 31-12 (.721). 

 

Manning has contributed a passer rating of 99.8 in those games. Even more remarkable is the run that Manning has been on since 2003. He opened his career just 4-6 in prime time, but since his first MVP season of 2003, Indianapolis has gone 27-6 (.818) in primetime.

 

One of those losses was a 16-10 defeat to end the 2007 season in which the Colts rested their starters after the first quarter. In those games, Manning has posted a passer rating of 106.6. Since 2003, the Colts win by an average of 10 points in primetime.

 

Here's some more good news for Indianapolis: they play at least two more night games in 2010:

 

Sunday, Nov. 28 against the Chargers and Thursday, Dec. 9 at Tennessee. It's always possible another Indianapolis game could get 'flexed' into a primetime slot late in the season.

 

Oh, by the way, Manning played another nationally televised game that didn't count toward these numbers: the Colts visited Detroit in the afternoon of Thanksgiving 2004.

 

Manning threw for six touchdowns (against only five  incomplete passes), with a 141.4 passer rating in a 41-9 Indy victory.