Cincinnati ? In a game of pinball offense, Peyton Manning showed he’s still the greatest wizard of them all.

He called the right plays. He made incredible passes. And, ominously, he showed that the unbeaten Indianapolis Colts are just starting to hit their stride.

Manning threw three touchdown passes in an offense that reached the end zone on its first five possessions Sunday, setting up a 45-37 victory over the awe-struck Cincinnati Bengals.

“He’s unbelievable,” Bengals quarterback Carson Palmer marveled. “They’re unbelievable.”

They’re the 17th team to go 10-0 and the first since Denver in 1998. With the defense faltering for the first time and Cincinnati’s defense geared to stop running back Edgerrin James, it was up to Manning to protect that perfect record.

He did it with his unique flair, sizing up the defense at the line and then calling the right play to beat it.

“Peyton’s the best,” said tight end Dallas Clark, who had career highs with six catches for 125 yards against a blitzing defense. “If he sees it, we’re going to take advantage of it.”

Colts tight end Dallas Clark (44) pulls down a touchdown pass despite the defends of Cincinnati's Keiwan Ratliff, left, and Tory James in the Colts' 45-37 victory. Indianapolis improved to 10-0 with the victory Sunday in Cincinnati.

The Bengals (7-3) couldn’t stop him until it was too late. Manning went 24-of-40 for 365 yards with one interception, while James had 89 yards and a pair of touchdowns.

Coming off his record-setting 49-touchdown season, Manning took some time to get going. He has found his stride – 18 touchdown passes in the last seven games, a threat to score on every snap.

“It’s been awhile since we’ve been in a shootout,” he said. “We had been running the ball, and I think Cincinnati came in and said, ‘Hey, we don’t want to let Edgerrin James get established.’ We were kind of thinking they might be thinking that. So we came out and threw it.”

Johnson gave the Bengals confidence with an early 68-yard touchdown catch and another novel celebration. He removed his helmet on the sideline, knelt in front of a cheerleader and took her hand in a mock proposal. Back at the bench, he wrote on a dry erase board: “T.O. I Got You Baby.”

In the end, Manning got them.

Johnson and Palmer drove to Indianapolis to watch Manning and Marvin Harrison work their magic in a Monday night game last season, hoping to pick up some pointers. Sunday, they learned not to try to one-up them.

Harrison had five catches, reaching 900 career receptions faster than anyone in NFL history. And Manning had a perfect passer rating after those first five touchdown drives that set the tone.

Johnson backed up his guarantee that the Colts couldn’t cover him. The Pro Bowl receiver had eight catches for a career-high 189 yards. But it wasn’t enough in a game of unrelenting offense.

“Looking at that offense from the sideline, it’s unfair,” Johnson said. “We’re going to see them again, believe me.”

Huddles were disregarded and the defenses were flat-out dissed by a pair of quarterbacks who made it look so simple. The first six possessions resulted in five touchdowns, one field goal and two perfect passer ratings.

It was so outrageous that Palmer and some of his teammates laughed in disbelief on the sideline during the closing seconds of the first half.

Bears 13, Panthers 3

Chicago – Nathan Vasher intercepted two passes that set up scores, and NFC North-leading Chicago won its sixth straight. One week after returning a missed field goal a record 108 yards, Vasher’s first pick led to a three-yard touchdown reception for former Panther Muhsin Muhammad, and the second resulted in a 33-yard field goal by Robbie Gould. The second-year pro has six interceptions.

The NFC South-leading Panthers (7-3) saw their six-game win streak end. After scoring at least 20 points in every game, they managed just 238 yards against the NFL’s No. 1 defense.

Adewale Ogunleye had three sacks, and Alex Brown added two and forced two fumbles for the Bears (7-3). Kyle Orton was 15-of-26 for 136 yards, a touchdown and interception.

Buccaneers 30, Falcons 27

Atlanta – Derrick Brooks knocked the ball away from Falcons quarterback Michael Vick with just over a minute remaining, Tampa Bay recovered, and Matt Bryant kicked a 45-yard field goal with 42 seconds left.

The Bucs (7-3) moved into a tie for first in the NFC South with Carolina. The Falcons (6-4) remained one game back after their second straight loss at home.

Vick threw for 306 yards – only the second 300-yard passing game of his career – and led five straight scoring possessions.

Cowboys 20, Lions 7

Irving, Texas – Marion Barber III scored on a pair of short runs, Billy Cundiff kicked a franchise-record 56-yard field goal, and Dallas took advantage of 17 penalties for 129 yards to beat Detroit.

Barber scored on the opening drive, and the Cowboys (7-3) led the rest of the way for a third straight victory and fifth in six games.

Raiders 16, Redskins 13

Landover, Md. – Sebastian Janikowski’s third field goal, a 19-yarder with 1:08 remaining, helped Oakland snap a two-game losing streak and gave coach Norv Turner a victory in his first game in Washington since being fired by owner Dan Snyder with three games remaining in the 2000 season.

Kerry Collins went 5-for-6 and moved Oakland (4-6) 50 yards in the winning series and was 19-for-36 for 289 yards with a touchdown and an interception. Jerry Porter finished with six catches for a season-high 142 yards.

Cardinals 38, Rams 28

St. Louis – Kurt Warner won his first game in the town where he produced a pair of Super Bowl teams and a pair of MVP awards, throwing three touchdown passes and leading Arizona past St. Louis.

Warner was 27-for-39 for 285 yards as the Cardinals had a season-high point total, and only their second 30-point effort of the season.

The Rams (4-6) took another blow to flagging playoff hopes and lost quarterback Marc Bulger, the man who replaced Warner in 2003, for the second time this season because of a shoulder injury. Bulger, who missed two games earlier, left with a bruise late in the third quarter.

Browns 22, Dolphins 0

Cleveland – Reuben Droughns scored on a 75-yard run on Cleveland’s first play and finished with 166 yards as the Browns earned their second shutout in 107 games since returning to the NFL in 1999.

Cleveland (4-6) held Miami to 55 yards passing as the Browns ended a six-game losing streak against the Dolphins. Rookie wide receiver Braylon Edwards had a season-high six catches for 90 yards.

Jaguars 31, Titans 28

Nashville, Tenn. – Byron Leftwich threw for three touchdowns for the first time in his NFL career and ran for another score as Jacksonville won its third straight in its best start since the 1999 season.

The Titans (2-8) had dominated this series between the former AFC Central and now AFC South foes, winning six of seven, and 11 of the last 14.

Giants 27, Eagles 17

East Rutherford, N.J. – Eli Manning threw three touchdown passes, including a 61-yarder to Plaxico Burress late in the fourth quarter, as New York held off a Philadelphia team without Donovan McNabb and Terrell Owens.

In place of McNabb, who is sidelined because of a groin injury, third-string quarterback Mike McMahon ran for a touchdown and threw for another. It wasn’t enough to stop the Giants (7-3) from surpassing their 2004 win total.

Manning finished 17-of-26 for 218 yards and threw touchdown passes of a yard each to Amani Toomer and Jeremy Shockey.

Tiki Barber rushed 21 times for 112 yards for New York.

Ravens 16, Steelers 13, OT

Baltimore – Matt Stover kicked a 44-yard field goal with 4:09 left in overtime as Baltimore snapped a four-game losing streak.

The winner came at the end of a 30-yard drive that included an 11-yard pass from Kyle Boller to Randy Hymes on third-and-nine from the Baltimore 45.

Boller completed 21 of 36 passes for 163 yards, and his three-yard touchdown pass to Randy Hymes in the second quarter ended a run of 12 straight quarters without a TD for the Ravens (3-7).

Patriots 24, Saints 17

Foxborough, Mass. – Tom Brady threw three touchdown passes and led two scoring drives of more than 90 yards.

The loss spoiled Saints quarterback Aaron Brooks’ 116th touchdown pass that broke Archie Manning’s team record.

Brooks had a chance for his 117th – and a shot at overtime – on the last play of the game, but Eugene Wilson intercepted a pass intended for Joe Horn in the right corner of the end zone.

Broncos 27, Jets 0

Denver – Jake Plummer threw for 225 yards and no interceptions, Mike Anderson ran for three scores, and Denver recorded its first shutout in eight years.

Plummer went 18-for-26 and increased his team-record streak to 219 straight passes without an interception. Anderson ran for 113 yards and Denver (8-2).

Chargers 48, Bills 10

San Diego – Drew Brees threw for 339 yards and a season-high four touchdowns, and San Diego overcame the loss of Pro Bowl tight end Antiono Gates to an injury to win its third straight.

Brees completed 28 of 33 passes, and the Chargers (6-4) scored on five of their first seven first-half possessions.

Gates hurt his right foot at the end of a 21-yard reception midway through the third quarter when he was tripped up by Angelo Crowell and then had safety Lawyer Milloy land on him.

Seahawks 27, 49ers 25

San Francisco – Shaun Alexander rushed for 115 yards and two touchdowns, and Seattle stopped San Francisco’s two-point conversion attempt with 28 seconds left for their sixth straight victory and an NFC-leading 8-2 record.

Matt Hasselbeck was 19-of-31 for 233 yards and one TD as the league’s most prolific offense dominated the first three quarters, racking up 357 yards. The Seahawks matched the best start in franchise history, also accomplished in 1999 and 1984 – the last time they won a playoff game.