Jackson, Miss. ? Peyton Manning grew up hearing about his father Archie’s exploits in the old horseshoe-shaped stadium in Mississippi’s state capital. Now he has his own story to tell.

The younger Manning delighted a crowd of 58,228 in a state where his family holds royalty status, picking apart the New Orleans defense during three early scoring drives to lead the Indianapolis Colts to a 27-14 victory over the Saints on Saturday night.

Manning threw for 125 yards and a touchdown to fellow New Orleans native Reggie Wayne in the first quarter alone. He later led a methodical 13-play, 74-yard drive that ended with rookie Joseph Addai’s one-yard touchdown run. That gave the Colts a 17-0 lead they carried into halftime.

Addai and Dominic Rhodes are competing this preseason to replace Edgerrin James. Addai ran for 12 yards on nine carries, while Rhodes finished with 21 yards on seven runs.

Manning didn’t play beyond the first half, and finished 14-of-25 for 165 yards with no interceptions. Pressure from the Saints’ defensive line slowed Manning slightly in the second quarter.

Mississippi Veterans Memorial Stadium has been around since the 1950s, and Archie Manning led Ole Miss to several big victories there. Although Indianapolis (1-2) was the visiting team in a town mostly loyal to the Saints, numerous fans wore Peyton Manning jerseys.

Cowboys 17, 49ers 7

Irving, Texas – Every snap Terrell Owens misses is another chance for Drew Bledsoe to throw to Terry Glenn. Not that they seem to need the work. Glenn made a spectacular touchdown catch for the second straight game and hauled in a 52-yard pass in double coverage to set up another score to lead Dallas.

Falcons 20, Titans 6

Nashville, Tenn. – Jerious Norwood, a rookie out of Mississippi State replaced Warrick Dunn on the third series, then scored a 62-yard touchdown on his second carry.

Jaguars 29, Buccaneers 18

Jacksonville, Fla. – Byron Leftwich threw a touchdown pass and ran for a score – both against backups in the third quarter – and Jacksonville rallied. Leftwich completed 13 of 20 passes for 167 yards.

Patriots 41, Redskins 0

Foxborough, Mass. – Tom Brady completed 17 of 30 passes for 231 yards and a touchdown to Benjamin Watson and led New England to five scores on seven possessions.

Browns 20, Bills 17

Orchard Park, N.Y. – Clevelandwon when Jeff Chandler hit a 35-yard field goal as time ran out. The Bills (0-3) have yet to win a game under first-year head coach Dick Jauron.