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EAST RUTHERFORD, New Jersey (Ticker) -- The "three-headed monster" felt right at home in the New Jersey swamplands. Quarterback Peyton Manning, wide receiver Marvin Harrison and rookie running back Edgerrin James again starred for the Indianapolis Colts in a 27-19 victory over the New York Giants. Manning and Harrison hooked up on two touchdowns that capped long drives and James set up another score with a 72-yard romp -- the longest run of his young career -- as the Colts (7-2) won their fourth straight game and moved into a tie for first place in the AFC East with the Miami Dolphins, who lost at Buffalo today. "It feels great," Manning said of the victory. "The tough part is the secret is out, we're not sneaking up on teams anymore." Despite the exploits of Indianapolis' star trio, the Giants had a chance to tie the game in the waning minutes, driving to the 18-yard line with 90 seconds to play before tight end Pete Mitchell fumbled after he was hit by linebacker Cornelius Bennett following a reception. Ex-Giant safety Tito Wooten recovered to seal the victory for the Colts. "You come to a team to do something and you let everybody down," Mitchell said. "It's tough. I saw him (Bennett), I was trying to avoid him. I just didn't cover up like I should have." Despite the loss, the Giants (5-4) remained in a first-place tie with the Washington Redskins, who lost at Philadelphia, in the NFC East. During the week, New York linebacker Jessie Armstead labeled Indianapolis' trio of Manning, Harrison and James as the "three-headed monster." "They've got a good team over there," Armstead said following the game. "They are coached very well and are really tough. Manning completed 20-of-35 passes for 237 yards, James carried 16 times for 108 yards and Harrison totaled 109 yards on six receptions. "I think things are going well for us," said Harrison, who leads the league with 11 TD catches. "But we still have a lot of football games left. Armstead did not count on rookie wide receiver Terrence Wilkins, who returned a punt 39 yards for a score late in the third quarter to give the Colts a commanding 24-6 lead. "Every win in this business is tough," said Colts coach Jim Mora. "It was a real big game for them, we knew that. It was certainly a difficult game for us, a hard-fought game." Former Giants Wooten and cornerback Thomas Randolph each intercepted Kent Graham to kill New York possessions, Randolph doing so in end zone after the home team put together its best offensive sequence of the afternoon to begin the second half. New York used a no-huddle offense to drive down the field at the outset of the third quarter before two holding penalities set them back and Wooten's interception killed the scoring threat. Randolph's interception came deep in Colts' territory late in the first half. A penalty on the Colts following Wooten's pickoff moved them back to the 10-yard line but Manning hit James on a screen pass that resulted in a 33-yard pick-up and on the next play found Harrison down the right sideline for a 57-yard score that made it 14-6. "Now that we have proved we can win on the road, I don't think other teams will overlook us," said James. I think we're becoming a club that can win wherever we play." Manning and Harrision also combined on a 19-yard first-quarter touchdown that capped a 97-yard, nine-play march. "Peyton and Marvin are both talented players who are capable of making big plays because of their talents," said Mora. "They practice a lot together and you are seeing the result." The Giants offense, which did not convert a third down until the final period, immediately stalled and a poor punt by Brad Maynard set up Mike Vanderjagt's 40-yard field goal that gave the Colts an 11-point advantage. Another three-and-out by New York preceded Wilkins' weaving punt return. "Nobody let down out there," said Giants cornerback Jason Sehorn. "They just made the plays. We just didn't make a play." New York did fight back as Graham threw fourth-quarter TD passes of 33 and seven yards to Amani Toomer and Mitchell, respectively. In between, Vanderjagt booted a 35-yard field goal set up by James' 72-yard scamper. "You take away one run and he didn't do anything," Sehorn said of James. Graham completed 27-of-50 passes for 253 yards, finding Mitchell nine times for 62 yards and Ike Hilliard six times for 71 yards. The Giants totaled 147 yards on the ground, led by Tiki Barber, who carried nine times for 57 yards. "It's tough to lose this one after we played so well in the fourth quarter," said Barber. "We started doing everything right in the fourth quarter and then having those turnovers." The turnovers were by Mitchell and running back LeShon Johnson, who fumbled on the Giants second to last possession after making a catch in Indianapolis territory.
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