The Indianapolis Colts have the NFL passing champion in Peyton Manning, a 1,500-yard rusher in Edgerrin James and an 1,100-yard receiver in Marvin Harrison. The Colts also have a league-high seven Pro Bowlers.

But all that individual talent didn't power the Colts to the top of the NFL this season.

Colts were the NFL's best team because of something they managed to do collectively — stay healthy.

For the season, Indianapolis lost only 16 games by starters because of injury. When you stay healthy in the NFL, good things happen.

The two healthiest teams posted the best records. The Colts were 14-2 and the Denver Broncos 13-3. Denver lost a league-low 10 games by starters due to injury.

The Cowboys set the standard when they won back-to-back Super Bowls in 1992 and 1993. They lost 11 games by starters in 1992 and eight in 1993. The eight games in 1993 are the fewest lost by a Super Bowl champion in the last 20 years.

With Indianapolis coach Tony Dungy able to use his 22 starters of choice almost the entire season, the Colts won a franchise-record 14 games, including a franchise-record 13 in a row.

In the first 13 games, when the Colts galloped off to that 13-0 start, only three starters missed games because of injury. Tight end Dallas Clark sat out the opener at Baltimore, cornerback Nick Harper the 12th game against Tennessee and weakside linebacker Cato June the 13th game at Jacksonville.

"Our guys worked hard in the off-season program," Dungy said. "They trained well, and we were fortunate to have guys who didn't miss practice and games. That helped our continuity."

The four healthiest teams — Indianapolis, Denver, Pittsburgh and Tampa Bay — all made the playoffs. With the addition of Cincinnati, Washington and Carolina, seven of the eight healthiest teams made the playoffs.

Of the 15 healthiest teams, only one finished with a losing record — the 4-12 Tennessee Titans, who lost only 22 games by starters. The Atlanta Falcons lost 33 games by starters and finished 8-8. The other 13 teams posted winning records. The Cowboys (9-7) lost 31 games to injury, 12th in the league.

Teams that stay healthy stay competitive.

The Colts, Broncos and Steelers were the only teams to avoid placing a starter on injured reserve. The Steelers tied the Colts as the second healthiest team in the NFL, losing 16 starts because of injury.

But Indianapolis could have been in single digits. When the Colts lost their bid for a perfect season in the 14th game against San Diego, Dungy deactivated a handful of starters who were nursing bumps and bruises.

Mike Anderson, Denver's 1,000-yard rusher, twisted an ankle in the 15th game against Oakland, and Broncos coach Mike Shanahan held him out of the finale against San Diego. That was the only start lost by injury by the Denver offense.

Seven offensive players, including the entire line, started all 16 games for the Broncos. Besides Anderson, wide receiver Ashley Lelie, tight end Stephen Alexander and fullback Kyle Johnson didn't start all 16 games. But they all played all 16, losing starts when Shanahan opted to open games in multi-tight end or multi-wide receiver sets.

Not surprisingly, the Broncos ranked in the NFL's top five in offense. So did the Colts, who finished third. They lost only five games by starters on the offensive side of the ball.

At the other end of the spectrum, injuries helped torpedo defending NFC division champions Green Bay and Philadelphia.

The Packers lost 23 games by starters in 2004 when they went 10-6 to win the North. They lost 48 this season and sank to 4-12.

The Eagles lost 31 games by starters in 2004 when they went 13-3 in winning the East. They lost 53 games by starters this season and tumbled to 6-10. And that doesn't include the nine games wide receiver Terrell Owens missed with his suspension.

In hindsight, Mike Nolan belonged up there with Dungy and Lovie Smith as a coach of the year candidate for his first season in San Francisco. He managed to win four games despite an injury-ravaged lineup that lost a league-high 101 games by starters.

Only five of Nolan's 22 starters of choice managed to start all 16 games. Seven finished the season on injured reserve, including San Francisco's most reliable offensive weapon, tight end Eric Johnson. He missed all 16 games with a foot injury.

The 49ers finished last in the NFL in pass defense. That shouldn't come as a surprise. Three of San Francisco's four opening-day starters in the secondary — cornerback Ahmed Plummer and safeties Tony Parrish and Mike Rumph — missed a combined 32 games because of injuries.

And defense was the healthier side of the ball for the 49ers. San Francisco lost 53 games by starters due to injury on offense. That's more games on one side of the ball than 22 NFL teams lost total. The 49ers, by the way, finished last in the NFL in offense.