INDIANAPOLIS - Peyton Manning is full of surprises. This time it was an unexpected left-handed shovel pass that led to a not-so-surprising result: A winning field goal by Mike Vanderjagt.

Manning threw for 268 yards and four touchdowns, and moved the Colts into position for Vanderjagt's 35-yard field goal with 2 seconds left for a 31-28 victory over Minnesota on Monday night.

While Manning worked his magic again, it was the way he kept the Colts' late drive moving that was so stunning.

"The play was designed to throw right-handed, but the guy rushed up field so wide," he said. "I didn't want to have to throw it right-handed around the guy or over him and take the chance of getting a batted ball, so I just switched it to the left hand."

The quick decision produced a late first down, helping the Colts (5-3) snap a two-game losing streak and earn a share of the AFC South lead with Jacksonville.

Minnesota (5-3) lost its second straight and next travels to Green Bay for an NFC North showdown Sunday.

The difference in this game was defense. The Colts, who allowed 590 yards and 45 points to the Kansas City Chiefs a week ago, limited the Vikings' potent attack to 292 yards of offense and held Daunte Culpepper to a season-low 169 yards passing.

That gave Manning a chance to play his game, and he used some uncharacteristic ploys - a 15-yard scramble on the game's final possession and the left-handed flip on third-and-5 with 1:44 left, to keep the Vikings from getting another chance.

"My high school coach used to tell me you have to be amphibious when you're sprinting to your left," Manning said, laughing. "I said, 'Don't you mean ambidextrous?' He said, 'No amphibious.' So I guess I was amphibious on that play."

He finished 23 of 29 with a passer rating of 144.8, and threw four touchdown passes in a game for the third time this season.

All the Vikings could do was shake their heads in disbelief.

"He's a smart guy," Vikings cornerback Antoine Winfield said. "He was hitting all the weaknesses. He made some amazing plays."

Until the final drive, Manning did what he usually does - find holes in the Vikings' secondary, relying on a balanced attack and fooling Minnesota.

Minnesota twice had 12 men on the field, and once had 10. And when the Colts went for it on fourth-and-1 from the Vikings 5 on the Colts' first possession, Manning made Minnesota pay, tossing a 5-yard TD pass to Reggie Wayne.

"He's our leader, he plays the game to win," Colts coach Tony Dungy said.

While the Vikings tried to find their form without Randy Moss, who missed the first game of his seven-year career with a strained right hamstring, and running back Mewelde Moore (sprained right ankle), Minnesota managed just two first-half field goals and trailed 14-6 at the break.

Early in the second half, Nate Burleson gave the Vikings a boost with a 91-yard punt return for a touchdown. Culpepper ran in the 2-point conversion to tie the score at 14 early in the third quarter.

That's when the shootout between two of the NFL's top quarterbacks began.

Manning countered with a 4-yard TD pass to Dallas Clark that made it 21-14.

Culpepper countered with an 8-yard touchdown pass to Burleson.

Manning responded with a 19-yard touchdown pass to Marcus Pollard, his second scoring catch of the game, and then Onterrio Smith raced 24 yards up the middle to tie the score at 28 with 2:54 left.

It was too much time for Manning.

Taking over at the 27, Manning hooked up with James for 17 yards, then scrambled for 15 and picked up 15 more when Lance Johnstone was called for unnecessary roughness.

"We just didn't make a lot of plays on the last drive, defensively," Vikings coach Mike Tice said. "You know, letting a guy get out of containment that I could probably beat in a race."

Manning wasn't finished. On third-and-5 from the Vikings 21, he was pressured into making the left-handed flip to James, who ran six yards for the first down that led to Vanderjagt's winning chip shot.

James finished with 26 carries for 123 yards, while Marvin Harrison set two NFL records. He became the fastest to 800 career receptions, beating Jerry Rice's record by 23 games, and he and Manning have now connected for more completions (666) than any

quarterback-receiver combination in league

history. Notes: Manning topped the 25-touchdown mark for the seventh straight year. ... Vanderjagt's game-winning field goal was the 10th of his career. ... The Vikings are at their best in November, with a record of 100-79-4. But they are now 2-5 against the Colts in November.