INDIANAPOLIS (AP) -- Jim Mora scrapped his halftime pep talk. Cornelius Bennett beat him to it.

	Peyton Manning, right, congratulates Edgerrin James after the rookie's 37-yard TD catch.

With the Indianapolis Colts trailing 13-10 after a sloppy first half, the team's oldest but one of its newest players had something to say to his young teammates.

"I told the guys, 'Let's stop thinking about winning the AFC East championship. Let's just go out and beat the Washington Redskins. If we beat Washington, the championship will take care of itself,' " the 34-year-old linebacker said.

Bennett's advice worked.

Peyton Manning passed for 298 yards and two touchdowns and Edgerrin James scored twice as the Colts survived three early turnovers and one huge mistake at the end to beat the Redskins 24-21. It was the 10th consecutive victory for the Colts (12-2), who clinched their first AFC East title since 1987.

"This is what you work for," said Bennett, who was drafted by the Colts in 1987, but went to Buffalo as part of a three-way trade that brought Eric Dickerson to Indianapolis. Bennett, who has played in five Super Bowls, losing them all, was let go by Atlanta in February and signed with the Colts in March.

"To come to a team that drafted me and help turn this team around is a special feeling, because really this is where it all started for me, even though I didn't play here then."

GAME NOTES

The Colts' 7-1 record at home is their best since the franchise moved from Baltimore. The crowd of 57,013 Sunday marked the first time the Colts have sold out every home game since 1985. Skip Hicks, who replaced Stephen Davis in the second half, rushed a season-high 11 times for 39 yards. Edgerrin James' two touchdowns gave him 14, breaking a Colts rookie record of 13 set by Curtis Dickey in 1980. Brad Johnson was sacked four times for losses of 29 yards. Two of the sacks were by Chad Bratzke.

The victory gave the Colts a bye into the second round of playoffs next month in the RCA Dome. The Colts also tied the 1929 New York Giants' and the 1963 Oakland Raiders' record nine-game improvement from one season to the next.

"The first half was not a very impressive performance," Mora said. "The three turnovers really hurt. We had some critical penalties, didn't run very well, didn't stop the run very well.

"At halftime, I had my speech all planned, and Cornelius Bennett called them together, so I just let it go.

"In the second half, they got the touchdown late, but other than that, we put the clamps on them," Mora said.

The Redskins (8-6), who had won three of four in trying for their first playoff spot since 1992, remained in first place in the NFC East when Dallas and the New York Giants lost. The Cowboys were beaten 22-21 by the Jets at Texas Stadium. The Giants lost 31-10 in St. Louis.

Washington played the final two quarters without Stephen Davis, the NFL's leading rusher, who sprained an ankle in the second period.

"This is disappointing. This is what guys come here to do, and you work hard every week and something like this happens," Davis said. "It was very hard (watching the second half). I wanted to be out there so bad, but they wouldn't let me go back in."

A 23-yard completion to Marvin Harrison, coupled with a roughing-the-passer penalty against Kenard Lang and a 20-yard gain by James, set up the go-ahead score. Manning got it on a 1-yard pass to Ken Dilger on the first play of the fourth quarter.

Washington threatened on the next series, moving to the Indianapolis 31. But a 49-yard field goal attempt by Brett Conway was blocked by Jason Belser and returned 27 yards by Jeff Burris to near midfield.

Manning passed 11 yards to James, then James ran three times to the Washington 11. From the 2-yard line, James ran in for the clinching touchdown with 5:57 remaining. James also scored on a 37-yard pass from Manning in the first quarter, a drive kept alive by another personal foul against Lang for shoving Manning out of bounds.

"The first one, I didn't push him hard. He was still inbounds. I just pushed him, and he fell out of bounds. I think he did a little acting," Lang said.

"The second one, I hit him in the knees. ... They make the calls. I can't question them. If that's the call, that's the call. I guess I have to use better judgment and see what my limits are."

Washington's TDs came on a 48-yard pass from Brad Johnson to Albert Connell in the second quarter and a 6-yard run by Brian Mitchell with 1:24 left in the game. James Thrash then covered an onside kick at the Washington 46, but Johnson was sacked on the next play, and Washington never recovered.

"That was a heck of a game," Redskins coach Norv Turner said. "Indianapolis has done a great job in their organization and coaching staff. They're an outstanding football team. We had a chance, but they just made a couple more plays than we did."

James, all but a lock for NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year, came into the game 24 yards behind the Davis for the league lead. With 89 yards on 22 carries, he finished five yards behind Davis and set a Colts rookie-record with 1,400 yards. Davis rushed 14 times for 70 yards, giving him 1,405 yards for the season, breaking Terry Allen's Redskins record of 1,353.

Harrison, the league-leader in yards receiving, caught nine passes for 117 yards.

In the first half, the Colts hurt themselves with fumbles -- one each by Harrison and Manning -- and an interception off Manning just before halftime.