PHILADELPHIA (AP) -- It was quite a week for the Philadelphia Eagles. Within 24 hours of celebrating Donovan McNabb's victorious debut, the team's hopes for a new stadium were dashed by a government foul-up.

They can't afford any mistakes Sunday against Peyton Manning and the high-powered Indianapolis Colts.

With Manning having the kind of year the Eagles hope to get out of McNabb someday, the Colts (7-2) have one of the most explosive offenses in the NFL. They lead the league in yards passing and are third behind St. Louis and Washington in total yards.

Manning, in a breakout sophomore season, is the third-rated passer in the AFC and sixth in the league. When the Colts arrive at Veterans Stadium, where it appears the Eagles might be stuck for a while, Philadelphia had better be ready.

"Peyton Manning is one of the best, if not the best quarterback in the league," Eagles cornerback Troy Vincent said. "Marvin Harrison can fly. They're going to come right at us and make us cover them deep. It's going to be a challenge."

The Colts, who passed a big road test with a 27-19 victory over the Giants last week, have won five straight to put themselves in a first-place tie with Miami in the AFC East.

"They have everything," said kick returner Allen Rossum, who broke an 86-yard kickoff return and an 89-yarder for a touchdown last week. "They have all the weapons on offense."

Manning took a decidedly different route after the draft than McNabb, who sat on the bench and watched Doug Pederson play for nine weeks. Manning has taken every snap for the Colts in his 25-game career.

"I'm certainly a more confident quarterback," Manning said. "I'm using the experience of last year to my advantage, and the team is more confident we can win every single ballgame."

Manning's favorite target is Harrison, a Philadelphia native who leads the league with 996 yards receiving and shares the lead with 64 catches, 11 for touchdowns. The franchise record of 1,298 yards set by Hall of Famer Raymond Berry in 1960 appears within reach. He is three touchdowns shy of Berry's franchise record for a season.

The Colts, longtime bunglers in the draft, apparently knew what they were doing when they picked running back Edgerrin James instead of Ricky Williams. James is third in the league with 854 yards rushing, behind Curtis Martin and Philadelphia's Duce Staley.

"His big-play capability, his overall consistency has been such a plus for us," Manning said. "He started as a threat in the running game, but now he's got so much involved in the passing game. It's just another person the defense has to worry about."

Manning has thrown a touchdown pass in 22 consecutive games, the eighth longest streak in league history. Manning's 43 career TD passes are fifth in franchise history.

Besides plenty of offense, a big reason for the Colts' turnaround is a much-improved defense led by end Chad Bratzke, who has seven sacks after signing as a free agent. He's eager to chat up close with McNabb.

For the Eagles (3-7), the McNabb era began on a winning note last week against Washington. The Eagles beat the Redskins 35-28 even though McNabb was only 8-for-21 for 60 yards in his first NFL start.

"I don't look at stats," McNabb said. "If I throw for zero yards and we win, it doesn't matter."

If McNabb is looking to improve on his numbers, though, he won't have to do much. The Eagles beat the high-scoring Redskins only because their ball-hawking defense produced six turnovers.

Vincent had his career high-tying fifth interception, one of three against Brad Johnson. The Eagles are third in the NFL with 17 interceptions.

But the rare party atmosphere at Veterans Stadium was doused on Monday when Mayor Edward Rendell announced time had run out for this year on funding legislation for a new stadium. In a last-minute pitch to the City Council, the Eagles warned that such a delay could kill the project and keep the Eagles at the dilapidated, 28-year-old Vet until their lease runs out in 2010.

"It was a terrible, terrible feeling," said Joe Banner, the Eagles' executive vice president. "And it came after one of the more fun days we've had in quite a while."

Despite the excitement surrounding McNabb, the Eagles needed car dealerships and the local CBS affiliate to guarantee a sellout so Sunday's game will be televised in Philadelphia.

INDIANAPOLIS Season schedule and results

PHILADELPHIA Season schedule and results

September 12 Buffalo W 31-14 September 19 @New England L 28-31 September 26 @San Diego W 27-19 October 10 Miami L 31-34 October 17 @NY Jets W 16-13 October 24 Cincinnati W 31-10 October 31 Dallas W 34-24 November 7 Kansas City W 25-17 November 14 @NY Giants W 27-19 November 21 @Philadelphia 1:00pm ET November 28 NY Jets 4:15pm ET December 5 @Miami 1:00pm ET December 12 New England 1:00pm ET December 19 Washington 1:00pm ET December 26 @Cleveland 1:00pm ET January 2 @Buffalo 1:00pm ET

September 12 Arizona L 24-25 September 19 Tampa Bay L 5-19 September 26 @Buffalo L 0-26 October 3 @NY Giants L 15-16 October 10 Dallas W 13-10 October 17 @Chicago W 20-16 October 24 @Miami L 13-16 October 31 NY Giants L 17-23 November 7 @Carolina L 7-33 November 14 Washington W 35-28 November 21 Indianapolis 1:00pm ET November 28 @Washington 1:00pm ET December 5 @Arizona 4:05pm ET December 12 @Dallas 1:00pm ET December 19 New England 1:00pm ET January 2 St. Louis 1:00pm ET

Records source: STATS, Inc.

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