The Colts offense had lost its edge in consecutive games at Buffalo and New England, scoring just 34 points in the two contests combined. There was no denying a sense of immediacy to regain the same rhythm that produced almost 34 points a game in the first three.

Peyton Manning played mistake-free football and that meant an easy Colts victory.(AP)

And it all began with their second-year running back Edgerrin James.

"I have a lot of respect for the Seahawks and their defense," Mora said. "But we challenged our guys all week about running the football. They met the challenge and Edgerrin responded. I saw that sense of urgency in him that carried over to the game today."

It couldn't have been more apparent on Sunday afternoon in Husky Stadium, as the Colts (4-2) rolled to a 37-24 victory over the Seahawks. James set a franchise record with 219 yards rushing on 38 carries, shattering the old mark of 198 yards set 29 years ago by Norm Bulaich, and scored three touchdowns in the process.

His ability to dominate the game also helped color quarterback Peyton Manning's ability to complete 20-of-31 passes for 281 yards and a touchdown pass.

It was just this exceptional blend of offense that had the Colts on everyone's short list of teams most likely to be competing for the AFC title by the end of the season. Manning said he wasn't a happy camper all week, and it was imperative the offense set the tone early. Once James got it going, the rest of the offense opened up for everyone else.

"This was a big game for us," Manning said. "This gives us some momentum in our offense a little bit that we can score 37 points. We have to keep working in the red zone to get touchdowns instead of field goals. It shows us what we are capable of, and that's a good thing because it gets your confidence back up and realize we can do even better."

The Seahawks, ranked 26th in rushing and 28th in total defense, slipped to 2-5. They stayed in the game for the most part with the exception of two very costly turnovers. With the Seahawks trailing 20-17, tailback Ricky Watters fumbled on the first play from scrimmage of the second half on the Colts 24 following an 80-yard kickoff return from Charlie Rogers.

Instead of the Seahawks taking the lead at that point, Manning took advantage of the turnover by engineering a nine-play, 76-yard drive that was capped off by a James 2-yard touchdown.

All of a sudden, it was 27-17, and the Seahawks never seriously challenged the Colts again.

The loss dropped the Seahawks to 11-12 since Mike Holmgren became coach in January of 1999 and, more important, 3-10 following an 8-2 start last season. Not that it minimizes what the Colts accomplished on Sunday, but it didn't hurt that the Seahawks are going through a major overhaul.

The offense showed plenty of promise behind the young and strong left arm of Brock Huard. He completed 19-of-26 passes for 226 yards and three touchdowns before a strained right knee late in the game chased him to the sidelines. But even with his effective possession passing -- and a brilliant mini-drive late in the first half to pull to within 20-17 -- the Seattle defense continues to be as porous as the canals outside Husky Stadium.

They gave up 255 yards in the first half last week against the Carolina Panthers, even though the Panthers offensive coordinator resigned mid-week. The Colts had 279 before intermission.

James had 118 yards rushing on 19 carries in the opening half. The only defense the Seahawks showed was Huard completing 11-of-13 for 154 yards and two touchdowns to keep Seattle within three heading into the second half. It was awfully tough to mount anything, though, considering the Colts controlled the football interminably.

"I owe it all to the offensive line and the coaching staff for trusting me," James said. "We worked all week on it and I just had to make sure I took what they gave me."

The defense gave him a lot considering the Seahawks had the football for all of 3:31 of the third quarter, and through the first three quarters the time of possession differential Huard had to deal with was 29:02-15:58. It was no easy task for the young quarterback.

"It's all a learning process," Huard said. "We all have to work on things to turn this thing around because nothing good is coming out of losing."

The problem was right in the heart of the Seahawks defense. Former All-Pros Cortez Kennedy and Mike Sinclair look like nothing more than has-beens.

When James wasn't ramming the ball down their throats, Manning was picking them apart with the fervor of David Letterman attacking George W. during the Republican convention. He had already thrown for 247 yards of the 407 yards total offense by the midway point of the third period.

All things considered, the biggest cheers from the partisan Seattle crowd of 63,000-plus were reserved for baseball updates with the hometown Mariners staving off elimination by defeating the New York Yankees 6-2 in Game 5 of the American League Championship Series.

By the fourth quarter, there was a steady stream of fans heading to the exits quickly, undoubtedly more interested in watching the final few innings of the baseball game instead.

That is inevitable from the fair-weather faithful when the other team walks onto your turf and gains 499 yards total offense. Then again, that's exactly what the Colts expected to do, even though Mora wasn't exactly happy with his defense either.

"Like I told the team afterward, you can never forget that any win ... any win in this league is a good win," Mora said. "And we'll take it. Offensively, I thought we played an excellent game and defensively, in the first half, I thought it was our worst game of the year. (The defense) played a lot better in the second half, but in my opinion it wasn't quite good enough. We have to do a lot better."

Then again, compared to the Seahawks, it's all relative. Isn't it?