Manning throws for 457 yards and four TDs
INDIANAPOLIS, Jan. 9 (UPI) -- Peyton Manning passed for 457 yards and four touchdowns Sunday to lead Indianapolis to a 49-24 win over Denver in an AFC Wild Card matchup.
Indianapolis plays at New England next weekend with the New York Jets at Pittsburgh in the other AFC playoff gamne.
Manning also ran for a touchdown. He completed 27 of 33 passes with one interception.
Manning threw a record 49 TD passes during the regular season. His 457 yards passing was the second most in playoff history behind Bernie Kosar's 489 yards set in 1987 with the Cleveland Browns.
Reggie Wayne caught 10 passes for a career-high 221 yards and two touchdowns for the Colts.
Denver suffered a 41-10 loss at Indianaplis in the opening round of the playoffs last season.
Jake Plummer completed 24-of-34 passes for 284 yards and two touchdowns for the Broncos, whose last win in the postseason was during their 1999 championship run.
Culpepper throws for 284 yards and four TDs
GREEN BAY, Wis., Jan. 9 (UPI) -- Daunte Culpepper threw for 284 yards and four touchdowns Sunday as the Minnesota Vikings beat the Green Bay Packers, 31-17, in an NFC Wild Card game.
Culpepper completed 19 of 29 passes. Randy Moss, was injured but caught four passes for 70 yards and two TDs.
Minnesota, which lost four of its last five games in the regular season, became just the second 8-8 team in NFL history to win a playoff game, and the second in as many days. Saturday, St. Louis became the first by beating Seattle.
The Vikings will be at Philadelphia next Sunday to play the NFC's top seed.
Green Bay, went into Sunday's game as one of the NFL's hottest teams, having won nine of their last 11. Brett Favre completed 22 of 33 passes for 216 yards, but threw four interceptions.
Appleby repeats as Mercedes champion
KAPALUA, MAUI, Hawaii, Jan. 9 (UPI) -- Stuart Appleby shot a six-under 67 Sunday to win the season-opening PGA Mercedes Championships for the second straight year.
Appleby posted a 21-under-par 271 for a one-shot victory over Jonathan Kaye.
Tiger Woods shot a 68 to tie Ernie Els for third at 19-under273. Vijay Singh, Adam Scott and Stewart Cink were one more back at 18-under 274.
Appleby was four strokes behind Singh at the start of the final round. Appleby edged Singh to win this event last year.
Appleby earned his sixth career victory on the PGA Tour and a return trip here next season.
Woods, whose lone tour victory in 2004 came at the Match Play Championship, found trouble early. He bounced back with three consecutive birdies.
Singh, who was in control of the tournament throughout the week, took a triple-bogey at the par-four 13th and was never able to recover. He posted a 74.
Newman not injured after car engine fire
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla., Jan. 9 (UPI) -- Actor Paul Newman escaped injury in an engine fire at Florida's Daytona International Speedway.
The fire occurred Saturday during a test session for the Feb. 5-6 Rolex 24 Hours At Daytona.
Newman's rear-engined Crawford DP03 Daytona Prototype had just left the 2.5-mile tri-oval -- where the cars approach their 190 mph top speed -- and spun out, the Daytona (Fla.) News-Journal reported Sunday.
Newman, 79, missed steel barriers bordering the turn and attempted to resume his run when he saw the car's rear engine was on fire. He released an in-car fire extinguisher and climbed out of the vehicle.
"I'm fine and we'll return with a healthy car to race in the Rolex 24," Newman said. "It's just racing luck. That's all."
Newman's crew said the fire was caused by a failure of the fuel pump diaphragm gasket.
Carlos Beltran refuses Houston offer
HOUSTON, Jan. 9 (UPI) -- Free agent Carlos Beltran turned down the biggest contract in Houston Astros history to sign with the New York Mets.
The 27-year-old center fielder made his decision just a few minutes before an 11 p.m. Saturday deadline, the Houston Chronicle reports.
"It slipped through our fingers in the last, last few minutes," said Astros owner Drayton McLane. "It was just some sticking points. It should never, never have gotten to this."
The Astros' offer was believed to be for seven years and worth more than $105 million.
Beltran helped the Astros to their first playoff series win and was a favorite of the city's baseball fans.
"I think we were very, very competitive with our offer," said McLane. "I have no idea what the (Mets') final offer is, but (Beltran's agent) said ours was very, very competitive."
