text: NFL AMERICAN FOOTBALL - COLTS CLOBBER EAGLES TO STAY IN PLAYOFF HUNT. INDIANAPOLIS 1996-12-06 
   The injury-plagued Indianapolis Colts lost another quarterback on Thursday but last year's AFC finalists rallied together to shoot down the Philadelphia Eagles 37-10 in a showdown of playoff contenders. Marshall Faulk rushed for 101 yards and two touchdowns and Jason Belser returned an interception 44 yards for a score as the Colts improved to 8-6, the same mark as the Eagles, who lost for the fourth time in five games. Paul Justin, starting for the sidelined Jim Harbaugh, was 14-of-23 for 144 yards and a touchdown for the the Colts, who played their last home game of the season. Indianapolis closes with games at Kansas City and Cincinnati. The Eagles were held without a touchdown until the final five seconds. Philadelphia, which fell from an NFC East tie with the Dallas Cowboys and Washington Redskins, go on the road against the New York Jets and then entertain Arizona. The loss by Philadelphia allowed the idle Green Bay Packers (10-3) to clinch the first NFC playoff berth. The Colts won despite the absence of injured starting defensive tackle Tony Siragusa, cornerback Ray Buchanan and linebacker Quentin Coryatt. Faulk carried 16 times, including a 13-yard TD run in the first quarter and a seven-yard score early in the final period. Justin made his second straight start for Harbaugh, who has a knee injury. Justin suffered a sprained right shoulder in the third quarter and did not return. Third-stringer Kerwin Bell, a 1988 draft choice of the Miami Dolphins, made his NFL debut and was 5-of-5 for 75 yards, including a 20-yard scoring strike to Marvin Harrison in the third period. A 39-yard interference penalty against Philadelphia's Troy Vincent set up Faulk's first score around left end that capped an 80-yard march 5:17 into the game and the rout was on. Eagles quarterback Ty Detmer was 17-of-34 for 182 yards before he was benched. Ricky Watters, who leads the NFC in rushing, left the game after getting kneed to the helmet after gaining 33 yards on seven carries.
competitors: US Oncology Comdisco Northern Trust