Colts

Indianapolis is in, Pittsburgh is out, and Colts interim Coach Bruce Arians has to be pinching himself. Arians, fired as Pittsburgh's offensive coordinator after last season, has coached the Colts to a wildly improbable playoff berth one season after finishing 2-14. It might have been Arians' last game this season as interim coach, as leukemia-stricken Coach Chuck Pagano has been cleared to return. "Mission accomplished. That's all I can say," Arians said. "Without getting emotional again, knowing that Chuck is going to be back Monday, the workweek shouldn't be as stressful.

It isn't often that the worlds of professional sports and classical music come together in harmonious union. But that is apparently what's happening at the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra, one of a several U.S. orchestras that has found itself in dire condition this year. The owners of the Indianapolis Colts and the Indiana Pacers announced this week that they have agreed to pledge $750,000 each to the troubled orchestra. The pledges were made as part of the orchestra's fundraising campaign to raise $5 million before Feb. 3. "Just like our Colts, every team can achieve success with a rallying cry from its fans and that time is now for the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra," Jim Irsay, owner of the National Football League team, said in a news release.

What might have been a tale of woe for the Indianapolis Colts now reads like a Hollywood story. The franchise, among the NFL's most successful over the last decade, was coming off a 2-14 season and had parted ways with future Hall of Fame quarterback Peyton Manning. After his team started 1-2, first-year Coach Chuck Pagano learned during the bye week that he had a treatable form of leukemia and handed the coaching reins to Bruce Arians, his offensive coordinator. Arians, 60, who five years ago successfully battled prostate cancer, will never forget the call from Pagano during the team's week off. "He had missed Thursday in the office, so I said, 'Where'd you guys go?

How to sum up the NFL Sunday of three rookie underdogs? A feat, a feat, and a foot. Feat: On the final play in Detroit, Indianapolis rookie Andrew Luck tossed a short pass to Donnie Avery, who raced untouched to the end zone for a 14-yard touchdown that capped a 35-33 victory by the Colts. It was Luck's fourth touchdown pass of the game and second in the final 2 minutes 47 seconds. Feat: Never mind that Seattle was 1-5 on the road. The Seahawks pulled off a dramatic upset in Chicago when rookie Russell Wilson directed a touchdown drive on the opening possession of overtime.

Indianapolis Colts cheerleaders Megan M. and Crystal Ann went above and beyond the call of duty Sunday to back their team. They shaved their heads in support of Colts Coach Chuck Pagano, who was diagnosed with leukemia earlier this season. Megan M. said two weeks ago that she would shave her head if Blue, the team mascot, could raise $10,000 for the Colts' "ChuckStrong" charity. Crystal Ann later said she would join her. Well, Blue raised $22,670 and Sunday, between the third and fourth quarter of the Colts' 20-13 victory over the Buffalo Bills at Indianapolis, their hair came off. Well done, ladies.

Andrew Luck might have the NFL on a string, but that doesn't mean he has the Internet at his fingertips. Smart quarterback? Without question. Smartphone? Slow down there, Wozniak. "I still have a flip phone," Luck told The Times this week, calling from that digital dinosaur. "It served me well and continues to serve me well. If it worked the past four years since high school, why change it now?" It's a fittingly retro device for a guy who's making it feel like the late 1990s all over again in Indianapolis.

INDIANAPOLIS (5-3) AT JACKSONVILLE (1-7) TV: NFL Network, 5:15 p.m. Line: Colts by 3. Over/Under: 42. Sam Farmer's pick: Two teams heading in opposite directions. The Jaguars have been outscored at home, 126-34. Colts are sixth in passing, going against the NFL's worst pass defense. Colts 23, Jaguars 14.

Indianapolis Colts Coach Chuck Pagano was diagnosed with leukemia on Sept. 26, and, while he has kept in touch with players and other Colts personnel via email and text, he hasn't been well enough to attend a Colts game this season. Until Sunday. After Indianapolis' 23-20 victory over the Miami Dolphins, Pagano, looking frail after his treatments to battle the disease, visited his team in the locker room and gave an inspirational speech. "I mentioned before the game that you guys were living in vision, and you weren't living in circumstances," Pagano said.

Lots of talk these days about swing states and which way they're leaning. So it's fitting that the most intriguing NFL stories are those teams and players that are in a dramatic state of swing. Take the Indianapolis Colts, for instance. At the end of the Peyton Manning era, they appeared headed for a long rebuilding phase. But rookie quarterback Andrew Luck has been even better than advertised, and Sunday he led the Colts to a 23-20 victory over Miami with a record-setting passing performance.