NFL: Manning, Colts end 3-game skid

Peyton Manning threw for 319 yards and two touchdowns, and the Indianapolis Colts snapped their three-game skid by beating the Tennessee Titans, 30-28, Thursday night in Nashville to stay just a half-game back in the AFC South.

Manning broke out of the worst slump of his career with a crisp performance against a defense that now hasn't intercepted a pass in 14 straight quarters.

The Colts (7-6) haven't lost four straight since 2001, when their five-game slide prompted Jim Mora's famous rant about the playoffs.

Tennessee (5-8) now has lost six straight and dropped 21/2 games behind Jacksonville (7-5) in the AFC South with three to play.

Labor issue. The head of the NFL's negotiating team says it will be much easier to reach a new labor deal if it includes an 18-game regular season.

NFL executive vice president of labor and chief counsel Jeff Pash also said that the league was "focused on a full 2011 season" and that the owners want to have an agreement with the players' union "well before" the summer.

Pash believes the back-and-forth the sides already have had about an 18-game regular season demonstrates they are aware of that subject's importance to the talks. He said the NFL and union "exchanged detailed proposals" and had "detailed discussions" on that topic, and he thinks they will "continue to do so."

Packer expected to play. Green Bay Packers coach Mike McCarthy expects left tackle Chad Clifton to play in Sunday's game at Detroit.

Clifton suffered a concussion in Sunday's victory over San Francisco, but did not show symptoms until Monday, according to the team. He was limited in practice Wednesday as he went through the evaluation process for head injuries. McCarthy said Clifton "went through his normal practice progression" Thursday.

Cornerback Charles Woodson continues to recover from an ankle sprain, and his availability for Sunday was unclear.

Harrison steamed. Pittsburgh Steelers linebacker James Harrison has been fined four times this season for dangerous hits. Now, he thinks an opposing player should be disciplined for supposedly going after him.

Harrison believes Baltimore Ravens guard Chris Chester deliberately went after him while being called for a false-start penalty during an extra-point attempt Sunday. Chester came off the line of scrimmage and drove at Harrison, an unusual blocking technique because offensive linemen generally try to remain packed to avoid potential blocked kicks.

Harrison, a three-time Pro Bowl linebacker, said it was the perfect time to target him because such an infraction draws only a 5-yard penalty. He also believes Chester may have been trying to hurt him.

"It was uncalled for and cheap," Harrison said Thursday.

Mystery in Arizona. Cardinals coach Ken Whisenhunt still isn't choosing a starting quarterback for Sunday's game against Denver, but speculation is centering on rookie John Skelton.

Derek Anderson sat out practice again because he had not been cleared to participate after a concussion sidelined him late in Sunday's 19-6 loss to St. Louis.

That left Skelton and newly signed Richard Bartel as the only quarterbacks to practice.

Expansion for Hall. The Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio, will embark on a $23.6 million expansion and renovation, the largest in its history.

The project will be detailed at a news conference Friday at the Hall in Canton.

Stadium for L.A. Anschutz Entertainment Group will fund construction of a $1 billion stadium and try to lure one of the National Football League's 32 teams to Los Angeles, AEG chief executive officer Tim Leiweke said.

Bloomberg News reported that AEG, the closely held company controlled by Denver billionaire Philip Anschutz, aims to reach an agreement with the NFL in the next three months for a Los Angeles-based team.