Asked to assess his performance Sunday afternoon, Colts quarterback Peyton Manning sighed.

"I'm sure I could," he said, "but I'd rather not."

Understandable.

Manning, a future Hall of Famer, turned in a clunker - and Indianapolis still won. He threw for a season-low 125 yards and zero touchdowns in the Colts' 10-6 victory at Cleveland Browns Stadium. He was intercepted twice.

Manning's previous low for yards this season was 216, in a third-game loss to Jacksonville.

The Colts won their fifth straight despite Manning's 46.8 rating, which missed being his season's low by 0.2. His rating through 12 games is 85.3.

All Manning and the mighty Colts offense managed was an Adam Vinatieri field goal in the first quarter. The defense - specifically, linemen Dwight Freeney and Robert Mathis - provided the bailout. Mathis returned a fumble, off a Freeney sack, for a touchdown in the fourth quarter to make it 10-6.

"Our defense won the game for us," Manning said. "Today was the defense's day to step up and make plays. That's why you win as a team.

"We had chances to do some things offensively and just didn't do a good enough job. We still won, but probably didn't play winning offensive Football. You score three points, that's not good enough. We need to play much better next week."

Manning missed on just six passes, going 15-of-21, but managed a long of 17, to Dallas Clark. Dangerous Reggie Wayne led the Colts with four catches for 46 yards. Future Hall of Famer Marvin Harrison had three for 27. Ohio State and St. Ignatius product Anthony Gonzalez caught two for 13.

The Browns' coverages were designed not to let Manning beat them over the top. The defensive backs, led by Brandon McDonald, made sure it did not happen.

"I thought coming into the game that they were a good defense," Manning said. "Their front was excellent, their secondary made a lot of plays. After the game, I still feel as such.

"They did a good job. We scored three on them. That's a credit to their defense."

The most recent time the Colts did not produce an offensive TD in the regular season was Sept. 7, 2003, when they beat the Browns, 9-6.

Sometimes strong running attacks mean the quarterback does not need to do much. The Colts rushed 29 times but gained just 90 yards, a 3.1 average. They were particularly ineffective in the red zone.

"We moved the ball well at times but couldn't finish drives," he said. "It was frustrating."

Manning's bad day included a fumble on a fourth-and-goal sneak at the Browns 1 with one minute left in the first half. He never sniffed breaking the plane.

What's more, Manning's legendary audibles rarely, if ever, befuddled the Browns.

"This was one of those days where it was just a grind," Gonzalez said. "As soon as we stepped on the field, we knew it was going to be one of those days."

To reach this Plain Dealer reporter: dmanoloff@plaind.com; 216-999-4664