By Nancy Kercheval

Dec. 19 (Bloomberg) -- Keiwan Ratliff scored on a 35-yard interception return last night to give the Indianapolis Colts a 31-24 win over the Jacksonville Jaguars and the No. 5 seed position in the National Football League playoffs.

The Colts, trailing 14-0 at the start of the second quarter, scored 17 unanswered points in the fourth quarter to clinch their eighth straight win. Dallas Clark scored on a one- yard pass and Adam Vinatieri tied the game at 24-24 with a 45- yard field goal before Ratliff intercepted a David Garrard pass, the only turnover of the game, for the winning touchdown.

“We were grateful for the win,” Colts coach Tony Dungy said in a post-game broadcast interview. “For a long time there it was in doubt.”

Peyton Manning completed 29 of 34 passes for 364 yards and three touchdowns as the Colts (11-4) recorded their sixth come- from-behind win this season.

“We’ve overcome a lot of obstacles,” Manning said. “We just keep fighting.”

The Jaguars (5-10) opened the scoring at Jacksonville Stadium in the first quarter with a 28-yard pass from Garrard to Dennis Northcutt. Garrard, who completed 28 passes for 329 yards, ran for two yards to give Jacksonville a 14-0 lead in the second quarter.

Manning then threw a 41-yard touchdown pass to Reggie Wayne before Jaguars kicker Josh Scobee made a 44-yard field goal to give Jacksonville a 17-7 halftime lead.

Manning connected with Dominic Rhodes on a 10-yard scoring pass in the third quarter, which was countered by Montell Owens’s two-yard run to give the Jaguars a 24-14 lead.

The Colts dominated the final period. Clark collected a one-yard touchdown pass with 12 minutes, 31 seconds remaining before Vinatieri tied the game and Ratliff got the winning touchdown.