The Indianapolis Colts face an uphill battle to remain unbeaten.

Gouged early by San Francisco running back Frank Gore and on a late drive by quarterback Alex Smith, they trail the 49ers 14-9 at halftime at Lucas Oil Stadium.
The Colts entered the game at 6-0, one of the NFL’s three remaining unbeaten teams.

Gore provided the early fireworks by taking a handoff from quarterback Alex Smith and bursting through the heart of the Colts defense for a 64-yard touchdown.

San Francisco took over at its own 11-yard line with 1:44 remaining in the second quarter and needed only seven plays and 1 minute, 11 seconds to score. Smith completed 6-of-7 passes for 89 yards, the final 8 to tight end Vernon Davis.

The Colts responded by driving to a 31-yard field goal by Matt Stover, his third of the half. He previously hit 38- and 33-yarders.

The Colts offense never found its rhythm in the first half, managing only 143 total yards and 21 on the ground. Quarterback Peyton Manning completed just 15-of-24 passes for 173 yards. He suffered just his third sack of the season in the second quarter, ending a streak of 18 quarters and 179 pass attempts without being sacked.

Safety Bob Sanders provided a defensive highlight when he intercepted a Smith
pass in the first quarter.