INDIANAPOLIS -- The football sailed high into the air as a perfect lob from Peyton Manning landed several yards behind trailing Baltimore Ravens cornerback Chris McAlister.

He was relegated to an excellent view of the back of Marvin Harrison's jersey when the Indianapolis Colts wide receiver caught the touchdown pass in stride in the first quarter.

The 67-yard strike from Manning was an early exclamation point that signaled how the Ravens and their top-ranked defense would be barbecued by the Colts' high-octane passing game in a 31-3 meltdown of a loss Sunday at Lucas Oil Stadium.

"This is bad," wide receiver Derrick Mason said. "You take your hats off to them, but we did some things to make it easy for them to score.

“We made mistakes early and we made them fast and they capitalized on every mistake we made. That doesn't make for a good dish right there."

It wasn't the only breakdown from McAlister, a three-time Pro Bowl selection who entered the game with three interceptions. And it wouldn't be the lone indignity the Ravens (2-3) would endure as they absorbed their third consecutive defeat after opening the season with two AFC North victories.

It marks the Ravens' sixth consecutive loss to Indianapolis (3-2), including a heartbreaking AFC divisional playoff loss two seasons ago and this latest defeat is one year removed from a 44-20 rout in Baltimore. It's the Colts' first win at their pristine new stadium.

"It's frustrating, we thought we would play a hell of a lot better than we did," defensive coordinator Rex Ryan said. "This one hurts. We don't take kindly to getting our ass kicked. That's what happened."

This time, there was no confidence to be derived from another competitive loss by three points. This was an old-fashioned belt-whipping punctuated by McAlister being beaten twice by Harrison for scores with Manning also exploiting cornerback Corey Ivy for another touchdown pass.
 
The eight-time Pro Bowl passer finished with three touchdown passes on 19 of 28 accuracy for 271 yards and no interceptions for a sterling 134.7 quarterback rating. The Ravens were shorthanded in the secondary, missing starting cornerback Samari Rolle following neck surgery, nickel back Fabian Washington with a dislocated right shoulder and starting strong safety Dawan Landry sidelined from a spinal cord concussion.

"We made mistakes and their guys made plays," Ryan said. "You try to do a coverage and some help. Shoot, that wasn't the answer, either.

"Now, he's got more time to look over the field. We tried everything. They had the answers and we didn't."

Meanwhile, the offense was overwhelmed by a speedy, undersized and oft-criticized Colts defense as rookie quarterback Joe Flacco threw three interceptions and fumbled twice.

Against the NFL's last-ranked run defense, the Ravens' fourth-ranked running game was limited to a season-low 51 rushing yards on 19 carries.

The final outcome was extremely predictable.

"We got what we deserved," Ravens coach John Harbaugh said. "That's what happens when you play the way we did. I like the way our team continued to compete, fight and I liked the way they are going to handle adversity.

"They are mighty men, and I think we've got a great future in front of us. I can't wait to see where we go from here."

During the first touchdown, McAlister appeared to peek into the backfield and then he couldn't catch up to a streaking Harrison.

There were no safeties in the vicinity to help out as McAlister was isolated on the right sideline.

When asked if McAlister was supposed to have assistance, Ryan replied: "I don't remember the coverage."

McAlister also had trouble reacting quickly enough in the second quarter on a five-yard slant from Harrison for a touchdown. It was the first time that Harrison had caught two touchdown passes in a game since Dec. 24, 2006.

"We're in Cover 1," McAlister said. "I allowed him to get inside and he made the play."

Added Ryan: "It's hard to defend against a perfect pass. We saw that a couple of times with Peyton. It's unfortunate. He looked a hell of a lot better this week than he had in the previous games."

McAlister has had problems with his right knee, but denied that was the cause behind the touchdowns allowed.

"My knee is fine," McAlister said. "It's not an issue. We lost. They outperformed us. The Colts came out and did what they normally do. Can't sit there and say we didn't expect it, just didn't execute.

"It's time for us to reflect on what happened and find a way to get better. You can't go around and point fingers."

Ivy was beaten by wide receiver Reggie Wayne in the first quarter for a 22-yard touchdown when he didn't turn around to challenge a well-delivered pass.