Associated Press

They're 5-0, hold a three-game lead in the AFC South and have two fewer losses than San Diego, Pittsburgh or New England - the three teams that traditionally eliminate Indy from the playoffs.

They've already won three road games, each in prime time. And with six of their last 10 at home - including New England, Denver and the Jets - the Colts seem to be cruising toward the playoffs and have early control of their division race

Now, players and coaches now find themselves trying to put things in perspective as expectations continue to rise with each additional victory.

"Sure we'd love to win out, but that guarantees us nothing," middle linebacker Gary Brackett said Monday. "The year we won the Super Bowl, I think we were the fourth seed. Twice since I've been here, we had the No. 1 seed and lost. So it means nothing. We have to continue to get better."

Coach Jim Caldwell couldn't have made the case any better.

And it looks like the Colts are heeding his advice.

Peyton Manning is off to arguably the best start of his career after injuries caused him to stumble early last season. The reigning MVP has completed an incredible 73.5 percent of his passes, is on pace for 38 TDs and has five straight 300-yard passing games, one short of the NFL record shared by Steve Young, Kurt Warner and Rich Gannon.

Former league sacks champion Dwight Freeney now has 13 1/2 sacks in his last 12 games, and his tag-team partner, Robert Mathis, has 4 1/2 sacks and three forced fumbles in 2009, too.

But it's the improvement in the Colts' weaker areas that have fans thinking big.

A year ago, the Colts ranked in the bottom third of the league against the run. After five games, they are No. 15 and their last three opponents - Arizona, Seattle and Tennessee - have combined for 52 carries for 163 yards, an average of 3.1.

The Broncos (5-0) are the only team allowing fewer points per game (8.6) than Indy's 14.2

The secondary, which gave up six TD passes in 2008, has allowed only two this season.

And yet the Colts aren't even close to full strength.

Safety Bob Sanders, the 2007 NFL defensive player of the year, returned to practice last week after having offseason surgery on his right knee. Cornerback Kelvin Hayden missed the last three games with a left hamstring injury and cornerback Marlin Jackson sat out the Tennessee game with soreness in his surgically-repaired left knee. Brackett returned Sunday after missing two games with a sprained left knee.

"Our guys are taking on the challenge," said Hayden, who hopes to return Oct. 25 at St. Louis. "You know we go by the motto 'Next man up.' They're stepping in and making plays, and I'm not surprised because the guys were on the details in training camp."

With 14 consecutive regular-season wins, dating to last season, and Indy now holding the inside track to a sixth division crown in seven years, how much better can the Colts play?

Well, there are still concerns.

The running game is averaging 3.3 yards per carry and ranks 29th in the NFL, partly because of Manning's incredible efficiency through the air.

Indy also wants to see more consistency from a defense that has rebounded after giving up 239 yards rushing to Miami's wildcat offense.

And Caldwell knows that the Colts can't have to expect more from themselves after going 5-0 for the fourth time in five years.

"They've done it (start fast) a few times, so they look at this thing as 'Let's get on to the next one and not get carried away with our perceived success,"' Caldwell said.

Now they just have to continue proving that they can get better each week.

"We don't really look at the standings right now, and as coach Caldwell says 'Line up the chips at the end.' I like that," left guard Ryan Lilja said. "I've been fortunate to be a part of these starts and we don't take them for granted. It definitely feels good to be clicking on all cylinders, but there's more work still to do."