Portis’ Backups Lead Broncos Into Playoffs

Clinton Portis just knew his teammates would take Denver into the playoffs.

Quentin Griffin, Mike Anderson and Jake Plummer didn’t disappoint.

With an injured Portis cheering from the sideline, Griffin ran for 136 yards, Anderson added 56 yards and a touchdown, and Plummer ran for two scores as the Broncos pounded Indianapolis, 31-17.

“I think I’m playing for my job,” Portis joked. “These guys went out and played great.”

It was the Broncos’ fourth straight victory and completed what seemed an improbable playoff run just a month ago when they were 6-5. Denver (10-5) will make its first playoff appearance since 2000 and just its second since John Elway retired after the 1998 season.

For the Colts (11-4), it was a gut-wrenching loss. They could have wrapped up the AFC South title at home and put themselves in position for a first-round bye.

Indianapolis still can win the division next week, with a win at Houston or a Tennessee loss, but now must play in the first round and possibly face Denver in a rematch in two weeks.

If Sunday’s game was any indication, the Colts could be in for another long day.

“We have to look at that because it looks like there’s a good chance we could play these guys down the road,” Colts Coach Tony Dungy said. “We’re going to have to see how we can play them the next time.”

Denver ran nearly twice as many plays as the Colts, 71-37, produced 227 yards on the ground and held the ball for 44:58 -- even without Portis, the NFL’s second-leading rusher with 1,591 yards. Portis was inactive after spraining his right knee and ankle last week against Cleveland.

But he was part of the action. Wearing orange shoes, orange and white gloves, and a baseball cap, Portis constantly prodded his teammates.

Anderson, the 2000 offensive rookie of the year, was the Broncos’ power runner, Griffin the speedster and Plummer the trickster as he scrambled effectively and gained yardage on quarterback draws.

“We were just going to try to change it up,” Coach Mike Shanahan said. “The second half, we had the lead, so we tried to control the clock some.”

The Colts had no answers.

Griffin averaged nearly five yards on his 28 carries, Anderson ran through tackles, and the Colts’ defense couldn’t get off the field.

“We knew they were going to come in here and try to run the ball, and we were trying to stop them,” linebacker Gary Brackett said. “They were the better team.”

Indianapolis’ offense also struggled.

It never had a sustained drive in the second half and spent most of the night watching.