Bronco Victory Earns Them a Colt Rematch

Peyton Manning spent most of the game on the sideline, wearing a jacket and a headset. The Denver Broncos can only dream of seeing the same sight next week.

Jake Plummer threw for 246 yards and two touchdowns Sunday to help the Broncos qualify for the playoffs with a 33-14 victory over the watered-down Indianapolis Colts.

The win gave Denver (10-6) the AFC’s final wild-card spot, and a trip to Indianapolis for a rematch next Sunday in which Manning will almost certainly throw more than the two passes he attempted in this game.

“I don’t know about the rest of the guys, but I still think we sent a message today,” said Bronco safety John Lynch, who made a vicious, helmet-to-helmet hit on Colt fullback Dallas Clark early in the game. “We got some stuff done.”

The result eliminated Jacksonville and Baltimore from the playoff race and meant the Broncos will start the postseason at the RCA Dome, site of their 41-10 humiliation by the Colts (12-4) in last year’s first round.

The Colts came into this game locked into the No. 3 seeding in the AFC playoffs and knowing a rematch with Denver was very possible. They had nothing to play for and little incentive to show anything.

Manning played only one series, throwing two passes and finishing the regular season with the same NFL-record 49 touchdowns he entered the week with.

“I’m not sure what I got from the sidelines,” Manning said. “I’ll let you know after the game next Sunday.”

Manning wasn’t the only one to sit. Edgerrin James ran one time for minus-two yards. The Colts started three rookies in their defensive backfield and Plummer took advantage, writing a nice closing chapter to a difficult regular season in which he took every snap.

His 246 yards gave him 4,089 for the season, surpassing John Elway (1993) for the single-season franchise record. His two touchdowns, including a 38-yard, over-the-shoulder catch by Ashley Lelie, gave Plummer 27 for the season, which tied Elway for the team record.

Meanwhile, Plummer avoided any interceptions and finished the year with 20, many of which cost the Broncos dearly in a wildly inconsistent season.

By going one for two, Manning finished the season with a 121.1 passer rating, breaking the record held by Steve Young.