Broncos earn playoff spot
By Eddie Pells
Associated Press
DENVER — 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.
Jack Dempsey • Associated Press
Jake Plummer threw for 246 yards and two touchdowns yesterday to help the Broncos qualify for the playoffs with a 33-14 victory over the watered-down Indianapolis Colts.
Broncos receiver Ashley Lelie pulls in a 38-yard touchdown pass against Colts defender Jason David, helping Denver to a 33-14 win. Lelie, a former Radford High and University of Hawai'i standout, led the NFL with seven touchdown receptions of 30 yards or longer.
The win gave Denver (10-6) the AFC's final wild-card spot, and a trip to Indy for a rematch Sunday in which Manning will almost certainly throw more than the two passes he attempted yesterday.
"I don't know about the rest of the guys, but I still think we sent a message today," said Broncos safety John Lynch, who made a vicious, helmet-to-helmet hit on Colts 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, the 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 third seed in the AFC playoffs and knowing a rematch with Denver was very possible. They had nothing to play for, little incentive to show anything, and acted accordingly.
Manning played just 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-2 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.
"I've never been about stats," Plummer said. "I'm really happy to be back in the playoffs."
Lelie, a former Radford High and Hawai'i standout, finished with seven touchdowns of 30 yards or longer, the most in the NFL.
By going 1 for 2, Manning finished the year with a 121.1 passer rating, easily breaking Steve Young's record set in 1994.
With the record secure and his afternoon over, Manning stood on the sideline with the headphones on and watched rookie Jim Sorgi lead the Colts.
"If we were going to have Peyton and our whole group out there, then we wanted to use everything we had," Colts coach Tony Dungy said. "We weren't going to do that if we were going to have to play these guys again."
Sorgi (16 for 25, 168 yards, two touchdowns) completed his first seven passes and led Indy on a 56-yard drive for an early 7-0 lead. Later, he hit Reggie Wayne on a timing route and Wayne spun away from two Broncos for a 71-yard score that cut Denver's 10-point lead to 17-14.
From there, the Broncos slowly pulled away behind the running of Tatum Bell (91 yards) and Reuben Droughns (76 yards).
