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INDIANAPOLIS - The Broncos didn't need Clinton Portis to carry them into the playoffs.
Quentin Griffin, Mike Anderson and Jake Plummer did it themselves.
With an injured Portis cheering them from the sideline, Griffin ran for 136 yards, Anderson had 56 yards and one touchdown and Plummer ran for two scores as Denver beat Indianapolis 31-17 Sunday night.
Denver has four consecutive wins and clinched its first playoff spot since 2000. It is the team's second postseason berth since John Elway retired after the 1998 championship season.
The Broncos also prevented the Colts from wrapping up the AFC South and moving into position for a first-round bye.
Indianapolis still could win its first division title since 1999 with a victory Sunday at Houston, or a Tennessee loss. But New England would have a better overall record and Kansas City would have a better conference record even with another defeat.
That could set up a first-round rematch between the Broncos and Colts in two weeks. If Sunday's game was any indication, the Colts could be in for another long day.
Denver dominated, running for 227 yards and holding the ball more than 44 minutes. That came without Portis, the league's second-leading rusher with 1,591 yards. Portis was inactive because of a sprained right knee and ankle sustained Dec. 14 against Cleveland.
But Anderson, the 2000 offensive rookie of the year, gave the Broncos a powerful ground game, Griffin provided speed and Plummer was effective scrambling and on quarterback draws.
The Colts defense had no answers. the offense wasn't much better. It never had a sustained drive in the second half and spent most of the night watching from the sideline.
There were a couple of highlights for the Colts. Peyton Manning became the first quarterback to pass for 4,000 yards in five consecutive seasons and Marvin Harrison became the 21st player to top 10,000 yards receiving.