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INDIANAPOLIS - The Colts have a few weeks to think about what went wrong against the Broncos.
They might have to come up with a solution quickly because the teams might meet again in the playoffs.
Even without the injured Clinton Portis, the NFL's second-leading rusher, the Broncos ran to a 31-17 victory late Sunday, clinching an AFC wild-card berth that could bring them back to the RCA Dome for the first round of postseason in two weeks.
"That's a wakeup call," Colts running back Edgerrin James said. "Now we've got to go down to Houston and take care of business next week."
The Colts (11-4), who still have a chance to win the AFC South and homefield advantage for one game, lost any possibility of a first-round bye because New England (13-2) will have a better overall record, and Kansas City (12-3) will have a better conference mark.
"Any time you lose a game you had a chance to win it's very disappointing, but we do have on our side another opportunity," James said.
Denver (10-5) earned its first playoff spot since 2000, even with Portis watching from the sideline because of a sprained right knee and ankle from the Dec. 14 game against Cleveland.
"I think I'm playing for my job," Portis said jokingly. "These guys went out and played great."
Quentin Griffin ran for 136 yards, Mike Anderson had 56 yards and one touchdown and Jake Plummer passed for 238 yards and one touchdown - and ran for two more scores.
"They were just doing what they do best, which is running and getting you going and cutting back," Colts linebacker Rob Morris said. "They just ran it and we missed tackles."
The biggest defensive play by the Colts came on Plummer's first pass attempt on the opening series, when linebacker Gary Brackett intercepted the ball and returned it 31 yards for a touchdown. But Denver scored on its next four possessions and didn't have to punt until early in the third quarter.
By that time, the Broncos were up 28-17, and they added a 24-yard field goal by Jason Elam late in the fourth, when the Colts managed just seven offensive plays.
"We wanted to see what the defense does," Denver coach Mike Shanahan said. "We wanted to run the ball in the second half and control the clock."
The Broncos finish the regular season at Green Bay, and Shanahan isn't looking forward to a possible return to Indianapolis the week after.
"This is such a tough environment to play in," he said. "With Peyton Manning, (Marvin) Harrison and Edgerrin, that's such an offensive unit. I saw them a hair away with the ball going off a couple fingertips here and there. They were that close to coming up with big plays. You hold your breath. This place is scary."
Indianapolis' second TD was on a 16-yard run by James early in the second quarter that tied the score - until the next Broncos possession. Denver moved 81 yards, including a pair of 19-yard passes to Ashley Lelie, with Plummer scoring from the 1 for the go-ahead touchdown.
The only other score for the Colts was on a 40-yard field goal by Mike Vanderjagt, who moved within one of tying the NFL record of 40 consecutive attempts without a miss. Manning became the first NFL quarterback to pass for 4,000 yards in five straight seasons but struggled, going 12-for-23 for just 146 yards.
"It was frustrating," Manning said, "and disappointing."
It was anything but for Plummer, who has made fans in Colorado forget about Brian Griese.
Sidestepping pass rushers, scrambling for first downs and picking apart defenses with pinpoint passes, much like John Elway used to, Plummer has the Broncos on a roll.
"He can make plays," Shanahan said. "We all knew what John could do, in the pocket making plays when nothing's there. Jake has that ability to scramble, throw on the run and make the big-time plays that you look for in a top-notch quarterback."
How important has Plummer been? With him, Denver is 9-2 and averages 395 yards and 28 points. In the four games he missed with foot and shoulder injuries, the Broncos lost three and averaged just 17 points and 258 yards.
And Plummer's been at his best when Denver has needed him the most.
Three straight losses in the middle of the season left the Broncos in danger of missing the playoffs for the fourth time since Elway retired in 1999. Plummer's return provided a quick fix.
With Plummer, Denver has won four straight and five of six to clinch an AFC wild-card spot. In that span, he completed 66 percent of his passes for 1,279 yards and seven touchdowns with four interceptions.
Along the way, he has made some good friends on the defense. With his scrambles and bootlegs, the Broncos have been able to dominate time of possession. On Sunday, they had the ball nearly 45 minutes.
"That's what you live for as a defensive lineman," defensive end Trevor Pryce said. "You live for sitting on the sidelines and watch the offense go up and down the field."
One of the knocks on Plummer in his six seasons with Arizona was he forced many passes and tried to win games on his own. That hasn't been the case since he signed a seven-year, $40-million deal with Denver in the offseason.
Plummer has kept his cool in tight situations, thrown the ball away instead of taking sacks and has relied on Denver's bevy of offensive weapons.
Plummer's passer rating of 89.0 is fifth in the AFC and is nearly 20 points higher than his career mark. He's thrown for 2,182 yards.