DENVER (AP) -- 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 Indy 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 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."

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 1-for-2, Manning finished the year with a 121.1 passer
rating, easily breaking Steve Young's all-time record.

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, though, Denver slowly pulled away and got ready for
a playoff trip under circumstances very similar to last year.

The Broncos qualified for the 2003 postseason with a 31-17 win
over Indy in Week 15 -- Manning played that game -- but got
humiliated two weeks later. Manning threw five touchdowns that day
and Denver remained without a postseason victory since winning the
1998 Super Bowl.

"We're not going to fall for the same crap we did back there
last year," said Broncos defensive tackle Trevor Pryce.

Tatum Bell led the Broncos with 91 yards on 16 carries. Reuben
Droughns had 76 yards on 15 tries.

Dominic Rhodes played in place of James and had 34 yards and one
lost fumble, which led to one of Jason Elam's four field goals and
a 20-14 lead before halftime.

Lynch's hit on Clark led was brutal. It led to a fumble and an
apparent Denver touchdown.

On review, though, referee Pete Morelli ruled the pass
incomplete. The touchdown was nullified, a flag for unnecessary
roughness that had been thrown, then picked up, was reinstated, and
Lynch will likely pay a price in the form of a fine from the NFL.

Given the pending rematch, he said he wasn't all that upset
about it.

"You've got to hit a team like that," he said. "They're so
skilled, so fast, you've got to do something to slow them down."

Game notes
Lelie finished with seven touchdowns of 30 yards or
longer, the most in the NFL. ... Sorgi became the first Colts
quarterback to throw a touchdown other than Manning since 1997. ...
Plummer became the first Broncos quarterback to take every snap.