Peyton's the Man: Colts QB torches Broncos for 457 yards

INDIANAPOLIS — Even with his favorite option, Marvin Harrison, shut down early, Peyton Manning was unstoppable Sunday.

Almost everywhere else Manning looked, he saw something he liked.

Manning simply turned to Reggie Wayne and Dallas Clark in building an insurmountable first-half lead. The NFL Offensive Player of the Year had 457 yards passing, second most in playoffs history, in Indianapolis' 49-24 victory over Denver.

"We have guys who have been there before and they do well in pressure situations," Manning said. "Everyone just settles down and we execute our offense and we're not overwhelmed by the moment."

Instead, Manning was overwhelming once more. So were Wayne and Clark.

Against the overmatched Broncos (10-7), Wayne finished with 221 yards, the third most in playoff history, on 10 catches, with two touchdowns. Clark, who suffered a concussion in last week's loss at Denver, had 112 yards and a score.

"That's big, 221," said Wayne, who admitted the receivers were inspired by Denver's defenders questioning their toughness all week. "I wanted to let them know I'd be there all day, not back down or fall to the ground.

"We jumped on them so fast they didn't have any time to say anything."

The Colts (13-4) go to defending champion New England next Sunday for a rematch of last year's AFC title game, and they bring with them an even more diversified attack.

"We want to keep advancing and we have a tough road ahead of us," Manning said.

The rout was reminiscent of the Colts' 41-10 romp over Denver in last year's wild-card game, when Manning was 22-for-26 for 377 yards and five touchdowns and the Colts led 31-3 at halftime. The Broncos were even worse in the first half on Sunday as Manning had a record 360 yards and three TDs at the half.

"I'm a little shocked by the way we lost," All-Pro cornerback Champ Bailey said. "I thought it would be a little closer.

"When you play against the best quarterback in the league, he is going to find some weaknesses and exploit them."

For good measure, Manning sneaked in from the 1 with 6 seconds left in the half, making it 35-3 and drawing handshakes from nearly every teammate for his first TD rushing in more than two years.