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As the Jackson 5 once sang, so it will be for the Denver Broncos:
They're going back to Indiana.
Early NFL results Sunday fell in such a way that Denver already was guaranteed a playoff rematch with the Indianapolis Colts, the newly crowned AFC South champions, regardless of its final regular-season result. And the Broncos knew it.
Their 31-3 loss to the Green Bay Packers only ended up counting in the record
books and, in particular, on the résumés of the slew of reserves
that enjoyed playing time. But not even a 218-yard rushing performance and two
touchdowns by Green Bay's Ahman Green would faze Denver (10-6), which had its
four-game winning streak snapped, given the scenario.
"It could have been 100-0 and it wouldn't have mattered," Broncos
defensive end Trevor Pryce noted. "You don't like losing. But they were
not the Colts. So who cares?"
The Packers, for one. They clinched the NFC North title with the victory, coupled
with an incredible last-second loss by the Minnesota Vikings in Arizona.
"It's a miracle," Green Bay defensive end Kabeer Gbaja-Biamila exclaimed.
The sellout crowd at Lambeau Field began cheering wildly even before the Cardinals
scored on the last, desperation fourth-down play.
"I'm looking in the stands for a fight," Broncos strong safety Kenoy
Kennedy said. "But then I was like, 'They're not cheering for a fight.'
"
The Colts were, though. And with the Broncos, in particular. On Dec. 21, after
Denver throttled Indianapolis 31-17, some Colts players expressed the hope that
there would soon be a rematch at the RCA Dome. They'll get it now at 2:30 p.m.
MST Sunday.
"Hey, careful what you ask for, you know what I'm saying? For real,"
Broncos middle linebacker Al Wilson said. "We'll be ready. We'll be there.
Ain't no question. As long as nothing doesn't happen on the way there, we'll
be there."
The Broncos held the ball for nearly 45 minutes and limited Indianapolis to
a franchise-low 37 offensive plays in that meeting. The game wasn't as close
as the score indicated, as the Broncos rolled up a 465-183 yardage advantage.
"I don't believe it will be like that," Kennedy said of the rematch.
"At the same time, I didn't think it would be that way the first time.
They were embarrassed on national TV by us that game. So they'll be ready."
Sunday's performance notwithstanding - and Denver began without five offensive
starters, including quarterback Jake Plummer - the Broncos believe they have
hit the postseason at the most opportune time.
"We're feeling pretty good about ourselves," Pryce said. "That's
what you want to happen. You want to go in there with an attitude. You don't
want to go in there like, 'Oh, my God, what have we gotten ourselves into?'
I feel more like I did in the days when we won the Super Bowls. We're champing
at the bit to get going."
The Broncos' most recent playoff wins came during those 1997-98 championship
seasons. Denver was one-and-done as a wild-card entry the last time it reached
the postseason, losing at Baltimore to cap the 2000 season.
But as Denver tight end Shannon Sharpe recalled, the Broncos also managed to
go on the road for two of three wins as a wild card on the way to that first
title, too. The Broncos will have to one-up themselves to do it this time, facing
three consecutive games in hostile environments in order to reach the Super
Bowl.
No matter, according to Sharpe.
"I know there are a lot of teams kind of disappointed that we made the
playoffs, because our quarterback, running back and offensive line have been
as hot as anybody in this league," Sharpe said. "And with the weapons
that we have on offense - and we know our defense can go out there and shut
anybody down - we're going to be difficult to beat."
Denver will enter the playoffs near full strength. Running back Clinton Portis,
fullback Reuben Droughns and right guard Dan Neil got to rest their injured
ankles against Green Bay. Cornerback Kelly Herndon (hand) also sat out. The
only concern currently is the concussion suffered by wide receiver Ed McCaffrey
during the second quarter Sunday. It was the second injury of that type in three
weeks.
Broncos coach Mike Shanahan also decided earlier this week, with little to gain,
to give many of his key players a break in the regular-season finale. He just
didn't tell them until Saturday night, preferring that the regulars prepare
at practice as if they would play.
Third-stringer Jarious Jackson started at quarterback, but backup Danny Kanell
entered in the second quarter and finished, completing nine of 18 passes for
61 yards and one interception. Wide receiver Rod Smith and Sharpe also were
among the inactives, giving extensive playing time to Jeb Putzier and Adrian
Madise. Running backs Cecil Sapp and Quentin Griffin combined for 33 carries
for 105 yards with Portis out and with Mike Anderson used sparingly.
Green nearly equaled that rushing output on one carry for the Packers (10-6).
It was Green's 98-yard run early in the fourth quarter that put the game away,
24-3. It also was the longest rush ever both for the Packers and against the
Broncos. It helped take the pressure off Green Bay quarterback Brett Favre,
who couldn't duplicate his Monday night magic of a week ago with only 116 yards
and one touchdown pass. But after grieving his father's death last week, perhaps
that should have been expected.
Favre left to a standing ovation near the 11-minute mark of the fourth quarter
with the game in hand.
But that cheer was nothing compared with the one by the crowd of 70,299 after
learning the Packers will host Seattle in the wild-card game preceding Denver's
on Sunday.
So, in effect, everyone left Lambeau happy: The Packers, their fans and the
Broncos, despite allowing 366 yards and 7.7 yards a carry.
And the result left scant talk in Denver's locker room about the team they had
just played minutes earlier. It was Colts-Broncos II dominating the conversation.
They'll talk again about it in seven days, too.