If he wants, Peyton Manning can use all that time at home to crank up the DVD player and watch the highlights.
What a set he put together for himself and his acrobatic receivers yesterday in Denver.
Manning and the Broncos wrapped up home-field advantage through the AFC playoffs with a predictable 38-3 runaway over the Chiefs, punctuated by three touchdown passes — including one-handed grabs by Eric Decker and Demaryius Thomas — as his new team closed the regular season on an 11-game win streak.
Manning, in search of his fifth MVP award and, yes, a second Super Bowl title, finished 23 for 29 for 304 yards.
“It’s been a gratifying regular season,” Manning said. “I will admit that. It is certainly more than I expected. I’m grateful and humble for it.”
The only trip the Broncos (13-3) will have to make on their road to a championship would be to New Orleans for the Super Bowl. They’ll open the playoffs at home on Jan. 12. The Broncos made the Super Bowl four of the previous five times they’ve had home-field advantage.
Coach John Fox won his 100th career game.
Colts 28, Texans 16
Chuck Pagano put on his dancing shoes and savored every moment of the postgame celebration in Indianapolis.
He took his customary linebacker stance on the sideline, hands on bended knees. He signaled touchdowns when the Colts scored, patted Deji Karim on the helmet after a 101-yard kickoff return for a game-changing touchdown and gestured for penalty flags to be thrown.
And after Indianapolis (11-5) beat AFC South champion Houston (12-4), Pagano even tossed aside the stodgy image of an NFL coach and began jumping around with players, assistant coaches and owner Jim Irsay.
Pagano took an indefinite leave Sept. 26 to begin the first of three rounds of chemotherapy for leukemia and didn’t make it back to the sideline until yesterday, as the cancer is in complete remission.
“There’s a lot to celebrate right now,” an emotional Pagano said.
Said rookie quarterback Andrew Luck, “Guys really did not want to lose in his first game back and heading into the playoffs. To get a win, I think means the world to him.”