INDIANAPOLIS 41, DENVER 10

INDIANAPOLIS (Ticker) -- Two days after being named the NFL's co-Most Valuable Player, Peyton Manning celebrated with his first playoff win.

Burdened by an 0-3 postseason record, Manning busted out with a playoff performance for the ages with 377 yards passing and five touchdowns as the Indianapolis Colts rolled to a 41-10 rout of the Denver Broncos in an AFC wild card game.

"It feels good to get that first one," Manning said. "I need to enjoy it. But I'm sure there'll be another 'but' in my career somewhere along the way that I'll have to deal with. But for now, I'm happy to get this first one out of the way."

Voted the NFL's co-MVP with Tennessee quarterback Steve McNair, Manning played like the best player on the planet. He completed 22-of-26 passes for the third-highest percentage (84.6) in postseason history by a quarterback with more than 20 attempts.

Manning fell one touchdown pass shy of tying the playoff record shared by Daryle Lamonica and Steve Young. A four-time Pro Bowler, he was 16-of-18 for 327 yards and four touchdowns in the first half, when the Colts (13-4) built a 31-3 lead.

"It was really awesome to see from the sideline," Colts coach Tony Dungy said. "I hope people think this is a big game because I've heard about him not being able to win big games. We thought it was big if no one else did."

Indianapolis will play at Kansas City on January 11 in the AFC divisional playoffs.

This game was a direct contrast to the meeting here two weeks ago, when the Broncos (10-7) totaled 465 yards and limited Manning to a season-low 146 in a 31-17 victory.

In that game, Denver controlled the ball for nearly 45 minutes and succeeded in keeping Manning off the field. That wasn't the case this time and Manning took advantage of his opportunities, throwing for touchdowns on each of Indianapolis' first four possessions.

"We were motivated after the last time," said Manning, who threw for a league-high 4,267 yards and an AFC-best 29 touchdowns this season. "Our offense got to play a little bit and we got some matchups we wanted off of play action. Everything went right for us today."

Marvin Harrison had six catches for 127 yards, including touchdowns of 46 and 23 yards, in the first half. He did not have a touchdown reception in his previous three playoff appearances.

Brandon Stokley also was a major factor in the first-half eruption, catching three passes for 131 yards, including TDs of 31 and 87 yards.

Denver's day was best summarized by Harrison's 46-yard touchdown catch with 24 seconds left in the first quarter. Harrison caught the pass at the Denver 30 for a 16-yard gain and fell to the turf. Three Broncos - linebacker Al Wilson and cornerbacks Lenny Walls and Kelly Herndon - surrounded Harrison but failed to touch the receiver, who rolled over and raced for the end zone and a 14-3 lead.

"Coach always tells us when you are on the ground, you get up until the (referee) blows the whistle," Harrison said. "When I was on the ground, I didn't feel anyone touch me. I was trying to get up slowly so I wouldn't get knocked in the head, and I got up and ran."

Broncos coach Mike Shanahan ripped into his defenders on the sidelines.

"I guess they just assumed the guy was down and they didn't touch him," Shanahan said. "We've got to have three or four guys hitting him as he goes down, and you can't assume somebody's down."

Denver played the rest of the game in a fog as the Colts scored on their next five possessions. Manning's fifth touchdown pass was a seven-yard toss to Reggie Wayne with 5:19 left in the third quarter.

Jake Plummer threw for just 181 yards and a touchdown with two interceptions for the Broncos.