INDIANAPOLIS – The Denver Broncos didn’t need Clinton Portis to carry them into the playoffs.

Quentin Griffin, Mike Anderson and Jake Plummer did it themselves.

With an injured Portis cheering them from the sideline, Griffin ran for 136 yards, Anderson had 56 yards and one touchdown and Plummer ran for two scores as the Broncos pounded Indianapolis 31-17 Sunday night.

Denver (10-5) won its fourth straight game and clinched its first playoff spot since 2000 and only its second postseason berth since John Elway retired following the 1998 championship season.

The Broncos also prevented the Colts (11-4) from wrapping up the AFC South and moving into position for a first-round bye.

Titans 27, Texans 24

HOUSTON – A wounded Steve McNair is still very dangerous.

The Titans quarterback, playing with a cracked bone spur in his left ankle, hit Drew Bennett for a 23-yard touchdown pass with 17 seconds left to lead Tennessee into the playoffs with a 27-24 victory over the Texans.

Tennessee (11-4) fell behind with 1:48 remaining when Domanick Davis capped a lightning-quick Texans drive with a 5-yard touchdown run around the left end.

That put the ball back into the hands of McNair, who got the starting nod after looking good in pregame warmups despite a noticeable limp. He drove the Titans 75 yards in the waning seconds, completing passes to Bennett for 20 and 24 yards before hitting him in stride over cornerback Marcus Coleman in the end zone.

Steelers 40, Chargers 24

PITTSBURGH – The Pittsburgh Steelers ended their home season the way they started it, with a commanding victory. It was those pesky 13 games in between that were the problem.

Tommy Maddox threw three touchdown passes, Jerome Bettis passed Marcus Allen to become the seventh leading rusher in NFL history and the Steelers beat up on the San Diego Chargers 40-24 Sunday.

It was the kind of performance they expected all season, but rarely got.

Drew Brees had three costly turnovers for the second straight week, with the Steelers’ Deshea Townsend intercepting two passes and recovering a fumble. Townsend returned the second interception 25 yards for a touchdown that sealed only the Steelers’ fourth win in 12 games.

Dolphins 20, Bills 3

ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. – Cornerback Terrell Buckley kept the Miami Dolphins’ playoff hopes alive by putting an end to their late-season road woes.

Buckley returned an interception 74 yards for a touchdown, leading a stifling defensive effort that sparked the Dolphins’ 20-3 win over the Buffalo Bills on Sunday.

Defensive end Jason Taylor had 21/2 sacks, giving him 691/2 for his career to become the Dolphins’ sack leader, in a game in which Miami limited the Bills to 177 yards – a mere 11 in the first half.

Ravens 35, Browns 0

CLEVELAND – Jamal Lewis and the Ravens ran away from the Cleveland Browns again.

Baltimore’s running back closed in on the elusive 2,000-yard club and the Ravens zeroed in on the AFC playoffs by dismantling Cleveland 35-0 Sunday.

Lewis rushed for 205 yards and two touchdowns – one for 72 yards in the third quarter – on 22 carries as the Ravens (9-6) moved back into first place in the AFC North by one game over Cincinnati (8-7).

The Bengals, who lost 27-10 at St. Louis, host Cleveland next week. Lewis, who ran for an NFL single-game record 295 yards earlier this season, now has 1,952 yards.

He needs just 48 to become the fifth back to get 2,000 yards in a season. He needs 153 to tie Eric Dickerson’s NFL mark, set in 1984.