FOXBOROUGH, Mass. -- Shortly after the Indianapolis Colts upset the Denver Broncos in the divisional round of the AFC playoffs Sunday, Colts head coach Chuck Pagano let it be known that his team won't be taking a "just happy to be here" approach in preparations for an AFC Championship game matchup against the New England Patriots.
"It's a great win for our organization, but we're not satisfied," Pagano told ESPN's Sal Paolantonio. "This is a great, great victory, but we have an ultimate goal that we're chasing. We know we have a huge challenge ahead of us, but we'll enjoy this for a few minutes. ... This is monumental."
For more on the Colts, here is our standard primer (as well as a "quick take" on the Patriots-Colts matchup):
Record: 11-5 regular season; 2-0 playoffs
Head coach: Chuck Pagano (third year)
Offensive coordinator: Pep Hamilton
Defensive coordinator: Greg Manusky
Special teams: Tom McMahon
General manager: Ryan Grigson
FIVE PLAYERS TO KNOW, OFFENSE
1. QB Andrew Luck: The No. 1 overall pick of the 2012 draft, he has made a steady postseason progression in his first three years -- playing in the wild-card game as a rookie, advancing to the divisional round in his second year and now elevating to the AFC title game. The 25-year-old is big (6-4, 240), can make plays with his feet, and also has the ability to make all the throws (380 of 616 for 4,761 yards, 40 TDs, 16 INTs in regular season). He was dubbed as one of the game's future stars entering the league and there is nothing that should prevent him from getting there; some might already say he has arrived.
2. WRs T.Y. Hilton/Reggie Wayne/Donte Moncrief: Each receiver atop the depth chart brings a little something different. The speedy Hilton (third year) totaled 82 catches for 1,345 yards (16.4 avg.) and seven touchdowns during the regular season; the savvy veteran Wayne (36 years old) remains one of the game's smoothest route-runners and is still productive (64 catches, 779 yards, 2 TDs) even though he went without a catch in the divisional-round win over the Broncos; while the 6-foot-2, 221-pound Moncrief (32 catches, 444 yards) has done his part after being drafted by the team in the third round out of Mississippi.
3. RB Dan Herron: Nicknamed "Boom," the 5-foot-10, 212-pound Herron is a second-year player out of Ohio State who has emerged as their top ballcarrier and a competent pass-catcher out of the backfield as well. He had 23 carries for 63 yards and a touchdown against the Broncos in the divisional round, and added eight catches for 32 yards. He has had issues with fumbles in the past. Herron entered the NFL as a sixth-round draft choice of the Bengals in 2012 and was signed by the Colts off the Cincinnati practice squad in October of 2013.
4. TEs Dwayne Allen/Coby Fleener/Jack Doyle: A quality trio, and the Colts use them all, sometimes at the same time, to help them manipulate matchups, a la the Patriots. Allen (6-3, 265) is a combination type whose improvement as a blocker caught Bill Belichick's attention in November. Fleener (6-6, 251) is more of a receiver, while Doyle (6-6, 267) can move bodies in the running game but shouldn't be overlooked as a pass-catcher (18 receptions in regular season).
5. LT Anthony Castonzo: The former Boston College standout was a first-round draft choice in 2011. At 6-foot-7 and 311 pounds, he's a tall, rangy presence on the edge who has been a consistent, durable bookend who has grown nicely into the job. When we think of old Colts teams, it was the left tackle-QB combination of Tarik Glenn and Peyton Manning, and now it's Castonzo-Luck.
FIVE PLAYERS TO KNOW, DEFENSE
1. CB Vontae Davis: One of the best players at his position in the NFL, he excels in man coverage and had a hard-to-miss 18 passes defended during the regular season to go along with four interceptions. The 5-foot-11, 207-pound Davis is tough to shake and has proven worthy of the four-year, $39 million contract he received this year.
2. DT Arthur Jones: The brother of Patriots defensive end Chandler Jones, he missed the Nov. 16 game between the teams with an ankle injury. A big-money free-agent signing from the Baltimore Ravens this year, he has appeared in nine games (three starts) and has been credited with 23 tackles and 1.5 sacks. He's listed at 6-foot-3 and 337 pounds, so he adds a physical presence inside to a generally undersized defense.
3. ILB D'Qwell Jackson: The longtime Cleveland Brown (2006-2013) has transitioned nicely in his first year with the Colts, starting every game and ringing up 140 tackles in the regular season, to go along with four sacks. He strikes us as a "glue" type of player in the middle.
4. OLB Jonathan Newsome: A fifth-round draft choice out of Ball State, the rookie was referred to by Pagano earlier this season as having "slither" to his game as a pass-rusher. It shows, as he finished with 6.5 sacks during the regular season and had a strip sack of Peyton Manning in the division-round victory.
5. S Sergio Brown: The Notre Dame product entered the NFL with the Patriots as an undrafted free agent (2010-11) and is now in his third year with the Colts. He started a career-high eight games this season and since he was the player who tight end Rob Gronkowski "threw out of the club" in the Nov. 16 meeting between the teams, that storyline figures to be revisited this week.
EXTRA POINTS: Kicker Adam Vinatieri was named a first-team Associated Press All-Pro as he was 30 of 31 on field goals during the regular season, his only miss a 40-yarder in the season finale. He solely handles field goals, with punter Pat McAfee on kickoffs. ... Veteran Joshua Cribbs, the former Cleveland Brown (2005-12), is the primary returner. ... Running back Trent Richardson, whom the Colts acquired from then-Browns general manager Michael Lombardi in 2013, was inactive for Sunday's win over Denver. ... Darius Butler, the 2009 Patriots second-round pick, is the top slot corner. ... Defensive tackle Kelcy Quarles and running back Jeff Demps, both of whom spent time with the Patriots, are on the practice squad. ... Former Boston College quarterback Matthew Hasselback is the No. 2 behind Luck. ... ESPN.com reporter Mike Wells has the Colts covered.