INDIANAPOLIS — Consider Jim Irsay as surprised as anyone that the Indianapolis Colts have progressed so quickly since the start of the 2012 season.

After the disastrous 2011 season in which the Colts posted a 2-14 record, the club’s owner decided it was time to hit the reset button.

Indianapolis moved on without quarterback Peyton Manning, as well as several other veterans who had meant so much to the city and franchise. Manning was released, allowing him to move on to Denver, where he’ll face his former team Sunday in an AFC divisional playoff game.

After coach Jim Caldwell was fired, the Colts hired Chuck Pagano to take over the reins. And Indianapolis quickly found Manning’s replacement, taking Andrew Luck with the first pick of the 2012 draft.

What has happened since then has been somewhat remarkable. Indianapolis has posted three straight 11-5 seasons and captured back-to-back AFC South championships. The Colts also have made three consecutive trips to the playoffs, doing a little bit better each year.

In 2012, Indianapolis was one-and-done after losing at Baltimore. The Ravens went on to win the Super Bowl. Last season, the Colts beat Kansas City in a high-scoring wild-card game before losing at New England.

Now, Indianapolis is coming off a 26-10 wild-card win over Cincinnati and will face the Broncos on Sunday at Sports Authority Field at Mile High. Can the Colts continue to make improvement in the postseason?

“We’ve been blessed with a lot of success. That’s something we really appreciate,” Irsay said. “At the same time, we’re looking forward to taking that next step. We’re really excited about our opportunity.”

“I thought we played better on Sunday (against the Bengals). And when I say that, I mean that I don’t think we’ve played our best game yet. With the task at hand where we’re going, we’re going to have to take it to that next level. There’s no question about it.”

The Colts’ owner relishes the opportunity to go to Denver this week, especially when it means facing Manning, a Colts icon.

“Having a chance to go out to Denver is exciting. There’s a lot of historic context that exists in this matchup,” Irsay said. “They’ve added key guys defensively — pass rushers, coverage guys, also in the receiving corps. We know we’re up against a veteran team that’s outstanding.

“Of course, everyone’s talking about Andrew, Peyton, that matchup that a lot of people know historically the relationship we have. To me, it’s been tremendous that my vision at the time was it would work out this way, that Peyton would be able to go somewhere, continue his greatness, continue his career. We would be able to go forward with Andrew.”

While rebuilding the franchise over such a short time span hasn’t been an easy chore, Indianapolis has taken some giant steps the last three seasons.

“Having the type of success we’ve had so soon I think was a surprise to me,” Irsay said. “To be in the playoffs three straight years, win 33 games over three years, to have already won two playoff games, that’s something that you don’t take for granted.

“This is really exciting, obviously, to have this context, but again, both teams want to advance. Our goal is to win the game. In the end, our players, our coaches are focused on that. They’re focused on it and I think it’s going to be a great game.”

SERIES HISTORY: This is the 24th meeting. The Broncos lead 12-11. The Colts are 2-0 in the postseason against Denver, including a 41-10 wild-card win on Jan. 4, 2004, and a 49-24 wild-card victory on Jan. 9, 2005. Denver won the last meeting, taking a 31-24 decision at home in the opening game of this season. QB Peyton Manning completed 22 of 36 passes for 269 yards, three touchdowns and no interceptions. Colts QB Andrew Luck connected on 35 of 53 passes for 370 yards, two touchdowns and two interceptions. The Colts are 6-5 against Denver in regular-season home games and 3-7 in regular-season road matchups. Indianapolis’ last win at Denver came on Sept. 26, 2010, as the Colts posted a 27-13 victory. Both of Indianapolis’ postseason playoff wins over Denver were played at the RCA Dome. Sunday’s game will be the first postseason meeting between the franchises in Denver. Indianapolis took a 35-3 halftime lead in the last playoff meeting (Jan. 9, 2005) before posting a 49-24 win. Manning completed 27 of 33 passes for 458 yards, four touchdowns and one interception.