INDIANAPOLIS — One more to go.

After a 24-13 win over the Denver Broncos in an AFC divisional playoff game, the Indianapolis Colts have inched closer to their third Super Bowl appearance since the start of the 2006 season.

Knocking off the Broncos was big, especially with the win coming on Denver’s home field. And it came with the Colts posting a victory over the franchise’s former starting quarterback, Peyton Manning.

Now it’s on to Foxboro to face the AFC’s top seed, longtime Colts rival New England, at Gillette Stadium on Sunday evening.

“To be able to come into a place like (Denver) on the road and win a game like this is pretty special,” coach Chuck Pagano said. “We’ll enjoy it for a couple hours and then we’ll get on to our next big piece of business, and that’s New England.”

Pagano praised the effort of his team in the win over the Broncos, but he said there is plenty of work to do to get ready for the Patriots.

“I’m really proud of the guys. There were a lot of good plays made in (the Denver) game,” he said. “For our defense to come in and do what they did against (that) offense and that quarterback, and all the players they got on that side of the football, it’s pretty special.”

Pagano said the team took special pride in accomplishing something — winning in Denver — that most observers didn’t think was possible.

“Obviously there wasn’t anybody out there, as far as the critics go and the pundits, I don’t think anybody thought we could come in and get this job done,” the coach said. “But we’ve got a group of guys, players and coaches who obviously felt differently. They played extremely well. We’ve still got some things to clean up.

“Again, any time you can come into a place like (Denver) and beat a team of this caliber, it’s pretty special. We need to enjoy it, but then we need to move on.”

With a chance to get to the Super Bowl, and having New England standing in the way, is something Pagano has been through before.

His final year as the defensive coordinator in Baltimore in 2011, the Ravens lost to Tom Brady and Bill Belichick.

“I’ve been there before. It wasn’t long ago that I was with a different club and played up there for an AFC championship,” he said. “Great, great team. Hall of Fame coach, Hall of Fame quarterback.

“We all know how hard it is to win up there, so we’re going to worry about us. Like I said, we’re going to enjoy this and then we’ll get to work ASAP in our preparation for the Patriots.”

Winning at Foxboro won’t be easy.

“We know it will be a tall order. (But) it’s going to be a great opportunity,” Pagano said. “But we’ll continue to prepare accordingly. But we know what a tall order it’s going to be to try to go on the road up there and try to win.”

–Running back Daniel “Boom” Herron played 68 of 75 offensive snaps against the Broncos. He touched the ball (rushes and receptions) a total of 31 times. Herron has caught 18 of the 19 passes thrown his way in the team’s first two postseason games.

Herron suffered an apparent shoulder injury in the first half of the game. He came out of the game briefly but then returned and played the rest of the day. Herron is expected to start Sunday at New England.

REPORT CARD VS. BRONCOS

–PASSING OFFENSE: A-minus — QB Andrew Luck completed 27 of 43 passes for 265 yards and two touchdowns. He also threw two interceptions, which became like two punts. RB Daniel “Boom” Herron had eight catches for 32 yards. Wide receiver T.Y. Hilton added four catches and 72 yards while tight end Dwayne Allen added four catches for 30 yards and a touchdown. Receiver Hakeem Nicks also had a 15-yard touchdown reception.

–RUSHING OFFENSE: B — Herron had a team-high 63 yards on 23 carries and scored on a 6-yard run. Luck added 21 yards on two rushing attempts and undrafted rookie RB Zurlon Tipton added 14 yards on two carries. The Colts had 99 yards on 29 carries as a team, averaging 3.5 yards per carry.

–PASS DEFENSE: B-plus — Broncos QB Peyton Manning completed 26 of 46 passes for 211 yards and a touchdown. Manning was sacked twice and fumbled once. Emmanuel Sanders had seven catches for 46 yards, while Julius Thomas and RB C.J. Anderson each had six receptions. Demaryius Thomas had five receptions and caught a 1-yard touchdown pass. The tackling by the Colts’ secondary was outstanding, not allowing short passes to pick up big yards after the reception.

–RUSH DEFENSE: B — Anderson ended the day with 80 yards on 18 carries, averaging 4.4 yards per attempt. RB Ronnie Hillman contributed eight yards on two carries. The Broncos finished with 88 yards on 20 carries and averaged 4.4 yards per attempt.

–SPECIAL TEAMS: B-plus — K Adam Vinatieri made one of two field-goal attempts, missing from 44 yards (wide right) and making a 30-yard kick that gave the Colts a two-score lead late in the fourth quarter. P Pat McAfee averaged 37.5 yards net and 42.3 yards overall, including one kick downed inside the 20-yard line. McAfee also had five touchbacks on kickoffs. PR/KR Josh Cribbs averaged 2.3 yards on three punt returns and returned on kickoff 32 yards. The Colts’ coverage units did an outstanding job, allowing minus-1 yard on one punt return.

–COACHING: A — The Colts hadn’t put together back-to-back strong games until the start of the playoffs. Wins over Cincinnati and Denver put Indianapolis in the AFC Championship Game in the third year of coach Chuck Pagano’s tenure. That’s also three years after the Colts posted a 2-14 record, worst in the NFL, and had the No. 1 pick in the draft. Pagano and his coaches have done an outstanding job of rebuilding the Colts’ fortunes and getting the team into position to win an AFC title.