Dungy will have most of his horses

INDIANAPOLIS - It's been awhile since the defending champs had a minimal injury list and lots of room in the whirlpool, but the Colts should be virtually at full strength for Sunday afternoon's AFC playoff date here with San Diego.

"This is the healthiest we've been since the offseason," reckoned Gary Brackett, the only Indianapolis linebacker to start all 16 games.

The most notable returnee is wide receiver Marvin Harrison, who is expected to be back in the lineup after missing 11 of the last 12 games with a knee injury. "I probably can't say without any doubt that he'll play, but he's practicing and we're planning on him starting," said coach Tony Dungy. "We'll see how it goes."

Though it might be unrealistic to expect the 35-year-old Harrison to go full tilt after missing nearly three months, he's been known to get back into high gear quickly after injuries.

"In one of my earlier years here he had a pulled hamstring and we decided to ease him back into the lineup, so we had him on a pitch count," Dungy recalled. "He played 71 plays. He's just a different individual."

In addition to getting back offensive tackle Ryan Diem, who has missed the last six games, the Colts will get a big boost on their defensive line with the return of end Robert Mathis and tackle Raheem Brock, plus safety Antoine Bethea.

"I'm ready to go," declared Mathis, whose presence is vital with Dwight Freeney down for the season. "It's playoff time. Nothing hurts."

Rust protection

If anything, the Colts may have gotten a little too much rest. Since most of their starters were pulled by halftime of their regular-season finale with Tennessee (a 16-10 home loss), they will have gone three weeks without playing a full game. "We practice pretty intense," said tight end Dallas Clark. "We didn't play in front of people, but we did a lot of work here. I think we kept the edge. I think we kept the rhythm." . . . The oddsmakers may favor the Colts by more than a touchdown, but the Chargers have given them hell here over the years, winning eight of their 11 visits and losing one in overtime. "They've come here and won games and they feel like they can," said Dungy, whose squad lost, 26-17, here to the Chargers in 2005 . . . This year's meeting in November, which the Chargers won, 23-21, in the rain at Qualcomm Stadium, was so bizarre and painful that the Colts wince whenever they see it on film. The Chargers, who picked off Peyton Manning six times (three by Antonio Cromartie in the first half), scored two touchdowns on kick returns, both by Darren Sproles, and went up, 16-0, in the first 10 minutes. "I don't think we'll do those things again," said Dungy, "but it was tough to watch." . . . Though the teams have played 23 times since 1970, they've met only once in the playoffs, with the Colts knocking off the defending conference champions, 35-20, on the road in a 1995 wild-card game.

Doing their homework

Since the Colts figured they'd be playing the Chargers or Steelers this weekend, they spent the bye week figuring out how to counter the 3-4 defenses both teams use, and which have proven a challenge for Indianapolis in the past. "You have four guys who can come at any time," said Dungy. "You have to know who's coming and who isn't. It's a system that has a lot of variations in it, it has a lot of different things that they can do. And it's one that if you're not familiar with it and you don't play it a lot, it can cause you some problems." . . . With Eli Manning winning his first playoff game in his third try with the Giants, the family parlay is still alive. "I can remember winning my first playoff game," said Peyton Manning, who said he was proud of his kid brother. "We beat Denver here a few years ago. It's a satisfying feeling, but once you win one, it makes you want to go try to win another one. This is an exciting time to be playing football and I'm happy that Eli's still in it. I thought he did a great job on Sunday."

John Powers can be reached at jpowers@globe.com.