Indianapolis ? Larry Johnson carried Kansas City right into the playoffs.

If it takes a larger workload to keep them there, Johnson’s ready.

“You can’t sit here and say you’re tired,” the star running back said. “You’ll have about three or four months of relaxation after the Super Bowl to say you’re tired, but this isn’t the time to do it.”

Until that next loss, the Chiefs (9-7) will continue to rely on Johnson.

This season, he set an NFL record with 416 attempts, a trend four-time AFC South champion Indianapolis (12-4) expects will continue today in the AFC wild-card game. Atlanta’s Jamal Anderson set the previous mark (410) in 1998 when he led the Falcons to the Super Bowl.

On paper, Johnson appears to have a decided advantage.

The Colts finished this season with the NFL’s worst run defense (173.0 yards) and broke a 53-year-old franchise record by allowing opponents to run for 5.3 yards per carry.

Now they must figure out how to slow Johnson, the league’s No. 2 runner with 1,789 yards and 17 touchdowns.

Johnson’s career-high of 211 yards came against Houston in November 2005, but the Colts believe they can slow him down with a conventional approach.

“We have to gang-tackle and get more guys around the ball,” three-time Pro Bowl defensive end Dwight Freeney said. “We have to swarm to the ball.”

Coach Tony Dungy has been preaching that philosophy all season to little avail and more recently has been urging his defenders to play quicker.

KANSAS CITY CHIEFS RUNNING BACK LARRY JOHNSON expects a heavy workload in today's AFC playoff game against the Indianapolis Colts. It won't be anything new for Johnson, who set an NFL record with 416 rushing attempts during the regular season.

In practice this week, Dungy said he saw changes.

The biggest may be getting former Pro Bowl safety Bob Sanders, one of Indy’s best tacklers and most energizing defenders, back on the field.

Sanders has only played in two games since having arthroscopic surgery on his right knee in mid-September and practiced Tuesday and Wednesday this week – the first time he’s worked on consecutive days since surgery.

Having Sanders could make a big difference.

“It’s not optimal since he’s not played for so long, but I think he’ll play well,” Dungy said. “He’ll play with a lot of energy, but I don’t how many plays that’s going to be.”

Sanders was held out of practice Thursday for precautionary reasons, although he acknowledged the knee felt better than it has in nearly four months.

With Sanders, the Colts are usually more aggressive, something that could cut either way when trying to tackle Johnson.

“Hopefully, I’m not overanxious and try and stay calm,” Sanders said. “Playing a Johnson-type runner, if you come too fast, he can sidestep you.”

Johnson may get more carries than usual Saturday for another reason – the Chiefs’ developing quarterback controversy.

Coach Herm Edwards plans to start veteran Trent Green, a two-time Pro Bowl quarterback, who missed much of the season with a concussion before hurting his ankle while sliding last week in the regular-season finale against Jacksonville.

If Green falters, Edwards has already said he would pull Green in favor of Damon Huard, who went 5-3 as a starter this season because he believes he has to give the Chiefs a chance to win.

Green’s not worried.

“You know it doesn’t matter whether we’re playing Baltimore, San Diego, the Raiders, Denver or whoever it may be,” Green said. “I’m just going to prepare the best I can, play as best I can. Everything else is out of my hands.”

Given the history between the teams, though, it may not be entirely out of Green’s hands, either.

Green and two-time MVP Peyton Manning found themselves involved in one of the NFL’s greatest playoff shootouts three years ago, a game in which neither team punted and that the Colts finally won 38-31.

If Saturday’s game becomes a carbon-copy, or if the Chiefs fall behind early, they may resort to throwing the ball more often.

It’s a script that has worked well for Indianapolis in the past.

“Anytime you play, you want to get off to a good start,” said Manning, 3-6 in playoff games. “We’re trying to be sharper in practice, and the main thing is to protect the ball when you have chances to score.”

Most teams have limited Manning’s chances by running the ball effectively. That tactic, and the Colts run defense, has essentially allowed opponents to play keepaway.

Johnson and the Chiefs think they can use that to their advantage this week, and if so, the Colts can expect another heavy dose of Johnson and running plays.

“I would think they’re going to run the ball,” Dungy said. “Teams are going to do whatever they do best. Larry Johnson carried the ball more than anybody in history this year, so it would be a shock if they didn’t give it to him a few times.”