Adam Schefter of the NFL Network is reporting that Denver Broncos cornerback Champ Bailey and linebacker D.J. Williams will be deactivated for today’s home game against the Kansas City Chiefs. On Friday it looked as if fullback/linebacker Spencer Larsen would also sit-out, but given what we know he will likely suit and spell/back-up the returning Nate Webster.

For the Chiefs wide receiver Mark Bradley is out, while defensive end Tamba Hali is probable.

At cornerback Dre Bly will go one-on-one with Dewayne Bowe for most of the game, Bailey normally covers the legendary Chiefs tight end Tony Gonzales. With Bailey out, it’s tough to say who will match up with him predominantly- Jamie Winborn and Karl Paymah or a combined effort forward is likely. This could spell trouble in Denver today.

UPDATE: Chiefs linebacker Donnie Edwards will also be out.

Week 14, I watched the bloodbath game against Buffalo- in which the Kansas City Chiefs lost to the Buffalo Bills 54-30, I also watched K.C. nearly beat the New York Jets and the New Orleans Saints. Does any of this look familiar? They’re the Broncos, but with different breaks. They say that they’re rebuilding, this is a rebuilding year- they damn near gave up Tony Gonzales to the Green Bay Packers and the New York Giants, prior to the trading deadline, but held onto him. Smart move (obviously), because next season these guys are going to be good. The team truly is one draft pick away and who knows what quarterback they may pickup in the off-season.

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Welcome to Week 14. This NFL season is in its final stretch and teams are fighting for whatever they can get, whether it is a playoff berth or a higher draft pick. Philadelphia faces off against the titan of the NFC the New York Giants in the hopes to get closer to a playoff win. There is a showdown in Atlanta against the Monday Night crusaders the New Orleans Saints. Will Matt Ryan be able to take his crew past the pooping bad boys? Oh yeah, you’ve got to read this. Can Green Bay stop the surging Texans? Will Miami get one stop closer to the playoffs with a win over division rival Buffalo? Will Denver get revenge on Kansas City? Is Pittsburgh for real? Or will Dallas show everyone that they still are they Super Bowl contenders they were at the beginning of the year? Will Washington watch their playoff spot slip away due to a loss from Baltimore? THE HYPE: Will the Monday night game be as epic as will all hope for? The battle for the division… Carolina against Tampa Bay. Here we go sports fans! Picks, analysis, and funny things after the jump.

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My Broncos blogging brethren at MHR have been clamoring for fans to vote for Ryan Clady in NFL.com’s Pro Bowl voting for several weeks now. As the driver of the original Ryan Clady bandwagon, I’d be remiss if I did not join in the festivities. For your enjoyment, a Ryan Clady Pro Bowl Haiku, along with a second haiku, after the jump. Remember, there’s less than a week left to vote!

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After suffering an elbow injury in Week 13 against the New York Jets, defensive tackle Josh Shaw was formally placed on Injured Reserve, ending his season. Shaw, who joined the Denver Broncos in early September, played in five games and finished with three tackles (two solo).

Shaw is the 13th player the Broncos have placed on Injured Reserve this season.

Replacing Shaw on the roster is safety Herana-Daze Jones (pronounced Hernandez), a fourth year player formerly with the Cincinnati Bengals. Jones is a special teams BEAST who’s posted a whopping 37 tackles on special teams from 2006-2007. He was released from the Bengals (and Injured Reserve) after reaching an injury settlement with the club on November 4, 2008.

Shanny says he’s looking for someone to step up at the safety position — how long is it until Jones is starting opposite Marquand Manuel? Meanwhile, Marlon McCree is still missing practice with his ankle injury. Full press release after the jump. Click here to read the rest of this entry »

Pop quiz! Peyton Hillis is:

1. A 7th round draft pick out of Arkansas.
2. A running back pushed into the role of a fullback by being on the same team as first rounder Darren McFadden and first rounder Felix Jones.
3. Officially listed at 6’2″ and 250 pounds.
4. Being considered as a hybrid H-back, meaning he could line up as a tight end in the slot.
5. Compared to Dallas Clark.
6. The first Broncos’ rookie to have a hundred yard receiving game AND a hundred yard rushing game in the same season.
7. A pure down-home country boy.
8. Up for Rookie of the Week.
9. Up for FedEx Ground Player of the Week.
10. THE TRUCK.
11. All of the above.

Fortunately, there really are no wrong answers to this quiz. Since he first saw serious action with the rock in November against Miami, Hillis has been tearing up the field. And though it required four injuries a position shift and a full solar eclipse (oh wait that’s a different show), Hillis is slowly emerging as a solid, bruising running back that can be favorably compared to the likes of Brandon Jacobs. Oh, and The Bus, who is a smidge under six feet and played at around 255.

It has taken Hillis a couple of games to really step into the role of a full time tailback, which isn’t at all shocking since he hasn’t had to do that since high school. One might say that he had a little rust to shake off. But even while rusty, and having to make things up on the fly, one thing really stood out about Hillis. He got the tough, tough yards. Click here to read the rest of this entry »

In 1998, the Denver Broncos entered the playoffs as a wild card team, five-weeks later they defeated the Green Bay Packers (and Brett Favre) 31-24 in Super Bowl XXXII- becoming the first AFC team to win the Super Bowl since 1984. In that season, the Broncos had loses to both the Oakland Raiders and to the Kansas City Chiefs. Prior to the playoffs the team went 1-2 over their final three-games.

It could have happened anywhere, but it happened to happen in New York. Sunday afternoon was that parting of the dark clouds that I’ve been prophetizing often, as of late. Last week we let you know that the Broncos would defeat the Jets. Then we ran over to The New York Times and told them too. No one really agreed, but the belief of The Nation prevailed. So Denver’s not quite the King of New York just yet, but it’s looking like they’ll have to be if they want to win the Super Bowl. Not to mention that there are a lot of great teams in between now and the big game.

Three-games up in the AFC West, with four to go and all of a sudden Denver’s found a hero in another late-round back with Peyton Hillis, who this week is not just up for Rookie of the Week, he’s also up for Offensive Player of the Week (along with Jay Cutler, yes I know one is for rushing, one is for passing). Yes, Denver is only 7-5, but take a look the recently released ESPN Power Rankings, check out the top ten- how many teams has Denver beat on the list? Three (Tampa [4], New York [7] and Atlanta [9]), with one to go Carolina [5], the remaining schedule for Denver is anything but easy.

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Players or coaches from the Denver Broncos have been nominated for not one, not two, not three, but FOUR Weekly NFL Awards for games played in Week 13 of the 2008 NFL season. The Broncos defeated the Jets 34-17 on Sunday, boasting impressive performances all around.

FB Peyton Hillis has been nominated for two awards – the Diet Pepsi Rookie of the Week award, and the FedEx Ground Player of the Week award. Hillis ran for 129 yards and a touchdown on 22 attempts against a Jets team that had yet to allow a 100-yard rusher all season. Vote for Peyton for the Rookie Award here! Vote for Peyton for the Ground Award here!

QB Jay Cutler has been nominated for the FedEx Air Player of the Week Award.  Cutler threw through wind and rain to the tune of 357 yards and two touchdowns while completing 27 of 43 attempts. Cutler’s 357 passing yards led the NFL for Week 13 and represented his sixth 300-yard passing game this year, setting a Broncos single-season record.  Vote for Jay here!

Coach Mike Shanahan has been nominated for the Motorola Coach of the Week. With the win, Shanahan tied Steve Owen for 16th in NFL history in career wins with his 153rd overall victory. The Broncos totaled 484 yards of offense, including 357 passing yards and two touchdowns from QB Jay Cutler and 129 rushing yards and one touchdown from rookie FB Peyton Hillis. Denver’s defense limited Jets QB Brett Favre to a 60.9 passer rating and recorded one interception and two sacks.  Vote for coach here!

Let’s bring home these Broncos something shiny for the holiday season!  A web NFL.com graphic!  Get those votes in!

Every week, we’ll keep you updated on the latest playoff movement from within the division and around the AFC.

First Round Bye
1. Tennessee Titans (11-1, 7-1)
2. Pittsburgh Steelers (9-3, 8-1)

Other division winners
3. New York Jets (8-4, 6-4)
4. Denver Broncos (7-5, 4-5)

Wild Card
5. Indianapolis Colts (8-4, 7-2)
6. Baltimore Ravens (8-4, 7-3)

On the cusp:
Miami Dolphins (7-5, 5-3)
New England Patriots (7-5, 5-5)

Notes:
Again, no changes in the seeding. It’s surreal.

Fine line to the third seed– With the win over the Jets, the Broncos hold the tiebreaker over New York. Cheering against New York, however, has its disadvantages – if the Jets fall too far, they’ll lose the division to either the Dolphins or Patriots, who are currently tied with the Broncos at 7-5. Either team would get the third seed instead. The Broncos need the Jets to lose one more game than them without losing the division.

Second seed out of sight — The two seed is even further out of sight. The Pittsburgh Steelers would have to LOSE three of their last four contests, while the Broncos would have to finish 4-0. The Broncos won’t be enjoying a first round bye.

Division not locked up yet — Stranger things have happened this NFL season. If the Chargers finally pull it together, and the Broncos struggle… ahh, who am I kidding. IT’S IN THE BAG!

“I’ll be out there this week, one way or another,” Denver Broncos cornerback Champ Bailey told reporters on Monday. “I definitely want to be out there when we clinch this division.”

After missing five consecutive games with a groin injury, the Broncos’ defensive team captain and Pro Bowler has vowed to return to the field this week. He could be coming back at a celebratory time – with a Chargers loss, the Broncos would be playing for the division title.

Bailey has been limited in practice for two weeks, listed as Questionable for both games. He would be returning to face the Kansas City Chiefs, who embarrassed the Broncos in Week 4.

Meanwhile, Head Coach Mike Shanahan wasn’t sure either way. “We will see how he practices. He seems to be getting a little bit better. He practiced a little last week. We will get a chance to evaluate him over the next few days.”

The Broncos are hoping to get some of their playmakers back healthy just in time for the playoff push. With any luck, Champ will return to bring a boost to a defense thirsty for revenge against the Chiefs.