Read More: Brian Dawkins (S – DEN), David Bruton (S – DEN), Kansas City Chiefs, Denver Broncos, St. Louis Rams

The Denver Broncos (8-7) may be without their top safety, Brian Dawkins, in Sunday’s contest against the Kansas City Chiefs (6-9). According to Lindsay H. Jones of the Denver Post, the Broncos’ veteran defensive back missed practice on Friday, further decreasing the likelihood of his ability to start in Sunday’s Week 17 season finale.

The former Philadelphia Eagles safety has played in all but one game, the Rams’ Week 15 loss to the New England Patriots. Dawkins is third on the Broncos’ defense with 7 pass deflections, sporting also 51 tackles and 3.0 sacks.

If Dawkins is unavailable come Sunday, the Broncos will start David Bruton, who is also struggling with an Achilles injury. Bruton, a third year pro out of Notre Dame, has 14 tackles and 3 pass deflections in 2011.

For more on this Week 17 game, visit Broncos blog Mile High Report and Chiefs blog Arrowhead Pride. Be sure to check out SB Nation NFL for more news and notes around the league.

For nearly three seasons, there has been little question about David Bruton’s primary role with the Broncos.

He was the special-teams guy, a crucial member of every coverage and return unit. But his role on defense at safety was limited.

He played behind veterans such as Brian Dawkins and Renaldo Hill in 2009 and 2010 and behind rookies Quinton Carter and Rahim Moore this season.

“It’s definitely tough to get into a rhythm when you’re constantly a backup or looked over. You just have to keep your head down and keep preparing,” Bruton said. “If I get the chance to be in the flow of the game, I feel like it will not only bode well for myself, but also for the team.”

Should a neck injury again keep Dawkins sidelined

in the regular-season finale Sunday against Kansas City, Bruton could make the fourth start of his NFL career. Bruton replaced Dawkins at strong safety for the final three quarters of last week’s game against Buffalo.

“I made some assignment mistakes, a missed tackle in the first seven or eight plays I played,” Bruton said. “But once I settled in … I’m not going to say it was perfect, but everything went a lot smoother and I felt a lot more confident. It was like when I was back in college.”

Dawkins was the only Denver player held out of practice Wednesday, though he was on the field watching his teammates. Bruton, who has dealt with calf and Achilles tendon issues the past few weeks, was limited — as was cornerback Chris Harris (neck).

Carter, who left the Buffalo game because of a bruised lower back, was a full participant at practice.

Party pooper. Kansas City interim coach Romeo Crennel said on a conference call with Denver-area reporters that he won’t allow his players to talk about a duel between Chiefs quarterback Kyle Orton and the Broncos’ Tim Tebow.

“I told my team this morning that it’s not Kyle versus the Broncos and not Kyle versus Tebow,” Crennel said. “It’s the Chiefs versus the Broncos, our team versus their team. That’s how it’s going to play out.”

Pro Bowl approval. Broncos coach John Fox said each of his team’s Pro Bowl selections — cornerback Champ Bailey, outside linebacker Von Miller and defensive end Elvis Dumervil — deserved the honor.

“As a coach, you’re a little bit prejudiced. You always feel like you want more for them,” Fox said. “But all in all, for where we are in the season, I think it was pretty good (representation).”

Offensive tackle Ryan Clady, a first alternate at his position, likely will be going to the Pro Bowl too because Miami put Jake Long on season-ending injured reserve Wednesday.

Footnotes. The NFL changed a Tebow interception against Buffalo to a fumble, ruling that the ball was swatted from Tebow’s hand before he started to throw. The ball was caught by the Bills’ Spencer Johnson, who scored on a 17-yard return. … The Broncos made moves on their practice squad, signing tight end Cornelius Ingram and waiving fullback Will Ta’ufo’ou. Tebow and Ingram, a fifth-round draft pick by Philadelphia in 2009, were college teammates at Florida.

Buffalo quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick, left (AP file photo)

For the record: Buffalo is 5-9, tied for last place in the AFC East. Denver is 8-6, first place in the AFC West.

Last game: The Bills lost their seventh consecutive game, 30-23 to Miami.

Who’s hot: Rookie defensive tackle Marcell Dareus, the No. 3 pick in the NFL draft, has a team-high 51/2 sacks for the Bills and has recovered a fumble. He left Sunday’s loss to Miami with an injured left hand.

Who’s not: QB Ryan Fitzpatrick threw three more interceptions against the Dolphins and leads the NFL with 19. He was sacked three times by Miami.

Key stat: The Bills have allowed an average of 32 points in the losing streak.

FYI: The Broncos and the Bills played in Denver in the second preseason game in August. The Broncos won that game 24-10, with Kyle Orton and Brady Quinn combining to play the first three quarters — leaving the Bills with little firsthand experience against Tim Tebow.

Coachspeak: “The thing about it is we all saw him early in the year hit those throws. I know there’s a lot of reasons and probably solutions that maybe even I haven’t thought of to try to get that better, but we’ve got to keep working on that.” — Buffalo coach Chan Gailey, referring to Fitzpatrick’s slump

Lindsay H. Jones, The Denver Post

New England QB Tom Brady (Denver Post file photo)

For the record: New England is 10-3 and has a two-game lead in the AFC East over the New York Jets (owning the tiebreaker against the Jets).

Last game: The Patriots extended their win streak to five games with a 34-27 victory at Washington. The streak began vs. the Jets and was followed by wins over Kansas City, Philadelphia and Indianapolis.

Who’s hot: Tight end Rob Gronkowski, a second-year player from the University of Arizona, set an NFL record Sunday for most touchdowns in a season by a tight end (15). He had been tied with Antonio Gates (2004) and Vernon Davis (2009) at 13. Gronkowski, who had 160 yards in receptions Sunday, has had at least four catches in all but one game this year.

Who’s not: New England’s defense. The Pats yielded 463 total yards to the Redskins, including a 126-yard rushing day by former Nebraska standout Roy Helu. New England ranks last among NFL teams (No. 32) in total defense, allowing 308.7 yards per game. Only six AFC teams have allowed more points than the 274 yielded by New England.

Key stat: The Patriots have overcome their defensive deficiencies by ranking second to New Orleans in total offense among all NFL teams (319.3). New England ranks second among AFC teams in turnover margin (plus-9).

FYI: With 357 yards passing and three touchdowns against the Redskins, Tom Brady surpassed 4,000 yards for the fourth time in his career and moved into sole possession at sixth place all time with 294 TD passes. He had been tied with Warren Moon at 291.

Coachspeak: “(Offensive coordinator Bill O’Brien) and I have a great relationship. … Because you’re a veteran (player), you don’t think, ‘Oh, man. I can’t be yelled at.’ But you can. And you should. We’re all held accountable.” — Brady, on Boston radio station WEEI, regarding his screaming match with O’Brien after Brady threw an interception into the end zone with 6:37 remaining in the fourth quarter vs. Washington. They later chatted and hugged.

Tom Kensler, The Denver Post

Philip Rivers (AP file photo)

For the record: The Chargers are 4-6 and the Broncos are 5-5. In the AFC West, the Broncos are in second place and the Chargers are in last place.

Last game: San Diego has a five-game losing streak after a 31-20 loss to the Bears in Chicago.

Who’s hot: Wide receiver Vincent Jackson has been inconsistent. But when he’s on, he’s really on. The former Northern Colorado star caught seven passes for 165 yards and one touchdown against the Bears and is averaging 19 yards per catch this season.

Who’s not: Quarterback Philip Rivers continues to lead the NFL in interceptions. Two fourth-quarter interceptions against the Bears increased Rivers’ total to a career-high 17 with six games remaining.

Key stat: The Chargers haven’t won since beating the Broncos 29-24 in Denver on Oct. 9 in Kyle Orton’s last start at quarterback for the Broncos. The Chargers’ losing streak is their longest since the start of the 2003 season.

FYI: Tight end Antonio Gates didn’t play in the Chargers’ first game against the Broncos. Since returning from a toe injury, Gates has caught 26 passes for 340 yards and three touchdowns.

Coachspeak: “We’re not able to play a complete game. We need to find a way to play a complete game.” — Chargers coach Norv Turner, after Sunday’s loss to the Bears.

Lindsay H. Jones, The Denver Post