As if the Denver Broncos and Tim Tebow need any more pressure.

A home loss to Kansas City in Week 17, coupled with an Oakland win at home against San Diego on Sunday, will keep the Broncos out of the playoffs. They would be 8-8 and end the season with three straight losses.

Instead of this season being looked upon as one of progress in the first year of the John Fox era after a 4-12 2010 season, it would be looked upon as a blown opportunity.

Adding to the pressure is the fact that Denver has to face former starting quarterback Kyle Orton, who was claimed by the Chiefs in November after being waived by the Broncos. Orton has a unique opportunity. According to ESPN Stats & Information, this will be the first time since the AFL-NFL merger that a quarterback will play against a team he started for earlier in the season.

Nothing would make Orton happier than to knock Tebow and the Broncos out of the playoffs. Tebow replaced Orton after the Broncos got off to a 1-4 start, and now Orton will do his best to make Denver 1-5 in games he has started.

Can you imagine how the Broncos and Tebow will feel if that happens?

After going 7-1 in his first eight starts, Tebow has seen his team lose its last two games. He played well in a loss to New England in Week 15. However, Tebow regressed at Buffalo last Saturday. He threw three interceptions — ball security had been his biggest attribute — including one that was returned for a score and a had a fumble that was brought back for a touchdown.

Denver’s brass hasn’t come out and publicly said Tebow will get a chance to start next year, but there have been indications that is the way the franchise is leaning. However, if the Broncos lose this game and Tebow, who was named the second Pro Bowl alternate this week, takes another step back, the idea could be reconsidered.

There is a feeling in Denver that Tebow will elevate his game Sunday because Orton will be on the other sideline. Tebow is highly competitive and will want to get the better of the man he replaced. Denver also is comforted by the fact that in college Tebow often played his best in the biggest games.

Orton also has plenty at stake. He is a free agent after the season. Interim Kansas City coach Romeo Crennel said after the Chiefs beat previously undefeated Green Bay in Week 15 — Orton’s first start as a Chief — that Orton would probably have a chance to be the Chiefs’ starter next year over injured incumbent Matt Cassel if Orton finished the season strong. Orton was just so-so in a 16-13 overtime loss to Oakland last week. He had his moments, but he failed in the red zone, which was a problem during much of his time in Denver.

Still, if Orton knocks off the Broncos, it could go a long way in helping him get a starting job in 2012, whether it’s in Kansas City or elsewhere.

The Broncos know the potential for an embarrassing situation here. But they knew it five weeks ago when they cut Orton. Denver knew Kansas City was a possibility to claim Orton because Cassel was out for the season with a hand injury. But the Broncos believed it was worth the risk because they believed Orton wasn’t needed any longer. They didn’t think Tebow needed the security blanket of the veteran. Orton wasn’t helping Denver at the time of his release, and the fact that he was claimed saved Denver $2.5 million in salary.

“We made the decision to go with Tim Tebow,” Fox told reporters this week. “I think that decision has proved worthy. We took that risk whenever you release any player. We don’t have any control over who takes him or where he goes or any of those things, but it’s good for Kyle. I wish him nothing but the best except for this Sunday … I think at the end of the day we feel real comfortable with Tim. We made that decision and here we are.”

After talking to several people in the organization, I get the sense the that Broncos feel comfortable playing against Orton in a game of this magnitude. I also get the sense that Denver is confident defensively going against Orton. The Broncos practiced against Orton for parts of three seasons, after all.

“We can hit him now,” Denver defensive end Robert Ayers said of facing Orton as an opponent. “I’m not going to think too much into this whole Kyle Orton thing. We’re fighting for something that’s big, and we want to go to the playoffs. That’s all I’m focusing on.”

Still, Orton also feels comfortable against the Broncos, and be sure that he has given every tidbit he knows about his former Denver teammates to his new coaching staff as he tries to come out of the game the victorious quarterback.

Matt Williamson of Scouts Inc. likes Orton’s chances in this matchup.

“I would rather have Orton for one game,” Williamson said. “I do get that Tebow plays his best in big games, and Orton has rarely showed that ability. But Orton is the better NFL quarterback right now and his experience puts it over the top for me.”

If Williamson is right, there could be major ramifications in both Denver and in Kansas City if Orton sends the Broncos into offseason mode.

Read more: Denver Broncos, Brian Dawkins, Broncos Injuries, Broncos Hurt, Denver Injuries, Dawkins Hurt, Dawkins out with Neck Pain, Pro, NFL

ENGLEWOOD, COLO. (AP) — Brian Dawkins is being held out of the Denver Broncos’ practice because of a neck injury that has bothered him for most of the month.

Fellow starting safety Quinton Carter (lower back) and nickel cornerback Chris Harris (neck), who leads all rookie DBs with 62

tackles, are both participating in the team’s final full-padded practice after leaving last weekend’s loss at Buffalo with those injuries.

The Broncos are hoping for a healthy secondary to face former teammate Kyle Orton, who brings the Kansas City Chiefs (6-9) to town Sunday with a chance to beat the team that benched him in favor of Tim Tebow.

Orton can exact some revenge on the Broncos (8-7) by denying them their first playoff berth since 2005, when they last won the AFC West.

(Copyright ©2011 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)

The Kansas City Chiefs close out the 2011 NFL season with a trip to Colorado to take on the Denver Broncos. Here are five things to watch for as the Chiefs battle the Broncos.

Kyle Orton Versus Old Team

Kyle Orton was let go by the Broncos in late November. The Chiefs picked him up to stand in for injured Matt Cassel. Orton had two decent games against the Green Bay Packers and Oakland Raiders. If he has the same type of game against his old mates, it will be a long day for Denver. It will help that Orton should have some kind of working knowledge of the Broncos’ defense.

Tim Tebow Versus Chiefs’ Defense

In the first game between the Chiefs and Broncos back on Nov. 13, quarterback Tim Tebow ran for a touchdown and threw for another. He completed just two passes all game long and had 43 yards rushing. Surely the Chiefs would know how to handle the offense by now. Shut down the running game of Denver and then let the vaunted secondary take over after that and the Chiefs will win.

Head Coaches

Interim head coach Romeo Crennel is trying to prove he’s head coaching material. John Fox is trying to avoid another late-season disappointment for the Broncos. Despite not making the playoffs just a year after winning the AFC West, the Chiefs can spoil the postseason hopes of Denver.

Ryan Succop

Placekicker Ryan Succop had a miserable game against the Oakland Raiders Dec. 24. He had two kicks blocked that could have won the game. In the thinner air of Denver, a kicker’s dream exists. Earlier in the season, Sebastian Janikowski of the Raiders tied an NFL record with a 63-yard kick way back on Sept. 12 in Denver. Succop needs to have a good game in the thinner air to regain his confidence.

Momentum

A win for the Chiefs will give them momentum going into the offseason and a positive vibe with the draft and in the front office. With all of the major players coming back next year from their injuries, a season-ending victory may help nudge the team along as they start workouts for next season.

William Browning is a fan of the Kansas City Chiefs after latching on to the team during the lean years of St. Louis football. Born in the gateway city, he is also a lifelong St. Louis Cardinals fan. He currently resides in Branson, Mo.

Note: This article was written by a Yahoo! contributor. Sign up here to start publishing your own sports content.

So much of what has made Tim Tebow a football icon is based on the good times, the big wins, the comebacks, the national championships, the awards.

Then there are days like Saturday in Orchard Park, N.Y., where Tebow and the Broncos lost 40-14 to the Buffalo Bills. Tebow threw three interceptions and lost a fumble, with two of those mistakes returned for touchdowns. Tebow said he intends to learn from it.

“I feel I can let stuff go, but at the same time I don’t know that you want to,” he said Wednesday. “Part of being motivated is learning from mistakes, learning from past failures and also learning from losses and having that feeling of disappointment drive you.

“I don’t know if you want to always just let everything

go and continue to be the same person. I think you need to let it eat it at you a little bit, because I think it can make you better.”

Tebow needs to play much better Sunday against the Kansas City Chiefs with a playoff berth at stake. Kyle Orton is returning to Denver to play against the Broncos, who waived him last month. But another big story line is Tebow’s performance in the last two games, each a blowout loss for the Broncos. Tebow committed a total of five turnovers in those games.

After running and passing the Broncos to win after win in an option-based offense, Tebow was shut down by the Bills and the New England Patriots. They made Tebow throw from the pocket.

“I’d rather have him in the pocket than running around for first downs outside the pocket,” Chiefs interim coach Romeo Crennel said. “And usually, when he gets outside the pocket, he runs for a first down.”

Tebow said the Broncos’ offensive plan the last two games was fine but the execution was poor.

“They both had schemes,” he said of the Bills and Patriots. “At times we executed very well and at times we executed very poorly. We just have got to be more consistent.”

The Patriots opened in a 4-3 defense and changed to

a 3-4, which the Bills and Chiefs also play. Kansas City has a dominant pass rusher, outside linebacker Tamba Hali (12 sacks), and defensive backs who can win one-on-one matchups. The first Denver-Kansas City game this year, on Nov. 13, was Tebow’s fourth start of the season. The Broncos attempted only eight passes and completed two. They ran the ball 55 times and won 17-10 at Arrowhead Stadium.

“The offense hasn’t changed, the quarterback hasn’t changed and so I think a similar approach will be in place (Sunday),” Crennel said.

Dealing with a four-turnover performance at Buffalo is new ground to Tebow. Even when he struggled earlier this season, he made sure to avoid critical mistakes.

The Chiefs like to use combination pass coverages in the secondary, with two safeties playing deep and man-to-man coverage underneath with cornerbacks Brandon Flowers and Brandon Carr. For a quarterback to throw well against that scheme, his receivers have to win battles at the line of scrimmage. Also, Tebow will have to identify the safeties before he throws. And he will have to do it with a playoff berth at stake.

“The thing that was disappointing (against Buffalo) was it was a pretty good game, but you have a handful of plays, four or five plays, that aren’t good ones, that are really bad, then it makes the whole game not too good,” Tebow said. “You can’t have 60 (good plays) and five bad ones, or at least your bad ones can’t have very big mistakes on them. … But it’s exciting (to be in this position). We’re a very motivated team … This is what you play for.”

Jeff Legwold: jlegwold@denverpost.com

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.