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.

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Englewood, Colo. • The Denver Broncos might have to face former quarterback Kyle Orton with two backup safeties if Brian Dawkins and Quinton Carter can’t play in Sunday’s showdown with the Kansas City Chiefs, who are trying to deny Tim Tebow a trip to the playoffs.

Although Carter (hip) participated in the entire two-hour workout Wednesday, Dawkins was held out of the team’s final full-padded practice of the regular season because of a neck injury that has bothered him for much of the month.

Dawkins didn’t address his availability for Sunday but did dismiss speculation that the injury threatens his stellar 16-year career that includes eight Pro Bowls.

Carter wasn’t available during the locker room access period.

Dawkins, Carter and nickel cornerback Chris Harris (neck), who leads all rookie defensive backs with 62 tackles, all were knocked out of last week’s loss at Buffalo.

“I’ll definitely be ready to play this week,” said Harris, who was limited at Wednesday’s workout. “The body feels like everybody else’s does in the NFL at this time of the season but you’ve just got to fight through it and play your game.”

If Dawkins can’t play Sunday, David Bruton would start at strong safety even though he was limited at practice because of a nagging Achilles injury.

If Carter is out, fellow rookie Raheem Moore, who began the season as the starter but was demoted for his poor tackling technique, would get the nod at free safety.

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Facing backups in the secondary would seemingly be a big break for Orton, whom the Chiefs claimed off waivers last month when the Broncos jettisoned their former starter.

“Well, what we look at and what we talk about during the week is we assume everybody is playing,” Chiefs interim coach Romeo Crennel said, “and if somebody doesn’t play, I don’t think that we can ever say, ‘OK, that’s great,’ or anything like that because I know that in the NFL, the guy who steps in is a good player. So, you never underestimate your opponent.”

Still, there’s no denying the drop-off.

Aside from his unparalleled leadership and his knack for deciphering offenses, Dawkins has 51 stops and three sacks and Carter has 46 tackles and a sack.

Bruton has just eight tackles, five of which came last week after Dawkins went down, and Moore has recorded 13 tackles in the last three games after being a healthy scratch against Minnesota on Dec. 4., which followed a month without a single tackle.

“You know what, everybody has to believe and everybody has to stay ready. That’s all you can do,” Moore said. “Get healthy, stay ready. It’s not going to be easy. It’s been a tough season. And that’s why you have to stay ready and believe and when it’s all said and done, whoever’s out there has to make some plays and do what he can to help this team conquer.”

Publicly at least, the Broncos are de-emphasizing Orton’s return to Denver, saying that clinching the AFC West and making the playoffs for the first time in six seasons is their chief mission.

“Even if Orton wasn’t playing on that team, it would still be a big game,” Harris said. “We all know this is a big opportunity for us to go to the playoffs. We’ve got a chance to do something that we haven’t been done here in a long time.”

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The Denver Post reported Wednesday that Orton jumped overboard after floundering in his third season for the team. The oft-questioned quarterback started Denver’s first four games of the 2011 season, only for Tebow to replace him as the Broncos buckled after a disappointing 1-4 start under his leadership.

“We feel good about our quarterback group, and this gives Kyle an opportunity to help another team and showcase his talents,” said Broncos Coach John Fox in a statement. “This was the right decision for our football team.”

Orton joined Denver in 2009 after playing four seasons with the Chicago Bears. He received a chilly reception in the Rockies, with Denver fans frequently lobbing abuse at the quarterback’s inconsistency. Replacing then-quarterback Jay Cutler, angry Denver fans heckled Orton during his first preseason practice. He’s had a tortured tenure ever since, and things came to a head when the Broncos traded him for Tebow halfway through this year’s game against the San Diego Chargers.

“Orton doesn’t have the right mentality for our team, and the fans really don’t like him, which makes his current position better,” said Jacquie Beckvermit, a Berthoud, Colo., native. “Since Tebow has started playing, the fans have lost interest in Orton and are just excited about the wins. He is a good quarterback but he just doesn’t belong in Denver.”

Tebow has overshadowed Orton since taking the team’s reigns in October. His mixture of public Christianity and a winning record, Beckvermit said, has made Tebow a more valuable option than his predecessor. Since Tebow’s upgrade to starting quarterback status, the Broncos have boosted their overall record to 5-5, with Tebow taking credit for four of those victories to Orton’s one.

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“Since Tebow has started playing, you can tell a huge difference in the team on and off the field,” Beckvermit said. “He has the ability to change the team’s mood and get them back in the mindset to win. This is something Orton lacks. It’s a miracle we’re even talking about the Broncos succeeding so they just need to keep the Tebow magic going.”

Orton is officially an NFL free agent as of press time. The Denver Post reported that his preferred destination is Chicago, given starting quarterback Jay Cutler, the man he replaced in Colorado, has a fractured right thumb. Should a team take on Orton’s talents, the quarterback could play a maximum of six more regular season games.

“I feel like I still have a lot of good football left in me, whether it’s here or someplace else,” the Post quoted Orton as saying before he departed Denver. “I know I can play and I’ll just work for another opportunity.”

The Broncos have moved up rookie quarterback Adam Weber to Orton’s third string position behind Tebow and second quarterback Brady Quinn. Former Broncos safety John Lynch said that in such a pecking order, Orton’s free agency decision is in his best interest.

“That’s one of those situations where I think it just gets to a point where it benefits everybody to move on,” Lynch told the Post. “I know Kyle will feel it benefits him. I think it just emphasizes even more strongly that this is Tim’s year the rest of the way to see what he can do.”

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