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.

By Satchel Price

– Newsdesk contributor

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Dec 11, 2011 – The Denver Broncos are hosting the Chicago Bears on Sunday as they hope to take advantage of an ailing team and maintain their state of contention in the AFC West. Chicago will likely be without Matt Forte this week in addition to star quarterback Jay Cutler, so it’s a team that’s seriously lacking in offensive firepower as they face a quality Broncos defense. Von Miller is expected to play for the Broncos on Sunday, too, and he’s likely salivating at the idea of charging towards an inexperienced Caleb Hanie all day long.

Game Date/Time: Sunday, Dec. 11; 2:05 p.m. MT

Location: Sports Authority Field at Mile High, Denver, CO

TV Schedule
Local: FOX

Radio: 850 KOA

TV Distribution Map: The506.com

For updates, stay tuned to SB Nation Denver. For more on this week’s game, visit Windy City Gridiron, SB Nation’s Chicago Bears blog and Mile High Report, SB Nation’s Denver Broncos blog. Head over to SB Nation NFL for more from around the league.

Read More: Jay Cutler (QB – CHI), Matt Forte (RB – CHI), Caleb Hanie (QB – CHI), Von Miller (LB – DEN), Chicago Bears, Denver Broncos, Chicago Bears at Denver Broncos, Dec 11, 2011 2:05 PM MST

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Denver’s Sports Authority Field at Mile High and the Denver Broncos will host the Chicago Bears this Sunday, December 11^th. After missing last Sunday’s game against the Minnesota Vikings due to surgery to repair an injured thumb, rookie linebacker Von Miller will be back on the field, hand cast and all.

Miller has been exceptional in his rookie season and is on track to claim the Defensive Rookie of the Year title. In the 11 games Miller has played he has racked up 10.5 sacks. The current sack record for a rookie was set in 1999 by Jevon Kearse and is at 14.5 sacks. With only four sacks holding him back from a tie, it is very possible that we will be looking at the new rookie sack record holder this season.

With the way the Bears have been playing the last two weeks, it is very possible that this record could be broken during Sunday’s game.

With the Bears losing their starting QB Jay Cutler to a broken thumb, backup QB Caleb Hanie has stepped in and his record in the last two games has been far from impressive. In his first two starts, Hanie has thrown two touchdown passes but also six interceptions. In those same two starts, Hanie has also been sacked 11 times, for an average of 5.5 sacks a game.

Given this average, the possibility of Miller breaking the rookie record looks very possible. Not only could he break it, he could smash it. With the way he has been finding and bringing down QBs this season, Hanie had better be hoping for some better protection from his line or he may find himself spending a lot of time on the ground.

As a Broncos fan I will be watching the game closely and seeing just what Miller can do. I think it would be fantastic to see him break the record against the Bears and then still have a few games left to further increase his numbers. While most of the media coverage when it comes to the Broncos has been focused on QB Tim Tebow, I think Miller is the one to really watch.

Deborah Braconnier is a former athlete and medical professional. She is a freelance writer and Featured Contributor for the NFL and Olympics. She has followed the Denver Broncos since she was a child and can usually be found yelling at the television during football season. Follow her on Twitter at @fwcdeborah.

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There seems to be no shortage of hype surrounding Denver quarterback Tim Tebow this season.

Following a dramatic 35-32 victory over the Minnesota Vikings on Sunday, Tebow hysteria hit its zenith as the former Heisman Trophy winner threw for 202 yards, two touchdowns, and no interceptions.

As a starter this season, Tebow has led the Broncos to a 6-1 record. With an overall record of 7-5, the Broncos are atop the AFC West, and have a strong chance of advancing to the playoffs. Few thought this could happen, as Denver appear to be this season’s Cinderella story, while the new face of the organization is their contentious quarterback.

Thing are looking up in the Mile High City, as the Broncos’ upcoming schedule is favorable. Three of the next four games will be at home, and the road game is against Buffalo, who have a sub-.500 record. Denver may only need to win two more games to win the division.

Many fans and NFL pundits have attributed the Broncos’ success to Tebow. Some have gone as far as to underscore the outstanding season of Aaron Rodgers by suggesting that Tebow should be favored to win the MVP.

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Lets get a lot of stuff out in the open right now. Tebow might have led Denver to an excellent record, but the wins and losses are misleading. The Broncos are in a weak division, and Tebow has faced weak competition as the starter.

Tebow has only completed 47.5 percent of his passes. He often throws the ball under situations when the Broncos have little choice, and has only one game where has thrown more than 27 passes. When Tebow threw a season-high 39 passes against the Lions, the Broncos lost 45-10, and Tebow had an interception returned 100 yards for a touchdown.

In Tebow’s seven games as a starter, the Broncos faced Miami, Detroit, Oakland, Kansas City, the New York Jets, San Diego and Minnesota. Of that group, only the Jets have a good chance of making the playoffs, and of the six wins, only one was by more than four points.

Under Kyle Orton, the Broncos had a 1-4 record, but four of the five opponents currently have winning records. One of them was the undefeated Green Bay Packers.

Orton won’t be wearing a gold jacket at Canton, but to compare him to Tebow isn’t much of a measuring stick. Orton has had his ups and downs over his seven-year career, and this season was one of those forgettable ones for the former Purdue star. If given the chance, Orton, who threw for 20 touchdowns and completed nearly 59 percent of his passes in 2010, may have been able to overcome some early-season problems to lead Denver to a similar record under Tebow.

When John Fox benched Orton in favor of Tebow, the first-year Broncos’ head coach did so under the pressure of fans chanting Tebow’s name at games, and because he figured Denver’s season might have already been lost after Week Six. With the season looking bleak, he handed the ball over to Tebow, and went for broke. Fox would later concede that the offense made changes due to Tebow’s shortcomings.

But Tebow certainly deserves some credit for taking advantage of the opportunity that basically fell into his lap. He’s done a fine job of utilizing his skill set, and wearing down opposing defenses.

While Tebow’s throwing motion remains unorthodox, he is still a very good rusher, which is an often overlooked part of an NFL’s quarterback’s skill set. Because Tebow is a threat to run, his presence creates opportunities for receivers to get open and for running backs to find holes.

Tebow puts up his best numbers in the fourth quarter, which may be the result of opposing defenses becoming fatigued. He also remains a very difficult quarterback to sack, and has had success with throwing the ball on the run.

But what frustrates many Tebow critics is how some Tebow supporters are quick to credit Denver’s success to the quarterback, while over-looking the rest of the team.

Aside from Sunday, the Broncos’ defense has been excellent in recent weeks. Von Miller, who was sidelined on Sunday, has emerged as one of the best young linebackers in the league.

The offense has improved in recent weeks. On Sunday, Denver seemed to take advantage of a confused Viking’s defense. Minnesota’s secondary left wide receiver Demaryius Thomas wide open on multiple occasions, which helped the rookie amass 144 yards on four receptions and two touchdowns.

The Broncos’ offensive line has improved, and was particularly effective on Sunday, as well. At the start of the third quarter, the Broncos moved the ball up the field with ease as Willis McGahee rushed for three straight carries of 11, 14, and nine yards. In his first two carries to start the fourth quarter, McGahee took advantage of holes that helped him gain 17 and 24 yards. McGahee has already rushed for 886 yards this season.

Which brings us back to Tebow. There seems to be too much bashing and too much adoration for the second-year quarterback. He does have mechanical problems with his throw, and he’s not a wizard who magically changed the Broncos. However, he is an offensive threat, and he’s been effective under the circumstances with his rushing ability.

He can’t be solely credited with the success of the team and he’s not nearly as bad as many of his critics have labelled him.

Denver’s 6-1 record under Tebow shouldn’t be the gauge of Tebow’s value. Though wins and losses are very important, they often don’t tell the full story of a quarterback’s performance. Jay Fiedler, who was the Dolphins’ starter between 2000-2003, had an excellent 35-17 win-loss record in four seasons, but wasn’t especially talented, and eventually faded off into quarterback obscurity.

It’s difficult to look at Tebow and have a firm opinion on whether he’s the reason the Broncos are suddenly winning. This is a quarterback who threw just eight passes in a 17-10 victory over the hapless Chiefs. Tebow hasn’t completed half his passes this season, but he may have sent the Broncos to the playoffs when he rushed for 118 yards against the Raiders in a 38-24 win on Nov. 6.

In other words, these are mixed results. Tebow may very well have a great career ahead of him, but to use the Broncos’ results over the past seven games to argue for or against him is misguided.

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ENGLEWOOD — Rookie pass-rusher Von Miller is itching to give a helping hand to the Denver Broncos’ playoff push even if that means playing with a cumbersome cast protecting his surgically repaired right thumb.

“I’ve just got to block it out,” Miller said. “I went in there on a couple plays today and stuck it in there. It didn’t feel too bad. I’m feeling pretty confident about everything.”

Miller is listed as questionable for Sunday’s game at Minnesota after practicing Friday for the first time this week. He wore a hard cast that goes up to his forearm and covers his thumb but leaves his fingers exposed.

“It’s different, but it’s still not going to change the way I play the game,” Miller said. “I’m still going to have fanatical effort and pursuit to the ball.”

He downplayed any effect it might have on his tackling: “It’s not bad, and I put my body on guys. I don’t like to drag them down. It’s different but it’s not a huge difference.”

Coach John Fox said Miller’s status will be determined before kickoff, same with that of receiver-returner Eddie Royal (toe). Both got hurt at San Diego last weekend.

Miller, who was named the NFL’s Rookie of the Month after helping the Broncos go 4-0 in November for the first time since 2000, got hurt in the fourth quarter but stayed in after getting taped up and helped the Broncos win in overtime to complete an unprecedented November road sweep of their AFC West rivals.

“Adrenaline was pumping and the game was so close I didn’t even let it factor into whether I was going to play or not,” Miller said. “I wanted to go out there in overtime. I hurt it the second (to last) play of regulation, before overtime. I went to overtime and just blocked it out.”

On Monday, Miller told reporters the injury wasn’t serious but he later learned he had torn ligaments and needed surgery.

“It was surprising. I haven’t really had too many injuries like that,” Miller said. “It’s part of the game. And you’re going to have to play through injury and pain in this game. And if I have to go out there and play in pain, that’s what I’ll do.”

He missed the first two days of workouts this week, leading to speculation the Broncos might choose to play it safe with their prized rookie with games against Chicago and New England on tap.

If they sit Miller on Sunday, veteran linebacker Mario Haggan will take his place.

“I have full faith in our athletic training staff,” Miller said. “I’ve taken all the steps possible to play in this game. I’m still preparing. I’ve done everything all this week like I was. It’s up to the training staff. I know they have my best interests at heart.”

His teammates want him on the field. Miller and Elvis Dumervil make up a potent 1-2 pass rushing duo, but Dumervil won’t be as effective without his sidekick commanding extra attention.

“It’s very important,” co-captain Champ Bailey said of Miller’s availability. “He’s a big part of what we do. We do a lot of things for him to make sure he gets his looks. So to have him out there Sunday is huge for us.”

Miller, the former Texas A&M star who was the second overall pick in the draft, has 57 tackles, 16 tackles for loss, 21 quarterback hits, four pass breakups and two forced fumbles.

His 10½ sacks are one shy of Rulon Jones’ team record set in 1980 and four shy of Jevon Kearse’s NFL rookie record set in 1999.

Miller has another reason for wanting to play Sunday: he wants to see how he matches up with Minnesota’s premiere pass rusher, Jared Allen.

“I’ve always been a big fan of Jared Allen and his rodeo sack dance,” Miller said. “It will be disappointing if I can’t go out there and play like he plays.”

Allen said he admires Miller’s game, too.

“That 3-4, kind of hybrid linebacker position fits him well,” Allen said. “He’s athletic enough to get around just about anybody. So, the dude is having a heck of a year.”

Notable

Vikings running back Adrian Peterson will miss Sunday’s game against the Denver Broncos with a high ankle sprain, and receiver Percy Harvin is listed as questionable with an illness. Both players missed Friday’s practice. Peterson hasn’t practiced since sustaining the injury against Oakland in Week 10.