Denver Broncos like where they are heading into showdown with Chiefs

ENGLEWOOD, Colo. -- John Elway said last week that if you had told him the Broncos would endure the issues they've encountered, he would take the 7-3 record they carried out of the bye week and into a crucial Sunday Night Football showdown with the arch-rival Chiefs.

It isn't an unreasonable assessment, and it is one with which Broncos head coach Gary Kubiak seemed to agree.

"I look at it and I think we can be better. We could have had a few balls bounce against us and we could have been worse," he said after practice Monday.

Their chances down the stretch could rest on their health. Running back C.J. Anderson appears unlikely to return before the end of the regular season, but cornerback Aqib Talib and defensive end Derek Wolfe are expected to return, joining outside linebacker DeMarcus Ware, who has played the last three games after missing five games because of a forearm injury.

"We're at full strength at practice today for the first time in probably 10 weeks -- other than Matt (Paradis) not being out here," Kubiak said, referring to the starting center, who has rarely practiced the last few weeks because of a hip injury, but hasn't missed a game snap.

"We weren't trying to rest 10 guys and get through a Wednesday or Thursday practice. We were back at it in competitive situations. Hopefully we can stay healthy and stay that way the last six weeks."

But the Broncos' position is more precarious than it might seem at first glance, with the Miami Dolphins charging hard on a five-game winning streak. They lurk one game back of the Broncos and Chiefs, and play just one team that currently has a winning record the rest of the way.

Denver, meanwhile, has a demanding six-game slate to close the season that includes four games against teams that have at least seven wins after 10 weeks -- a season series against Kansas City and home games against New England and Oakland.

On the one hand, that gives the Broncos the opportunity to make up ground on the only two teams ahead of them; only a potential strength-of-victory tiebreaker against the Raiders prevents them from having complete control of their own fate when it comes to earning the AFC West crown and the No. 1 seed in the AFC playoffs.

"It'll come down to how we play; that's what I tell the guys. It won't come down to anything else," Kubiak said. "So we're trying to stay focused on that."