DENVER -- With their playoff fate hanging in the balance, the Denver Broncos face make-or-break games in the last three weeks of the regular season, starting Sunday against Tom Brady and the New England Patriots.The defending Super Bowl champions, the Broncos (8-5) enter the game as the sixth (and final) seed in the AFC, but the Miami Dolphins are also 8-5 and could overtake the Broncos if tiebreakers shift in their favor. Three more AFC teams have seven wins apiece.Were going to have to play exceptional from here on, especially this week, said Broncos head coach Gary Kubiak, who added that he viewed New England as the best team in football.The Patriots (11-2) enter the game with the best record in the AFC. They are no strangers when it comes to playing the Broncos, whom they faced 13 times in the past 12 years. Four of those meetings came in the postseason, including last seasons AFC Championship Game, which Denver took en route to its Super Bowl triumph over the Carolina Panthers.However, Denver is treading an uncertain path in its title defense. The Broncos have lost two of their past three games, and they face a brutal stretch in the final three weeks of the season.After playing New England, the Broncos face a Christmas night meeting with the AFC West-leading Kansas City Chiefs followed by a New Years Day regular-season finale against the Oakland Raiders. Each of Denvers three closing opponents has at least 10 wins.I dont care who we play, Broncos safety T.J. Ward said. We need to win these next three games. Weve been in some tough games and come out on top, and weve been on the bottom of some tough games. Weve played two of the teams already (the Chiefs and Raiders). One game was close. One was not. Divisional games are always tough. The Patriots are almost a divisional game. ... Its another great challenge with Brady coming up.The Broncos struggles are most noticeable on the offensive side of the ball, particularly in the running game, where they are having difficulty establishing a consistent threat since the early-season injury loss of C.J. Anderson.Trevor Siemian, in his first year as the Broncos starting quarterback after the retirement of Peyton Manning, is showing promise as a passer, helped by playmaking wide receivers Demaryius Thomas and Emmanuel Sanders.You look at the production the couple of years together in Denver, I dont know if youll find a pair of receivers better than them, Patriots safety Devin McCourty said of Thomas and Sanders.Even so, the lack of offensive balance is causing the offense to sputter -- especially early. Denver has been outscored 70-23 in the first quarter this season.With the offense having trouble moving the chains, the Broncos vaunted defense has been on the field for longer periods and under more sustained pressure. In Denvers loss last week at Tennessee, the Titans ran roughshod, gaining 180 yards on the ground. Even though the Titans had a tough time moving the ball through the air, their rushing attack more than made up the difference.The Patriots, meanwhile, are riding a wave of momentum behind the streaking Brady, who has 22 touchdown passes and just two interceptions in nine games. He missed the first four games of the season while serving a league-imposed, four-game suspension for the Deflategate controversy.Hes (effective) day in and day out, McCourty said of Brady. Practice can go like that when he gets going, so its not new to us. We see it all the time.McCourty wont get any argument on Brady from the Broncos.He is the best quarterback in the league, said Denver cornerback Aqib Talib, a former member of the Patriots.There is no question the Broncos defense will again try to zero in on Brady, who was sacked five times and hit on numerous other occasions in Denvers AFC title-game win last January.The Patriots will keep a keen eye on pass-rushing linebacker Von Miller, who made life miserable for Brady in the teams last meeting.Hes a very hard guy to block, Patriots head coach Bill Belichick said. He can do a lot of things. Hes explosive. Hes fast. Hes quick and he can play with power. Even when you get him blocked, he doesnt stay blocked. Hes got the ability to separate. Hes an outstanding player.The Broncos are dealing with injuries among their corps of linebackers. Brandon Marshall (hamstring) missed last weeks game and will also miss this week. Fellow linebacker Todd Davis missed practice time this week because of an oblique injury and is questionable.Patriots wide receiver Danny Amendola is out this week because of an ankle injury. Tight end Martellus Bennett also had some restrictions in practice this week because of ankle and shoulder issues, as did cornerback Malcolm Butler (hip) and safety Jordan Richards (knee). They are all questionable. Wholesale Jerseys . Hey!" The lower tier of the School End of Queens Park Rangers Loftus Road was packed solid with a very festive-sounding Chelsea choral section in this particular part of South Africa Road London, W12. Cheap Jerseys . Giroud, who wasnt in the starting lineup for two matches after allegations about his private life and a decline in form, scored twice in the first half. Tomas Rosickys chip made it 3-0 before half time at Emirates Stadium, while defender Laurent Koscielny scored an unmarked header in the second half.BALTIMORE, Maryland - Instead of going home to Kentucky, where his family had planned for him an elaborate 30th birthday party, Steve Delabar will spend the last day of his 20s in New York City as a member of the American League All-Star team. Delabar won the "Final Vote," an mlb.com and Twitter campaign for fans to select the last members of the AL and NL rosters. Braves first baseman Freddie Freeman is the National League winner. What a way to ring in the next decade of your life. "When we landed (in Baltimore) my phone just blew up," said Delabar, who turns 30 on Wednesday. "I had 50 texts. I flip over to Twitter and it said that Freddie Freeman myself and I are in and I was like, this is pretty cool. I just nonchalantly showed Casey (Janssen) the Twitter and he was like, youre in, congratulations buddy! Then they made an announcement on the plane and (Im thinking) this is pretty cool." Three years ago Delabar was working as a substitute teacher and an assistant high school baseball coach. The year prior, hed broken his elbow pitching in a game for the Brockton Rox, an independent league team. A steel plate and nine screws later, the surgery to repair his arm was complete. Back to playing softball with buddies, Delabar began to learn an arm strengthening program created by Jamie Evans. His intent was to teach the program to the pitchers he was coaching. Instead, he found his own velocity returning. He caught on with the Mariners in 2011 after impressing in a tryout. He was acquired by the Blue Jays on July 30, 2012, for Eric Thames. Evans is now employed by the Blue Jays as a consultant and Casey Janssen, Brett Cecil and Dustin McGowan are among the disciples of his arm strengthening program.dddddddddddd Asked what he would have told you on a summer day in 2010 if youd suggested hed be going to the 2013 All-Star Game and Delabar laughs. "Where do I pick up my ticket," joked Delabar. "I probably would have laughed and said yeah right. I would have envisioned myself being in the softball all star game before I would be here. Its crazy the things that can happen in a short period of time and to be where I am right now and like I tell everybody, Im blessed to here." The Blue Jays bullpen, as it has for much of the season, leads the league with 327 2/3 innings pitched. Its 20 wins are ranked second in the majors and its 2.97 ERA, the only stat in this paragraph which reflects positively on the ballclub, is fourth. "Its a well deserved honour," said manager John Gibbons. "To have two guys going from your bullpen who are not in the closers role, which is very rare anyway, speaks volumes to what theyve done, the kind of years theyre having. Theyve both been real strong go-to guys and have had tremendous years." Delabar hinted that Munenori Kawasaki was his campaign manager in the lead up to the final vote. "Im happy," said Kawasaki. "Delabar and me played in Seattle together, last year in Seattle. Hes my friend. "Im watching All-Star on TV." Delabar will have his parents, Steve and Debbe, his wife, baby daughter and in-laws with him in New York. ' ' '