. "It cant be deflating. Weve been going th goes out," said To

DENVER - The Denver Broncos are 13-3 and own the AFCs top seed, just like last year. Only this time, theyve lost to each of the three remaining teams in the bracket. The Colts won 39-33 on Oct. 20 in Peyton Mannings unhappy homecoming in Indianapolis. The Patriots won 34-31 in overtime on Nov. 24 in Wes Welkers disappointing return to New England And, San Diego handed the Broncos their only loss in Denver 27-20 on Dec. 12. The Chargers earned a return trip to the Mile High City by upsetting Cincinnati 27-10 Sunday in the wild-card round. The original AFL teams have never met in the playoffs. Some Broncos admitted last year they were overly confident after roaring into the playoffs on an 11-game winning streak only to lose 38-35 in double-overtime to Baltimore, a team it had beaten handily on the road in December. That shouldnt be a problem this time. The Chargers held the Broncos, the highest-scoring team of the Super Bowl era at 37.9 points a game, to their lowest output of the season last month. "Its fresh in our minds that if we dont do our best, we can get beat at home," wide receiver Bubba Caldwell said. "Baltimore a year ago, San Diego a month ago." Denver was without Welker (concussion) against the Chargers that night, which cost them on third down (3 for 8) and in time of possession (22 minutes for Manning, 38 for Philip Rivers). Ryan Mathews helped the Chargers gain more than 100 yards on the ground on first down, a problem the Broncos addressed with the signing of defensive end Jeremy Mincey a few days later after his release by the Jaguars. Mincey has helped seal off the edge and curtail opponents running games. And Welker is set to return for the playoffs after missing the final 3 1/2 games. But the Broncos also enter the playoffs without star linebacker Von Miller (knee) and a slew of other injured players on defence, one reason they so desperately wanted the home-field advantage and first-round bye again. San Diegos win in Denver was one of four straight that helped the Chargers (10-7) sneak into the playoffs. "SD it is! Excited! Im done with sitting around. Now we have work to do!" guard Zane Beadles tweeted Sunday night. The Broncos and Chargers will be playing at Sports Authority Field exactly one year after Denvers devastating defeat to the Ravens when Rahim Moores mistimed jump allowed Jacoby Jones 70-yard TD catch from Joe Flacco in the final minute that tied it at 35. "The main thing we really learned was as a team, we have to play 60 minutes," Denver wide receiver Demaryius Thomas said. "Nobody is going to give up, because its do-or-die." Broncos coach John Fox and his former offensive co-ordinator Mike McCoy took a lot of heat after that playoff pratfall for their conservative approach late in the game, especially when Manning was ordered to take a knee with 31 seconds and three timeouts remaining in regulation. McCoy was hired as San Diegos head coach a few days later. Under his tutelage, Rivers, who is 6-2 in Denver, enjoyed a resurgent season and the Chargers ended a three-year playoff drought. On Sunday, they won their first playoff game since 2008 — against Mannings Colts. "Im not worried about last year, to tell you the truth," Broncos running back Knowshon Moreno said on Friday. "Im ready for this year, ready for this new season. Last year is last year. Lets get it going this year." Adidas Nmd Wholesale China . Ramirez is still hitting behind Puig, only now they are in the third and fourth spots, and the change is starting to generate positive results for manager Don Mattingly. Wholesale Adidas Nmd . Instead, Nonis and Kessel were sorting through the fallout of a wild melee with the Buffalo Sabres, one that saw Kessel suspended for the duration of the pre-season. http://www.cheapnmdsneakersireland.com/adidas-nmd-womens-cheap-ireland.html . According to a report from CSN Bay Area, the 49ers are bracing for 6-8 game suspension for their outside linebacker. Adidas Nmd Mens Clearance . Halak, 28, split his eighth NHL seasons between the St. Louis Blues, Buffalo Sabres and Washington Capitals, compiling a 29-13-7 record in 52 games. Adidas Store Basketball Shoes . Winning more at home probably should be on the list. The Flames look to avoid a fifth defeat in six home games by winning a sixth straight meeting with the Edmonton Oilers on Saturday night.VANCOUVER - The Vancouver Canucks hit the road for crucial back-to-back games this week knowing full well that their season likely hangs in the balance. With just nine contests left on the schedule and the club sitting four points adrift in the Western Conference playoff race, the Canucks have no margin for error. "Everybodys looking at the standings. We are too," head coach John Tortorella said after Tuesdays practice at Rogers Arena. "All we can do is control what we have. "Were going to keep on trying to battle away here and find points." That begins Wednesday in Minnesota against the Wild before another tough test the following night against the Colorado Avalanche. Both teams are all but locked into playoff positions, something the Canucks can only dream of at this point. While the standings dont look all that daunting at first glance — the eighth-place Phoenix Coyotes were four points up with a game in hand on Vancouver heading into Tuesday — the math tells a different story. The website www.sportsclubstats.com, which calculates teams playoff chances, currently gives the Canucks just a 2.3 per cent shot at making this years post-season. Its a stunning slide for a club that has become accustomed to battling for division titles in recent years, not its playoff life. Vancouver has won its last two games over the punchless Nashville Predators and the Buffalo Sabres to stay above water, but the Wild and Avalanche should pose a much tougher test in what could be two season-defining contests. "Weve been a very resilient group. Weve been on the outside looking in for a while now and weve climbed right back up there," said Canucks defenceman Kevin Bieksa. "Weve had some tough losses for sure. Theres no hiding that, but we keeping fighting. "Were still here. Were still standing." They might not be after this week. Apart from the Coyotes, the Dallas Stars also stand in the way of the Canucks playoff hopes. Dallas was three points up on Vancouver with two games in hand heading into Tuesday. But if Vancouver can survive the trip to Minnesota and Colorado, the club could have some life with six of its final seven games coming at home. "Im just trying to take it day by day here," said goaltender Eddie Lack, who is expected to make his 14th straight start Wednesday. "I know (Phoenix and Dallas) have a really tough schedule left. We have a lot of home games too so hopefully we can take advantage of that and just do our part here and well see if its enough or not.dddddddddddd." Canucks forward Zack Kassian said the players are aware of the out-of-town scoreboard each night, but added that the daunting task makes his preparation easier. "We know theres only nine and we know that every one of those games is going to be very important for our hockey team," he said. "You definitely look (at the scores) as a team when youre not playing and youre seeing how other teams are doing that youre trying to chase. "At the end of the day if we dont take care of our business and win hockey games it has no effect on us." Canucks forward Daniel Sedin said he cant help but pay attention to other teams results when every point is so critical. "I think you have to right now. We need those two teams to lose a few games," he said. "I think you keep an eye on that, but on game day youre so focused on your own games you dont really worry too much about the other scores." Tortorella and his players both refuse to use injuries as an excuse, but the Canucks have rarely had a chance to ice their full lineup since the end of December. Daniel Sedin returned on Sunday against Buffalo, but the club lost Henrik Sedin the same night, while fellow forward Alexandre Burrows was hurt against Nashville. Neither will make the two-game road trip. "It cant be deflating. Weve been going through this all year long. You get a couple back, another one goes out," said Tortorella. "Its been most of our top guys ... but it cant be deflating at this time of year. We just need to stay upbeat." While refusing to use injuries as a crutch to explain his teams predicament, the fiery coach who preaches pressure in all three zones added that the crowded sick bay has left him hamstrung at times. "The lineup when we were healthy, I think we were a different team. I think it allowed us to play a little bit differently, too," said Tortorella. "When we started getting banged up there ... we had to make some adjustments within our play and it changes things." Bieksa said that despite the injuries and long odds, a belief remains in the Canucks locker-room that the playoffs are still attainable. "Weve set ourselves up to make a push at least," he said. "Were fighting to the end. Were not going to give up." Follow @JClipperton_CP on Twitter ' ' '