DENVER -- Unlike a year ago, Denvers dazzling defense cant hide all the warts on offense or special teams.These Broncos are actually surrendering fewer points per game (18.4) than last years version (18.5) that brought home the Lombardi Trophy .They limited Tom Brady to 16 completions and the Patriots to 16 points on Sunday, but their sputtering offense and atrocious special teams again couldnt match the effort.Denvers 16-3 loss to the Patriots (12-2) put the Broncos (8-6) in danger of missing the playoffs a year after winning Super Bowl 50.I cant sit here and tell you what all the scenarios are, but if we dont find a way to win 10 games, were not going to have an opportunity, Broncos coach Gary Kubiak said said.That means the Broncos are going to have to win on Christmas Night at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City, where theyre 3-16 in December. Then, theyll have to beat Oakland at home, where the Raiders won last year.Even beating the Chiefs (10-4) and Raiders (11-3) wont guarantee Denver a ticket to the postseason party.Theyre in this precarious position because of a season-long ineptitude on offense, shaky special teams and debatable coaching decisions, all of which were on display as Brady won for just the third time in 10 trips to Denver.After watching rookie speedster Kalif Raymond post good punt returns in the two weeks since his promotion following Jordan Norwoods two costly muffs on punt returns against Kansas City, Kubiak went back to Norwood on Sunday.Norwood promptly let his first punt go through his arms and legs for a key turnover after Denver held Brady to three-and-out to start the game.Just a short punt, think it was a bad punt on the punters part. Tried to get up there and fair catch it and save us a lot of field position, Norwood said. Tough play that Ive got to make.Asked why he made the switch, Kubiak said the offensive game plan and its no-huddle and three-receiver sets, was better suited for Norwood.But Norwood caught just one pass, in the games closing seconds, and he fumbled away the football after a 15-yard gain.He wasnt the only goat by any means. The Broncos porous O-line couldnt keep Trevor Siemian upright enough, and Siemian made two uncharacteristic bad decisions, one of which resulted in a red-zone interception and another which pushed Denver out of field goal range.Demaryius Thomas, Virgil Green and A.J. Derby once again had huge drops that thwarted any building momentum.When you kill yourselves with two early turnovers, and youre not putting up points, its hard to win games, Denver safety T.J. Ward said. Thats point-blank, period. Thats what weve been doing the last two weeks and have two Ls on that side of the column.Last week, the Broncos limited Marcus Mariota to six completions for 88 yards and lost 13-10 at Tennessee.Three weeks ago, Aqib Talib shoved Norwood after one of his muffs, prompting Kubiak to remind them they fight together, not each other.What about now?Thats not going to take us nowhere, being frustrated and beefing with the offense, Talib said. Thats going to get us nowhere. Were going to ride and stick together.Still, theres clearly budding friction, but Von Miller said hell be the peace-keeper if necessary.Theres not going to be any friction, Miller promised. Im the partition.Other takeaways from the Patriots win in which they improved to 7-0 on the road:DIVISION DOMINANCE: The Patriots passed out AFC East Champion caps after becoming the first NFL team to win eight consecutive division titles. This is never old hat, noted Julian Edelman, who said, Its an honor to play here and experience eight of them.Coach Bill Belichicks 14th division title broke a tie with Don Shula and Tom Landry for most ever.RUN STUFFED: The Broncos again struggled on the ground -- after a promising start, too. Denver had 46 of its 58 yards in the first half, but finished 2 of 12 on third downs after going. Theyre now 6 for 36 on third downs in December.We have to block better, run better and catch better in those situations, running back Justin Forsett said. Then well be able to run the ball more.MISSING MARSHALL: With Brandon Marshall (hamstring) missing his second straight game, inside linebackers Corey Nelson and Todd Davis each collected 13 tackles. Still, the Patriots gained 136 yards on 39 carries, keeping Brady from having to test Denvers No Fly Zone secondary.They really didnt have to take a lot of chances, cornerback Chris Harris Jr. said. They didnt have to throw the ball too much, and its hard to make plays when you dont get that many targets.GOOD BYE: With the win, New England earned a first-round bye in the playoffs for a seventh straight season. The Patriots lead the NFL with 12 first-round byes since the current playoff format began in 1990. The next best is Denver, Pittsburgh and San Francisco with eight.We still got a job to do, so well continue to work for our ultimate goal, defensive lineman Trey Flowers said.---For more NFL coverage: http://www.pro32.ap.org and http://www.twitter.com/AP-NFL---AP Sports Writer Pat Graham contributed.---Follow Arnie Melendrez Stapleton on Twitter: http://twitter.com/arniestapleton Wholesale Jerseys . Brett Kulak and Jackson Houck of the Vancouver Giants were each charged with assault causing bodily harm on Aug. 18, according to the B.C. court services. Cheap Jerseys .ca NBA Power Rankings, ahead of the Miami Heat and San Antonio Spurs. SAO PAULO -- Sundays rain-troubled Brazilian Grand Prix could have been the last such event for a while.Formula One organizers and political officials say that the continuation of the race at the Interlagos track needs greater financing at a time when Brazil is cutting expenses amid a severe economy crisis.The Brazilian Grand Prix will run a deficit of around $4 million for just this year, according to race organizer Tamas Rohonyi, but the total figure for next year could be significantly worse -- perhaps up to $10 million -- because of the absence of key sponsors.If we cant bring sponsors back, then Formula One management would have to cover that gap, Rohonyi told reporters shortly before Sundays race, which was won by Mercedes driver Lewis Hamilton. That is why Formula One boss Bernie Ecclestone is worried.Organizers and local officials have said that a Wednesday meeting in Sao Paulo will be important to determining the future of the race in Brazil.Ecclestone suggested earlier this year that three races were at risk for 2017: Brazil, Germany and Canada. At the time, Brazilian organizers answered that uncertainty by saying the event is under contract until 2020.Two companies, Shell and state-run oil giant Petrobras, declined to renew key sponsorships ahead of this seasons race. Petrobras has needed to cut expenses in the wake of a growing corruption scandal and has also pushed away from its sponsorship deal with the Williams team, which saw Brazilian driver Felipe Massa run the last home Grand Prix of his F1 career.Ecclestone meet with President Michel Temer, who took office after Dilma Rousseff was impeached in May, for the first time earlier this week.dddddddddddd Neither side offered details of the conversation, but Temer has direct power over Petrobras and other state-run companies that have made large investments in sports in recent years.Brazils economy, which fell 4 percent in 2015, is expected to dip another 3 percent this year, though economists are predicting a mild recovery in 2017.The loss of sponsorships isnt the only risk to the traditional race in Sao Paulo, which has been on the calendar since 1973. Sao Paulos Mayor-Elect Joao Doria, who introduces himself as a manager first and politician second, has pledged to privatize the entire Interlagos compound.Current Mayor Fernando Haddad said his administration is eager to complete ongoing renovations at the facilities, which began in 2015 and were reported to cost $60 million, but it is better that we discuss that with the new mayor this week because it might not be worth to invest more here.Still, Haddad believes a solution will be found.When I took over in 2013, no one expected this infrastructure that we built at Interlagos, he told reporters on Sunday. Even with the economy crisis, we managed to do almost all of it.Formula One is a good investment. It brings revenues of about $60 million in only one weekend and it makes Sao Paulo known abroad. I hope it stays. ' ' '