With defenders trying to surround wide receivers Brandon Marshall and Eddie Royal, Cutler has looked in some other directions at times.

In the 34-17 win against the Jets on Sunday, tight ends Daniel Graham and Tony Scheffler were the team's leading receivers. Scheffler had seven catches for 90 yards and Graham six catches for 59 yards.

"Those guys are tough matchups," Cutler said. "They can do a lot of things."

The win also was the third time in the team's 3-1 stretch the past four games the two had a significant impact on how things went for the Broncos.

Graham also caught the game-winning touchdown pass in Atlanta.

And in the win against Cleveland, Scheffler caught four passes for 92 yards and Graham had 50 yards on three catches, one for a touchdown.

"You're just happy to contribute," Graham said. "We've been open at times and Jay finds us."

The Broncos have had seven games this season when the two-tight-end look has been their most-used formation on offense.

Four of those opponents, San Diego, New England, Cleveland and the Jets, use a 3-4 alignment - three linemen, four linebackers - as their base defense.

The Broncos often have, under coach Mike Shanahan, answered a 3-4 with their two- tight-end formation because it can balance out the formation, making it even on both sides of the center, and making it difficult for a defense to see which way an offense is going to run the ball.

Also, it helps pick off the outside linebackers in the pass rush and gives the Broncos a little more pass protection on the edge.

Chiefs coach Herm Edwards also said this week it forces a defense to make a decision, that if you leave linebackers in the game to cover the tight ends, that matchup often is going to favor Scheffler and Graham.

But if you then put defensive backs in to cover the tight ends, the offense already is in a power formation to then run the ball against smaller players.

"So it puts you in a quandary a little bit," Edwards said.

Scheffler, with his speed in the middle of the field, was on the receiving end of Cutler's first pass attempt in Cleveland - a 39-yarder. He missed three games this season because of a groin injury - all three were Broncos losses - and Cutler threw six interceptions combined in those games.

"As a quarterback, you want as many weapons as you can have on the field," Cutler said. "We have guys on the outside, and with Tony and Daniel, it just gives more options."

For their part, the Chiefs have had plenty of injuries at linebacker, having only four in uniform in their win against Oakland on Sunday.

No difference

Broncos defensive coordinator Bob Slowik has seen the video, the plays where the run-heavy Chiefs are heaving the ball around out of the spread formation to try and help their quarterback, Tyler Thigpen.

Trouble is, Slowik said you have to look past that.

"You see it, but they're going to run the ball, it really doesn't matter . . . ," Slowik said. "To be quite honest with you, it doesn't change it a lot in the overall approach, it's just coming at you out of a different look."

Injuries and the fact that Thigpen is 6-foot-1, a little shorter than most offensive coordinators like their quarterbacks to be, as well as the leading rusher in the league at the position, have allowed the Chiefs to put him in the shotgun to let him see the field and open up some space for him to move.

"It's fun spreading guys out, we run the ball and throw the ball," Thigpen said. "It's been a lot of fun and I think the guys on the team see that as well. And the defense, I think when they're on the sideline, they enjoy watching it as well."

It is a bit of a departure for the defensive-minded Edwards.

"We've changed a little bit," Edwards said. "We're a lot different than the first meeting. We deal basically out of the shotgun formation now . . . more of a spread offense than in the past."

It has helped Thigpen, who has 11 touchdown passes in the past six games, and the Chiefs have scored at least 20 points in five of the six games - 19 in the other - after scoring 10 or fewer in four of their first six games this season.

Da Raiders

Some wounds never heal.

Asked Friday if he was surprised the Broncos didn't get any help in the AFC West race from the Raiders on Thursday night, Shanahan said, "I never pull for the Raiders, no matter what. That shows you how deep it is."

The Chargers beat the Raiders 34-7 on Thursday night in San Diego. A Raiders win, in addition to a Broncos win Sunday, would have clinched the division title for the Broncos.

The Raiders fired Shanahan after only 20 games as head coach, four games into the 1989 season.

Etc.

* Linebacker Wesley Woodyard was fined $5,000 by the league for a face-mask violation in the game Sunday. The league said he pulled an opponent to the ground with the face mask.

* Cornerback Champ Bailey was named the Broncos nominee for the league's Walter Payton Award, which honors a player each year for his off-the-field efforts in his community, which includes his work with the Denver Rescue Mission. Bailey will be considered with the other 31 finalists for the award, which is handed out during Super Bowl week.

Dolphins defensive end Jason Taylor won the award last season.

"I just want to do whatever I can do," Bailey said of his charitable efforts.

* Defensive tackle Marcus Thomas will receive a community leadership award from the Denver FBI office Monday. Thomas helped finance 56,000 child identification kits to be distributed to the state's kindergartners.

* On the Broncos injury front, Nate Webster is expected to start at middle linebacker Sunday, and it's doubtful linebacker D.J. Williams (knee) and Bailey (groin) will be able to play.

It would be the sixth game Bailey has missed because of the injury and the fifth game Williams has missed.

"I think I could (play) but, obviously, I have to feel better than I've been feeling all week . . . ," Bailey said. "It's been so slow, very frustrating, but I've just got to deal with it."

Safety Marlon McCree (ankle) also isn't expected to be available.

* Cutler and running back Peyton Hillis won one of the league-sponsored player of the week awards for their performan- ces against the Jets. Fans voted by cell phone or at NFL.com.

Numbers game

6tight ends in the league lead their teams in catches this season, including Kansas City's Tony Gonzalez, whose 73 receptions currently lead all players at the position.

He said it

"They don't know about it a whole lot . . . when you dress about 18, 20 rookies every week, they don't know about all of that."

Edwards, on the fact Kansas City never has won at Invesco Field.

INFOBOX

Over and over

Chiefs coach Herm Edwards has used three starting quarterbacks this season, but he's no stranger to turnover as a head coach, including his time with the Jets (2001-05).

Year Starting quarterbacks (W-L)

2001 Vinny Testaverde (10-6)

2002 Chad Pennington (8-4), Vinny Testaverde (1-3)

2003 Chad Pennington (4-5), Vinny Testaverde (2-5)

2004 Chad Pennington (8-5), Quincy Carter (2-1)

2005 Chad Pennington (1-2), Vinny Testaverde (1-3), Brooks Bollinger (2-7)

2006 Trent Green (4-4), Damon Huard (5-3)

2007 Damon Huard (4-6), Brodie Croyle (0-6)

2008 Brodie Croyle (0-2), Huard (1-2), Tyler Thigpen (1-6)