CoJoBo PM » had three hits and scored two runs. Domon

ENGLEWOOD, Colo. - The Denver Broncos havent missed tight end Julius Thomas — until they reach the red zone.The Broncos (9-3) have scored just six touchdowns on 15 trips inside the opponents 20-yard line since Thomas sprained his left ankle in the first quarter at St. Louis three weeks ago.That 40 per cent red zone efficiency pales in comparison to the 77 per cent success rate (24 for 31) they had before Thomas got hurt.Julius is one of our top players and when you have one of your top players go out, you are going to miss him, Peyton Manning said Wednesday. We hope to get Julius back out there. Theres no question when hes out there he makes a difference, he makes a lot of plays for us.Thomas leads the league with a dozen TD catches even though he hasnt scored since Nov. 9. He was limited at practice Wednesday and hopes to return to action this weekend against the Buffalo Bills (7-5).Last week at Kansas City, the Broncos settled for five field goals from Connor Barth after stalling at Kansas Citys 4, 6, 11, 14 and 19.Im looking forward to getting back, Thomas said, so maybe my presence can have us kicking a little bit less field goals.Manning called it unfair to blame Denvers red zone woes solely on the absence of Thomas.I cant point it there, said Manning, who lamented his missed connections with Demaryius Thomas and Jacob Tamme last week when the Broncos scored on just one of six trips inside the 20 before a game-ending kneel-down at the 7.Every red zone opportunity has its own story, Manning said. Nobody wants to hear it. They just want to see if you got a touchdown or a field goal. Some way, weve got to find a way — Ive got to find a way — to help us get into the end zone with Julius or without him.Thomas return would add an intriguing challenge not only for the Bills but for the Broncos, who have had success emphasizing the run in Thomas absence.Behind an O-line thats jelling after a midseason shake-up, the insertion of third tackle Paul Cornick and the return of physical tight end Virgil Green, C.J. Anderson has run for 335 yards in back-to-back wins over Miami and Kansas City.C.J. has been awesome the past couple of weeks and its been awesome to watch, Manning said.If Thomas returns to the lineup, I dont really know how its going to change them, Bills coach Doug Marrone said. Obviously, theyve got another great player coming back. They can do so many things. They can hurt you so many ways. Thats a challenge and you have to be careful. If you try to take someone out or you try to take someone away, they have so much talent on that offence that theyll exploit whatever weakness you have whether its by putting too many guys in the box or putting too many in coverage.The Broncos want Thomas on the field but they dont want to take Green out — he was sorely missed in all three of Denvers losses. The game plan was built around him as a fullback and a second tight end at Seattle in Week 3, but he sustained a concussion on the first drive. His calf injury sidelined him at New England and St. Louis.With Green back in the lineup, Denver has piled up 415 yards rushing the last two weeks.Thomas said his return to action wouldnt necessarily mean the Broncos will go back to throwing the ball more. Were going to go with whatevers working well, and for us, weve been able to run that ball consistently well, and if thats the case, well continue to do that when I get back, he said.Green said he cant venture a guess as to what happens upon Thomas return, but he knows one thing: Hes a red zone nightmare.Notes: WR Demaryius Thomas (foot) and C Will Montgomery (knee) were limited Wednesday. ... Bills QB Kyle Orton didnt want to reminisce about his time in Denver. Asked at the end of a five-minute conference call what comes to mind when he thinks about Denver, he replied, The mountains, then added See ya, and hung up.___AP NFL website: www.pro32.ap.org and www.twitter.com/AP_NFL___Follow AP Pro Football Writer Arnie Melendrez Stapleton on Twitter: http://twitter.com/arniestapleton China Jerseys For Sale .That sight softened the blow of what ended up as a 4-3 shootout loss to the Colorado Avalanche on Thursday night.Knowing their teammate was fine after a scary headfirst fall in the opening minute of the game helped calm the Maple Leafs. China Jerseys Cheap . "It feels good, Ive never had one before, not even in College," Hagelin said after the Rangers outgunned the Jets 4-2, behind some solid goaltending from Henrik Lundqvist following a pretty wide open first period. http://www.cheapnflchinajerseys.org/. After a 99-97 loss to the Toronto Raptors on Wednesday night, his Celtics coaches and teammates have only positive things to say about the Toronto-born rookie. Wholesale Stitched Jerseys .Y. -- The Buffalo Bills have fired receivers coach Ike Hilliard. Cheap NCAA Jerseys . Dont miss a single shot, live on TSN beginning at 7pm et/4pm pt. Winners of their last eight games, the Heat return to Toronto for the second time in the month of November. After beginning the season 4-3, allowing 100.9 points on 47 per cent shooting, Miamis resurgent defence has vaulted them back to the top of a weak Eastern Conference. ATLANTA -- A three-game sweep of the Atlanta Braves moved the Phillies out of last place in the NL East and provided a huge confidence boost for their hitters. Ryan Howard capped a big series by driving in two runs with three hits and the Phillies battered Aaron Harang and the Braves 10-5 on Wednesday. Philadelphia set a season high with 18 hits. Five Phillies had three hits. "Its a good feeling because you put in the work," said Marlon Byrd, who drove in three runs with three hits, including a homer. "It seems like youve put in the work every single day and dont get the results. The results are the key. You start feeling good about yourself. "To come out here the whole series and put up runs against a good staff is huge for us, knowing that the work weve put in is starting to show up on the field." Howard, who hit homers in each of the first two games of the series, drove in a run with a double in the Phillies five-run second inning. He added a run-scoring single in the fifth. He had five hits, four walks and six RBIs in the series in Atlanta, where he has a good history. Howard has 46 career homers against Atlanta, more than against any other team. His 20 homers at Turner Field are his high mark for any road stadium. Asked what made the difference for Howard in the series, Phillies manager Ryne Sandberg said "Possibly just some confidence." "This is a place hes hit well so maybe it brought back some positive thoughts," Sandberg said. "He has been seeing the ball real well, made them throw strikes and used the whole field." Evan Gattis hit a two-run homer in Atlantas four-run first inning off Roberto Hernandez (3-5). Ryan Doumit also homered and hit a two-run single for Atlanta. Hernandez overcame his rough first inning to last six innings, giving up five runs and eight hits and five walks. He had been 0-4 in eight starts since his last win on May 4 against Washington. "He had a rough first and the offence bounced right back for him and picked him up there," Sandberg said. Harang (5-6) allowed ninee runs, eight earned, in five innings.dddddddddddd He threw 115 pitches while allowing 13 hits and three walks. The Phillies have won seven of nine. Atlanta has lost eight of 12. The Phillies sweep knocked the Braves out of first place in the NL East, just in time for a visit to first-place Washington. "Were going to go into D.C. with a little bit of a chip on our shoulders," Doumit said. "This wasnt a good series. It left a bad taste in our mouths, but were going to go take it out on the Nationals." Braves manager Fredi Gonzalez tried a new lineup, and rookie Tommy La Stella was 0 for 4 with a walk in his first game hitting leadoff. "I thought we swung the bats well," Gonzalez said. "We were knocking on the door there almost the entire game trying to get back in it, which is a good sign." Trailing 4-2, the Phillies scored five runs in the second on six straight two-out hits, including a two-run single by John Mayberry Jr., who had three RBIs. Shortstop Cesar Hernandez, batting leadoff for the first time this season, had three hits and scored two runs. Domonic Brown and Will Nieves also had three hits. Nieves left the game with what Sandberg said appeared to be a quadriceps injury. Antonio Bastardo and Ken Giles combined for three scoreless innings behind Hernandez. NOTES: Phillies CF Ben Revere (sore left knee) had a pinch-hit groundout in the eighth. ... The Braves rested several starters including LF Justin Upton, who left Tuesday nights game with dizziness. CF B.J. Upton and SS Andrelton Simmons also received days off. ... Braves LHP Jonny Venters was given a platelet-rich plasma injection in his surgically repaired left elbow. He is trying to come back from his second Tommy John surgery on May 16, 2013, and will rest the elbow for about five weeks. ... Braves RHP Gavin Floyd faces Washington RHP Jordan Zimmermann to open a four-game series on Thursday. ... The Phillies open a four-game series at St. Louis with David Buchanan opposing Shelby Miller in a matchup of right-handers. ' ' '