"Champ Bailey walked slowly through the Broncos' nearly silent locker room after Sunday's 30-23 loss to the Buffalo Bills, his sore right groin muscle wrapped in layers of protective bandages. He shook his head frequently, spoke softly and admitted he wasn't yet feeling 100 percent, yet his ability to speak as a participant and not as an injured observer provided a little good news for a team reeling from back- to-back losses. "To have our best player back, it was exciting to the team," right cornerback Dre Bly said. With only one chance left to clinch the AFC West and earn a spot in the playoffs, the Broncos can find solace in knowing their best defensive player will be around when they play at San Diego next Sunday night. "The good thing is, I finished the game without any setbacks, so I'm looking forward to next week," Bailey said. Bailey returned to the field Sunday for the first time since Oct. 20, when he partially tore his groin in a game against New England. He missed seven games - four more than he had missed total in his first nine seasons. "I just want to be accountable. I've got to be out there," Bailey said. "I don't care if I'm sore, tired or whatever, I've got to give it everything I've got, and hopefully guys will feed off that." The Broncos went 4-3 without him, but Bailey showed immediately Sunday what they had been missing while he was forced to watch from the sideline. On Buffalo's first offensive play in the first quarter, Bailey charged to the middle of the field and tackled Bills' running back Marshawn Lynch by the legs after only a 1-yard gain. Then on the next play, coaches called a corner blitz, and Bailey sacked Bills quarterback Trent Edwards and forced a fumble. It was Bailey's first sack of the season. Those plays were classic Champ. "He's a playmaker, and it showed on that first series," said rookie safety Josh Barrett, who shared the field with Bailey for the first time on Sunday. "It was tremendous.""