By LEE RASIZER, Scripps Howard News Service

The vibe is different at Dove Valley this week.
"It's a big game," Denver quarterback Jay Cutler said Wednesday as preparation began for Sunday's visit from Buffalo that would vault the Broncos into the playoffs with a victory.
"Everyone in the locker room understands that. Everyone in the building, for that matter, understands that."

Jay Cutler has been busy lately, his omnipresence approaching that of some political ads.The Denver Broncos quarterback, coming off his September award as the NFL's offensive player of the month, since has appeared on an ESPN pre-game segment about his diabetes battle and was the subject of a lengthy "Pardon The Interruption" segment.

Brandon Marshall has chosen deluxe accommodations for when he serves his suspension to open the regular season: Chez Jay.The Denver Broncos receiver, facing a two or three-game, league-mandated absence in September for violation of the NFL's code of conduct, plans on crashing at the home of quarterback Jay Cutler during his downtime.

ENGLEWOOD, Colo. -- A few minutes into Jay Cutler's on-field news conference Wednesday, he suddenly was interrupted."He's not my favorite person right now!" teammate Brandon Marshall bellowed with a wide grin after sneaking up behind the Denver Broncos quarterback.

The future consumes John Lynch -- as in the next two weeks.