The effort and belief weren't there when the Broncos were throttled by New England last January, says Denver CB Champ Bailey. (Andrew Mason)

Forget about Tom Brady, Wes Welker, Rob Gronkowski, a hostile Saturday night crowd at Gillette Stadium or a future Hall of Famer in a hoodie on the sidelines. What beat the Broncos in the divisional playoffs last January? It might have been themselves.

"I didn't feel like there were 53 guys that thought we could win, and it showed," CB Champ Bailey said.

"If Champ said that, it's probably true," LB Von Miller added. "I think this year, we're a whole lot better team, and I think we'll be ready."

The Broncos fell 45-10 in a game that wasn't really that close; the Patriots led 42-7 early in the third quarter before throttling back for the game's final 25 minutes. New England had more than twice as many yards (509-252) and first downs (31-15), underscoring the complete control they had over the proceedings.

Denver was hurting at the time. Since-retired safety Brian Dawkins was out with neck problems, WR Eric Decker had just gone on injured reserve and Miller was neutralized by the club cast he was forced to wear on his hand after tearing thumb ligaments. Still, it wasn't the manpower that Bailey questioned.

"It's really not the loss that disappointed me more than just the effort and just how they outplayed us, because they weren't that much better than us that they can beat us like that," Bailey said. "That's what was really disappointing."

It's something he doesn't see happening again Sunday.

"This is a different year, a different breed of guys going in there," Bailey said. "We know we can win. We've got to obviously do things right, but we know we can win."

Kuper back to full work: RG Chris Kuper took another step forward in his recovery from a fractured forearm, going through a full practice for the first time this year. Kuper was being eased back into work after recovering from a fractured fibula and torn ankle ligaments when he broke his left forearm during a practice Aug. 14.

"His chances will be fine to play on Sunday. It's just we'll announce that on game day," Broncos coach John Fox said.

LB Nate Irving also went through a full practice for the first time since suffering a concussion in the second quarter of the Broncos' 31-25 loss to Houston on Sept. 25.

Memphis Manning: QB Peyton Manning confirmed that his wife, Ashley, had bought a share of the NBA's Memphis Grizzlies, joining singer Justin Timberlake and former NBA star Anfernee "Penny" Hardaway in the franchise's ownership group.

Ashley Manning is a native of Memphis, and she and Peyton Manning were married in the city 11 years ago. She has been involved in real-estate development while her husband continued his NFL career.

"I am proud of Ashley as she pursues this opportunity with the Memphis Grizzlies," Peyton Manning said in a statement. "While my focus is on playing quarterback for the Denver Broncos, I look forward to watching her become involved with her hometown team."

For up-to-the-minute Broncos updates, follow Andrew Mason on Twitter at @CBSBroncos and @MaseDenver.