The hope a first-round bye is just what the doctor ordered for .After piling up 12 touchdowns over his first nine games of the year, Denver's play-making tight end has caught just three pa ses since spraining his ankle in Week 11."I definitely needed this bye," Thomas Eric Thames Jersey said Monday. "I'm looking forward to it. It'll just give me an opportunity to focus on rehab. When you're practicing and playing, it's kind of hard. It's a little bit of give and take. So this next week, it'll be big for me from a recovery standpoint."With the extra rest, Thomas believes he can make an impact when Denver returns to the field on Jan. 11, telling Joaquin Benoit Jersey reporters that he plans on "looking like the guy I used to be."That would serve as a welcomed sight for a attack that has leaned on the run down the stretch. After averaging 323.5 pa sing yards per outing through Week 12 Victor Robles Jersey , has thrown for just 233.8 yards per start over the team's final five games.Other injuries we're tracking on this fine Tuesday:The happy and healthy were at Tuesday's practice. Wide receiver mi sed the se sion after appearing to injure his foot in Sunday's lo s to the , per Comcast SportsNet New England. coach Washington Nationals Jersey told reporters Tuesday that he running back (hyperextended knee) for Saturday's playoff showdown with the . However, Tomlin said the team would prepare as if the MVP candidate wouldn't be available.The saw defensive linemen and do light work on Tuesday, per Darren Urban of the team's website. However, quarterback .The announced that defensive tackle with mi s the postseason with a knee injury. The latest Around The NFL Podcast and debates the MVP race between and . Find more Around Matt Adams Jersey The NFL content on .