Kansas City, Mo ? The hottest player in the NFL is starting to shirk away from the heat.

Dante Hall, Wednesday named the AFC’s special teams player of the month, said he almost hated to come back from Houston, where he was visiting his 2-year-old son, because he knew everybody would want to talk to him.

Nevertheless, the only man to return kicks for touchdowns three games in a row will be ready for Kansas City’s AFC West showdown Sunday with Denver, a nationally televised matchup between two 4-0 teams.

“I try to take these things in stride,” Hall said. “When our season is done, then I have all the offseason to sit back and enjoy this. Right now, our attention should all be on Denver.”

The 4-0 Broncos have weapons of their own. Quarterback Jake Plummer was 25-for-34 with 277 yards and two touchdown passes in Sunday’s 20-16 win over Detroit.

Plummer, acquired in the offseason from Arizona, said he couldn’t wait to get his first shot at the Chiefs as a Bronco.

“I love big games,” he said. “We are really looking forward to going there; that is one of the best stadiums in the NFL to play in. We have to get prepared this week, get whoever is injured healthy and get out of it 5-0.”

The Broncos beat the Lions without standout running back Clinton Portis, who sat out because of a bruised chest.

Portis, who has 291 rushing yards and two TDs in three games, ran without any problems during drills Wednesday and will see if he can handle being hit in a workout today.

“There was no setback, but until he actually goes through a practice where there’s contact it’s really hard to know for sure,” Broncos coach Mike Shanahan said. “We’ll definitely get some contact tomorrow for him to play on Sunday. We’ll see if he can take some shots and hold onto the football.”

Portis bruised his chest Sept. 14 against San Diego when Chargers safety Kwamie Lassiter, a Kansas University product, hit him under the pads. He returned the next week against Oakland, but aggravated the injury after landing on his shoulder in the first half.

The Broncos also boast a myriad of targets for Plummer. Tight end Shannon Sharpe needs 134 yards to pass teammate Rod Smith for first place all time on the Broncos’ all-time receiving yards list.

Smith could flip-flop with Sharpe on another team record soon — Smith needs 51 catches to pass Sharpe’s mark.

Still, Kansas City’s Hall will be in the brightest spotlight Sunday. After being the AFC’s special teams player of the week three weeks in a row, Hall didn’t even know he’d been given the player of the month award.

“I really don’t feel comfortable with all this,” he said. “I try not to think about things like being player of the month because I know all the way through high school and college how you can be so high one day and be dropped so quickly. I try to stay away from it because human nature will make you kind of ease up a little bit.”

• Browning, Holliday ailing: Chiefs coach Dick Vermeil said only two players were held out of practice Wednesday — defensive linemen John Browning and Vonnie Holliday. Both will be listed as questionable but should play Sunday.

Running back Priest Holmes, who missed parts of practice each of the past two weeks, felt fine and took part in most of the drills, Vermeil said.

• Arrowhead noise: The Broncos are expecting plenty of noise at Arrowhead Stadium. Kansas City’s fans are enthusiastic and loud to begin with, and playing the rival Broncos with both teams at 4-0 will only make them turn the volume up.

“It’s a very rowdy, tough crowd, but it’s going to be a great atmosphere for a game, a great environment,” Broncos quarterback Jake Plummer said. “It’s going to be loud and there’s nothing we can do about it.”

Shanahan’s loudest memory of Arrowhead was from a 14-10 win over the Chiefs in a 1997 playoff game.

“I remember in that playoff game, this was three or four minutes before the game, and I’m trying to talk to my son, who is standing right next to me,” Shanahan said. “I am yelling, and I am yelling at the top of my voice, and he cannot hear me. He had no idea what I was talking to him about. So that’s how loud it was. That environment doesn’t happen very often. It’s something you look forward to as a coach.”