Just when they finally patched things up, Brandon Marshall and Josh McDaniels are back to square one, and another reconciliation appears farfetched.

McDaniels announced Friday he's benching Marshall, his Pro Bowl wide receiver, for the team's pivotal season finale against Kansas City on Sunday.

"Our word for the week has been accountability. And we're looking to put the 45 guys on the field on Sunday that want to play together, want to help us try to win and qualify for the playoffs," McDaniels said. "... And anybody that showed any indifference to that, we'll play without them.

Marshall suggested he couldn't have played anyway after pulling his right hamstring at practice this week.

In an extraordinary half-hour at Dove Valley, McDaniels insinuated on the podium that Marshall was exaggerating the extent of his injury and was unaccountable to the team. The Pro Bowl receiver responded from his locker by noting McDaniels never played in the NFL and hinting he might be getting called out by his coach because the Broncos' season is unraveling.

Since a sizzling 6-0 start, the Broncos have gone 2-7.

They'll try to make the playoffs Sunday without their 100-catch receiver or tight end Tony Scheffler, demoted to the scout team, and maybe minus wide receiver Eddie Royal, who has a head injury.

Marshall was voted to his second straight Pro Bowl on Tuesday after becoming just the fifth wide receiver with three consecutive 100-catch seasons. He spoke Wednesday about how fulfilling it was to bounce back after a tumultuous offseason that included a rocky start to his relationship with McDaniels, who rejected trade requests and demands for a new contract. McDaniels also suspended him for nine days during training camp for insubordination at practice.

Minutes later, Marshall was clutching his right hamstring after pulling up lame on a route and hopping to the sideline.

Marshall said an MRI showed no structural damage, "but when you try to explode and take off, if you don't have it, you don't have it."

He missed Thursday's practice, and when asked if his star receiver would work out Friday, McDaniels said Marshall would be deactivated for the game and noted it was "a coaching decision," not an injury issue."

"There's a number of players that are going to play on Sunday with things that are much more difficult to deal with than what he has," McDaniels said, a phrase he repeated three times during his news conference.