If Broncos players didn’t know stakes of Sunday’s game vs. Colts, Sean Payton made them clear in Wednesday team meeting

The Broncos know the significance of Sunday’s game against Indianapolis.

In fact, they know the exact way that the outcome against Indianapolis will move the needle one way or the other on their postseason hopes.

That’s because Sean Payton made sure of it during Wednesday morning’s team meeting.

“You have to know and you have to speak about it and Sean did this morning,” right tackle Mike McGlinchey told The Denver Post. “We know that it’s a 91% chance vs. a 50/50 shot based on how this game goes this weekend.

“That’s exciting to me. You’ve got to rise to the occasion. We’re playing for important stuff right now and it’s something that we haven’t done as a group yet. I’m really excited to go to battle with these guys and see what our team is capable of and hopefully deliver for the city of Denver.”

Payton saw no reason to try to put blinders on his team or act as if the matchup with the Colts is just another game.

“Six weeks ago, I’d always kind of roll my eyes, but now you get into four weeks left for all of these teams and, shoot, each team knows exactly where they’re at and what they need to do. Ourselves included,” Payton said Wednesday.

Later, he added, “At the right time, I might just say ‘Hey, this is where we’re at and this is what we’re looking at.’ It’s a group that I think understands that.”

Not that any players needed reminding when they returned to work off the bye week that a critical stage of the calendar had arrived, but their veteran head coach decided Wednesday was the right time. He made sure to start the work week with the stakes as part of the message.

“We definitely have an awareness of that,” Denver right guard and captain Quinn Meinerz said. “That was mentioned today in our team meeting. I think it’s good to talk about and understand what’s at stake here and what everything means.

“Especially because a vast majority of this team hasn’t been to the playoffs and is looking for that first moment of that. We know what’s at stake and what kind of week and preparation we need to have for this game.”

The Broncos can make the postseason without a win against the Colts, but given the fact that Denver currently sits in the seventh and final position and Indianapolis is two games back, Sunday’s matchup essentially counts double. One for the result of the game and again for the tiebreaker that will go to the winner.

Payton’s approach Wednesday makes an interesting juxtaposition to a year ago when his team stormed back from a 1-5 start to 6-5 heading into a road game at Houston.

That game came with a big swing in playoff odds, but would not have moved the Broncos as close to clinching a spot as a win against the Colts will.

A win against the Texans would have put Denver in about the 60% range to make the postseason last year. Instead, a last-second, “chaos”- marred loss to Houston plunged the team’s odds down into the 20s.

“I’ve not, like, put up, for instance, the AFC chart on a PowerPoint and said, ‘OK, here’s where it’s at, here’s what we need,’” Payton said in the lead-up to that game. “I just haven’t done that because I don’t know that it helps and it’s nothing that I think these players don’t already know.

“These games are important. When you dig yourself a hole at the beginning of the season, then there’s a little less wiggle room down the stretch.”

This year, Denver has taken advantage of its opportunities and won eight of its past 11 after an 0-2 start. They have a bit of wiggle room, but not as much as a two-game lead may indicate.

Payton and the players all know that to be true.

“This is the next big game for this team and the program we’ve been establishing and building here,” Meinerz said. “We’re all excited for the challenge. This is why you work so hard is for moments like this.

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