INDIANAPOLIS – For all intents and purposes, the playoffs begin for the Indianapolis Colts on Sunday.

Returning from the bye week with a road trip against the Denver Broncos, the Colts (6-7) sit two games out of a playoff spot.

There are two paths to claiming one of the seven postseason berths in the AFC, and both require a victory at Denver (8-5).

The Broncos currently hold the final playoff position, and Indianapolis can close the gap to one game while gaining a critical tiebreaker advantage with a win. A loss means the Colts can no longer surpass Denver, which would hold a three-game lead and the tiebreaker with three games to play.

A win also keeps alive Indianapolis’ slim hope of winning the AFC South for the first time since 2014. The Houston Texans (8-5) would need to continue their late-season slump for any shot at a miracle run by the Colts, but a loss Sunday coupled with a Houston win against the Miami Dolphins clinches the division title for the Texans.

The Colts are aware of the implications, but they’re treating this week just like any other.

“Every game is an important game, but we do know what’s at stake,” cornerback Jaylon Jones said during a video conference call Monday. “… (W)e’re just going to take every game a step at a time, just get one percent better every day. It’s an important one coming up, but like I said, every one is important.

“So we just have to play our brand of football, and we’ll come out with the outcome that we want towards the end.”

Reinstated starting quarterback Anthony Richardson has led a game-winning drive in the fourth quarter in two of the last three weeks. It’s reignited hopes for the franchise’s future and kept alive opportunities in the present, but Denver is a step up in class from the New York Jets (3-10) and New England Patriots (3-10), who fell victim to Richardson’s comebacks.

The Broncos have won three straight games while averaging 36 points per contest, and quarterback Bo Nix is strongly in the rookie of the year conversation. He’s completed 63.8% of his passes for 2,842 yards with 17 touchdowns and eight interceptions and has drawn favorable comparisons to head coach Sean Payton’s most famous pupil — former Purdue star Drew Brees.

Nix has thrown for 874 yards with seven touchdowns and just two interceptions during the three-game winning streak. He’s also rushed for 304 yards and four touchdowns this season.

“He can make anything work with his feet and with his arms,” Jones said. “So (he’s) definitely a quarterback that’s upcoming in this league. I mean, he’s putting it on display right now.”

Indianapolis, meanwhile, is still feeling the effects of a midseason three-game losing streak in the standings and must find a way to slow down the red-hot Denver offense to maintain any semblance of postseason credibility.

The Colts allowed 200 rushing yards for the third time in a Dec. 1 win against the Patriots, who became the fifth opponent to record at least 400 total yards this season.

Indianapolis ranks 18th in scoring defense at 22.9 points per game, but head coach Shane Steichen has been encouraged by the unit’s trajectory over the course of the season.

“I think (defensive coordinator) Gus (Bradley) has done a great job,” Steichen said. “Obviously, early on in the year, we had some stuff, but we got it cleaned up. But I think, overall, we’re keeping the points down, which is a good thing. And, again, the biggest thing right now (is) we just don’t want to give up the explosives. That’s a big thing with the bye week, looking at offense and defense.

“Offensively, we’ve got to do a really good job of taking care of the football going forward and improving in that area. On the flip side, defensively, just eliminate the explosives.”

The Colts have turned the ball over 20 times, which ranks 26th in the 32-team NFL. That includes a pair of interceptions that increased the degree of difficulty against New England.

Defensively, Indianapolis allowed five “explosive” plays – passes of 20 yards or more and runs of at least 10 yards – against the Patriots, including a 41-yard pass completion and a 32-yard run in the opening quarter.

New England rookie quarterback Drake Maye finished 24-of-30 for 238 yards with one touchdown and one interception and rushed five times for 59 yards in defeat.

The defense faces an even greater challenge Sunday with the season very much on the line.

“We’re not going to be oblivious to how big this game is, but we know that we’ve got to handle our business, and we’ve got to prepare the right way and go play a football game,” Steichen said. “That’s going to be the main message (to players this week.)”