Will the Denver Broncos finally buck the trend and make it back into the playoffs for the first time since 2015?

That was certainly the hope when the team entered this 2021 season, and those hopes only intensified when Denver started off 3-0. Following two tough losses though, the Broncos are reeling and sitting at 3-2 overall, which would still put them in the playoffs if they began today.

Of course, we’re not even one-third of the way through the season, so anything can happen at this point.

Still, before the year kicked off, the smart people over at FiveThirtyEight.com projected the Broncos to go 10-7 and sneak into the playoffs. Before any games were played, the math-based website which predicts everything from politics outcomes to MVP awards in sports actually had the Broncos at a 66 percent chance to make the playoffs.

Well, after those back-to-back losses — a bruising affair against the Ravens and a lopsided beat-down by the Steelers — the Broncos are now projected to go 9-8 and have only a 38 percent chance to get into the postseason per FiveThirtyEight.

What’s more, the website breaks down the importance of every game, every week. Since the Broncos and Raiders are currently both at 3-2 overall and both fighting for a possible playoff berth — and each in the AFC West — this game comes with a 94 “importance” score. That means it’s incredibly important in terms of playoff positioning later in the year.

FiveThirtyEight also favors the Broncos by four points, which is no surprise considering the fact that Jon Gruden resigned earlier this week due to racist, homophobic, disgusting emails from the past which surfaced. And after also starting the season 3-0, the Raiders are similarly reeling on the heels of two straight, double-digit losses to the Chargers and Bears, respectively.

No matter how one slices it, this game is a must-win for the Broncos.

Von Miller said as much on Thursday after practice, explaining, “We just have to win. I’ve got to rethink my approach in how I label some of these games. Maybe labeling the Ravens game a playoff game was too early for our team. Maybe some of the things that I said about the Pittsburgh Steelers and the type of game that we needed to play—maybe it was too early. It’s definitely not too early for the Raiders. We’ve got to go out and play well from start to finish. This is a huge game for us. We’ve got to win this game.”

This year, Miller and the Broncos defense — led by the tutelage of Vic Fangio — has the second-best scoring defense in the NFL, allowing a paltry 15.2 points per game. But, Denver needs to see improved play out of Teddy Bridgewater and the offense, especially when starting out the game.

These Broncos have been hampered by slow starts throughout the entire Pat Shurmur reign as offensive coordinator, failing to score a single touchdown during his 21-game tenure with Denver.

Last week, the offense seemed contained by conservative play-calling for three quarters, until they trailed by 18 points and the game seemed out of reach. Then, finally, Shurmur opened it up and the Broncos made it a game, but it was too little, too late.

This week, the blue and orange need to jump out to a quick lead and then build on that against a Raiders team which will be searching to find leadership following Gruden’s stepping away in shame.

The Broncos host the Raiders this week with a 2:25 p.m. MT kickoff, and the home team will be wearing their predominantly blue jerseys as they celebrate Mike Shanahan.