ENGLEWOOD — Broncos coach Sean Payton didn’t like it when television cameras zoomed in on his call sheet during last Thursday’s game that read, “RUN IT!!!’’ But he had no problem showing off one of his notes after Tuesday’s practice.

It read on a white sheet of paper, “Get to 10.”

A win Saturday at Cincinnati in their penultimate game would give the Broncos (9-6) a 10th win and clinch their first playoff berth since 2015. They had a chance to sew up a spot and secure win No. 10 last Thursday but lost 34-27 at the Los Angeles Chargers.

The only way the Broncos can clinch a berth in Week 17 is to beat the Bengals. If that doesn’t happen, they could lock up a spot with a home win over Kansas City in Week 18, or they could get into the postseason with other teams losing.

Obviously, though, Payton wants to get win No. 10 Saturday and not need to rely on anything else happening.

“Let’s focus on that,’’ Payton said at Broncos Park. “All our preparation, everything we do. (Wide receiver) Courtland (Sutton) just said it best, ‘We put ourselves in this position. Let’s take advantage of it.”’

Tackle Mike McGlinchey agrees with Payton the Broncos can’t worry about anything other than taking care of their own business. They are currently No. 7 in the AFC playoff race, and seven teams make it.

“That’s the right message,’’ McGlinchey said. “I think the only thing you can do is control what you can control and so making sure we get our 10th win is the No. 1 priority, and the 10th win equals playoffs.”

Nevertheless, there are outside factors that could influence the Broncos’ playoffs hopes if they don’t beat the Bengals, and they are a 3-point underdog for the game at Paycor Stadium.

If the Chiefs (14-1) win Wednesday at Pittsburgh (10-5), they would clinch the AFC’s top seed and a first-round playoff bye. That could result in Kansas City resting starters in the finale at Denver, which obviously could help the Broncos get into the postseason if they don’t defeat Cincinnati.

“You kind of know all the scenarios and that definitely is something that we know about but you can’t really bank on it, to be honest,’’ said tight end Adam Trautman. “Even if they do get the ‘1’ seed, I think they’d still play their starters (at Denver). I don’t know how long (they would), for maybe a half, just because (coach) Andy Reid doesn’t want to give them two weeks off of not playing any football. So I’d be shocked.”

For now, the Broncos obviously want to lock up a berth Saturday and avoid what could be a must-win situation against the Chiefs. The Broncos are being chased for the No. 7 seed by Cincinnati, Indianapolis and Miami, which are all 7-8.

“You want to get it done now,” Trautman said. “Last week it would have been huge to win (over the Chargers) and then it would have been like, ‘We’re in now. Let’s climb (in the playoff standings).’ … The further along we go not winning a game, the more pressure there is because if something goes wrong Saturday, now you’re playing for your life.”

Trautman said there “definitely” is “a lot of pressure” entering Saturday’s game and it is magnified by facing a team “in the hunt” for a playoff berth. McGlinchey looks at it from a different perspective.

“I don’t know if I feel pressure,’’ McGlinchey said. “It’s certainly a heightened sense of urgency. … I think it’s excitement that we’re in control of what we need to do.”

The Bengals are No. 28 in the NFL in both scoring and total defense, but McGlinchey stopped short of saying there is an added expectation of putting up a good point total against them. He said the Broncos “feel as though we can do that every week.”

Denver is coming off a game in which rookie quarterback Bo Nix completed 29 of 40 passes for 263 yards and two touchdowns against the Chargers. But the Broncos came up short in their first try at clinching a playoff berth.

“I think realistically this is the time of year that you get ready and you want to be playing your best ball,” Nix said of Saturday’s next chance to clinch. “It’s the next most important game. It usually all comes down to the ending (of the season). …. All the big games are at the end.”

There is rain in the forecast for Saturday. But Nix, who had issues with a wet ball when it rained heavily during a 10-9 win at the New York Jets in Week 4, shrugged off that possibility.

“We’ll be able to handle the rain,’’ he said. “We’re professionals, and they have to play in it, too. It’s going to be good. It’s going to be a good environment. It will be fun.”

The biggest challenge for the Broncos could come on defense. The Bengals, who have won three straight games after losing a lot of close ones earlier in the season, are No. 6 in the NFL in scoring offense and No. 10 in total offense. They feature quarterback Joe Burrow, who leads the NFL with 4,229 yards passing and 39 touchdowns, and wide receiver Ja’Marr Chase, who leads the league with 108 catches for 1,510 yards with 18 touchdowns.

“It’s going to be a challenge for us that we’re going to be prepared for,’’ cornerback Pat Surtain II said of going against Cincinnati’s offense.

Payton also is confident. While he didn’t like cameras zooming in on his call sheet against the Chargers, he gladly showed off his goal for this week: “Get to 10.”