The Broncos offense entering the postseason is Jekyll and Hyde.

Which version will show up at 2:30 p.m. Saturday on CBS/Paramount+ for the divisional round in Denver against the Bills?

“We have to be sharper as we get to these next few games here,” coach Sean Payton said last week.

The Broncos lit up their scoreboard at Empower Field in Week 15 against the Packers. Quarterback Bo Nix threw for 304 yards with four touchdowns (to four targets) and zero interceptions. Rookie running back RJ Harvey scored a go-ahead rushing touchdown for a 34-26 home victory. Everything clicked.

The final three games of the regular season failed to produce similar results.

Nix exploded for 352 yards passing against the Jaguars but in a loss, 34-20, with Denver accounting for only two touchdowns. The offense regressed even more the next week in a 20-13 home win over Kansas City. Nix posted 182 yards passing and threw an interception in consecutive games. Things sputtered worse in the regular-season finale.

The Broncos failed to score an offensive touchdown in a 19-3 win over the Chargers. Their only trip into the end zone was a 45-yard pick-six from cornerback Ja’Quan McMillian. Kicker Wil Lutz made four field goals.

It added up to an intriguing question: Did Payton dumb down the offense in anticipation of the playoffs?

“I’d like to say that, but honestly, you guys know me well enough,” Payton said. “We’re going to have to play better. I’d love to say that we pulled a bunch back. But the tape from last week wasn’t really good offensively. It wasn’t great at Kansas City, either.”

The Bills enter the matchup fresh off a 27-24 road wild-card playoff victory over the Jaguars. Here are three keys for the Broncos to beat Buffalo in a rematch from last year’s postseason.

Red zone

Buffalo finished the season ranked No. 21 in the NFL for red-zone defense with 28 touchdowns allowed on 47 opponent attempts (59.6%). That is slightly higher than Denver’s yearlong red-zone touchdown percentage (57.9%) while the Broncos also lacked consistency.

The Broncos went 0-for-3 in the red zone against the Chargers. They had a combined 50% success rate scoring touchdowns in the red zone facing the Chiefs and Jaguars. An uptick is likely required on Saturday to keep scoring pace with the Bills’ offense and quarterback Josh Allen.

“The obvious thing is executing in red zone,” right tackle Mike McGlinchey said last week. “You got to turn field goals into touchdowns and that’s how you win games, especially as you go through the playoffs.”

Third down

The Broncos closed the year converting 41.2% of their third-down attempts. They converted a season-high 11 third downs on Christmas Day. However, in the regular-season finale, the Broncos were just 5 of 15 on third down — playing many Chargers reserves on defense. It contributed to Payton’s salty mood in his postgame news conference.

“I’m going to be honest with you. Our third-down numbers bother me,” Payton said. “Each side of the ball, we can improve in that area. These games are going to come down to a two-minute (drill), and I want those to be competitive. I really want to work (on) our red-zone offense and defense.”

Explosive plays

Pro Football Hall of Fame quarterback Kurt Warner wants Nix to be more aggressive throwing downfield. Nix’s recent numbers back up that opinion.

Nix stretched the field in his breakout performance against Green Bay with six completions of at least 20 yards. Amid late season struggles, Nix completed one such pass against the Chiefs and two facing the Chargers. Will the deep ball return against Buffalo?

“We’ll definitely stretch the ball down the field,” Payton said. “We feel like we have some guys that can go down and get it. We’ll be aggressive in how we call these games.”