ENGLEWOOD — You can’t rest until the clock hits four zeros.

From the minute the game kicks off shortly after 2:30 p.m. Saturday at Mile High, the Broncos know they must be aware of No. 17 in white at all times. They also know he must feel their presence as much as they’ll feel his.

His supporting cast often doesn’t matter. And it doesn’t matter how many lingering injuries he’s dealing with at this point of the season, or if Denver builds a lead.

With a spot in the AFC Championship Game on the line, the Broncos know it’s going to take everything they have to stop Bills quarterback Josh Allen.

“He’s a special player, obviously,” defensive coordinator Vance Joseph said Wednesday at Broncos Park. “It’s certain guys in this league that can take over games and he’s one of those guys.”

As Bo Nix put it, Allen is the reigning MVP of the NFL for a reason. Denver saw it firsthand in the wild-card round last year as the former Wyoming star threw for 272 yards and two touchdowns in Buffalo’s 31-7 rout.

But the Broncos have also seen it time and time again during Allen’s career. When you think you have him beat, he pulls a rabbit out of the hat and leads his team to a come-from-behind win.

“He continues to make play after play when the game’s not necessarily looking like he can make the play,” Nix said. “He just goes out there and does superhero stuff. I think one of the things that separates him is just his toughness, his ability to go play after play at his maximum velocities, his peak performance. It’s been fun to watch him play over the course of his career. It feels like he just got in the league, but he’s been in there for a while at this point making play after play. 

“He’s just a kind of a generational talent. You don’t see that all the time, guys as big as the defensive linemen just being able to be as athletic as skill players. It’s not normal.”

Dating back to 2018, Allen has 17 fourth-quarter comebacks and 25 game-winning drives in the regular season. Last week in Jacksonville, he orchestrated his first game-winning drive in the postseason and nearly capped it off with an 11-yard quarterback sneak that came up just inches short of the end zone before he punched it in on the next play.

“It’s been a while since I saw someone gain (11) yards on a sneak,” Broncos coach Sean Payton said. “He’s one of the stars of our league, and you see it year-in and year-out. He was the difference when that game was close last weekend.”

While it doesn’t appear he’ll defend his first MVP award, Allen has been one of the league’s elite quarterbacks this season — in just about every scenario. He ranks fourth among all quarterbacks in total EPA (expected points added), per SūmerSports. He ranks fourth in EPA in the red zone and trails only Nix in EPA when trailing. He has nearly 100 more rushing yards than any other quarterback and five more rushing touchdowns than all signal callers.

There’s no way to replicate what Allen does in practice, either.

“Obviously, his legs are special,” Joseph said. “At his size, he can make every single throw. You can’t simulate it. If you could, you would. It’s one Josh Allen and he lives in Buffalo. He’ll show up Saturday morning and we gotta get him stopped.”

The Broncos know they can’t give Allen multiple chances to make plays. When they have him contained, they have to keep him in the pocket. When they have a chance to get off the field on third down, they must make the Bills punt it away and take the ball out of Allen’s hands.

“One thing we need to eliminate is his second-chance opportunities,” star cornerback Patrick Surtain II said. “He thrives off that and finding opportunities even if the play is not there. He is a great player, so we have to game plan and eliminate the explosives.”

If this Broncos defense is truly able to carry the team to the Super Bowl, there will be no greater test than trying to end Allen’s and the Bills’ season. 

“I’m hoping we play our best football Saturday,” Joseph said. “It’s time.”