ENGLEWOOD, Colo. -- In most ways, the Denver Broncos are right back where they were last January.

They're a 12-win team -- again. They won the AFC West title -- again. And when they open their postseason with Sunday's AFC divisional-round game against the Pittsburgh Steelers, the Broncos will be at home -- again.

A year ago, a listless Broncos team was quickly knocked out of the postseason with a 24-13 loss to the Indianapolis Colts. Before that game, there was a report that then-coach John Fox would be "available" if the Broncos lost. Throughout the game, the Broncos looked largely distracted and played with little emotion.

It's a combination of circumstances that this year's team has gone to great lengths to avoid. The Steelers, the Broncos say, have every ounce of their attention.

"In my opinion, I think we were focused on New England [last year]," Broncos cornerback Aqib Talib said. "We just knew we were going to tear [up] Andrew Luck and the Colts, knock them out and get them up out of here. We were ready to go to New England. When I look back on last year, there was a lot of, 'Next week when we go to New England, we have to play Gronk [Patriots tight end Rob Gronkowski] like this.' There was a bunch of future talk when we didn't even get the Colts yet. I think that was our biggest problem last year."

Peyton Manning and the 2014 Broncos saw their season end in a home playoff loss to the Colts, an outcome they blame on lack of focus. Ezra Shaw/Getty Images

Added Broncos wide receiver Demaryius Thomas: "I think some guys kind of just put the Colts out of the way. We were worrying about who we were going to play next. Certain guys wanted to say, 'Well, we need to worry about the Colts,' but it wasn't said. Going into the game, we didn't play too well and we didn't have a chance to worry about who was next because we were going out."

Last weekend's wild-card round also provided a handy teaching tool. All four road teams -- each with a playoff-tested quarterback and each facing a quarterback without any postseason starts -- won and advanced.

The Broncos have felt the one-and-done sting in two of the past three years, with home losses in the divisional rounds to close out the 2012 and 2014 seasons. Hence, Broncos coach Gary Kubiak's message after Wednesday's practice was much the same as it has been throughout the past two weeks.

"It's about how you play," Kubiak said. "This is the greatest football in the world going on right now. It's lining up, making the plays on Sunday. All of them are great games, but it's just people making plays at the end of the football game. We understand that. It's nice to be home. It's nice to be in front of our crowd, but we know it'll be about how we play."

Broncos quarterback Peyton Manning said he thought the four wild-card road teams played better than their hosts last week, which made all the difference.

"That's usually kind of what it comes down to," Manning said. "The team that plays better and makes fewer mistakes usually wins any game, but I think that's especially true in the playoffs."

Kubiak has said "leadership" is the difference between teams that handle their business in the days leading up to playoff games and the ones that don't. The Broncos have been tested in close games; they were 9-3 in games decided by seven points or fewer and they were 3-0 in overtime games this season, including wins over the New England Patriots and Cincinnati Bengals.

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In an effort to keep the team's edge, yet still give the players rest, Kubiak did adjust the schedule during the playoff bye week. He gave the players three consecutive days off early in the week, then had the team practice last Thursday, Friday and Saturday. On Sunday, the team rested but returned Monday for its normal game-week schedule.

Kubiak said he didn't want the players to have two consecutive days off between the bye-week work and this week; he wanted them in a "football-type schedule."

"If that ring isn't enough motivation at this time of the year, like I said, you're in the wrong business," Talib said. "All of the guys in this locker room, we come in this locker room for two things: To take care of our families and to win that [championship]. That's the motivation right there."