At 3-6, the Broncos still have reasons to play to win. Here is a list of reasons for the Broncos to show up Monday morning and finish off their final seven games of the season.

KUSA – At least this year, the bye week didn’t interrupt positive momentum.

The 2015 Broncos were 6-0 entering their bye week. They lost two of their next three and had to bench Peyton Manning for a spell before recovering.

The 2016 Broncos were 7-3 and coming off a dramatic, blocked extra point by Justin Simmons and 2-point conversion return by Will Parks to stun New Orleans entering their bye week. The lost four of their next five and never recovered.

The 2017 Broncos had the worst bye week in team history. They were 3-1 going in; 0-8 coming out.

The current Broncos changed the trend. They lost two in a row, and six of their last seven, entering their just completed bye. No bye week blues for these Broncos. Or at least it won’t be as easy to tell.

At 3-6, the Broncos appear much closer to the auspicious distinction of suffering back-to-back losing seasons for the first time in nearly half a century than they are of becoming the fifth NFL team in nearly 30 years to reach the playoffs.

Still, there is reason to keep playing and play to win. Here is a list of reasons for the Broncos to show up Monday morning and finish off their final seven games of the season:

1. The playoffs

Playoffs? The 7-2 Chargers have one AFC wild-card playoff spot if the season ended today. The AFC’s final, wild card spot would currently go to either Tennessee or Cincinnati, who are both 5-4. Miami is 5-5. Baltimore and Indianapolis are 4-5.

That means the final AFC wild-card team may well have a 9-7 record. It doesn’t seem likely the Broncos can finish 6-1, but keep playing hard, and keep playing to win, game by game.

Problem is, the Broncos open their post-bye schedule with a game at Los Angeles against the 7-2 Chargers, then return home to play the 6-2-1 Steelers.

The Chargers have won 6 in a row. The Steelers have won five in a row. The Broncos will have to pull off at least one sizable upset (they are 7-point underdogs to the Chargers) in these next two weeks to formally stay in playoff contention.

2. Because they keep score

No one expected the Buffalo Bills – who have lost by scores of 47-3, 22-0, 37-5 and 41-9 – to also beat playoff contenders Minnesota and Tennessee, before demolishing the New York Jets, 41-10 on Sunday.

The Titans and Cowboys also pulled off impressive upsets Sunday. You show up and play in case the other team doesn’t have it that day. You start every game with the thought of somehow, someway pulling out a win. It doesn’t always work out, but sometimes it does.

3. Build Keenum momentum for next year

We all thought new quarterback Case Keenum was going to be better than the league’s 28th-rated quarterback. Then again, most everyone thought the Broncos’ problem last year was their quarterback play. Turns out, the struggles were deeper than Trevor Siemian and Brock Osweiler last year, and it’s not all on Keenum this year.

Keenum has been playing better the last two or three games. He is still just nine games in with his new teammates, coaches and system. The Broncos have been losing, but Keenum has played well enough to keep them in almost every game. (The Broncos are averaging 22.8 points per game and allowing 23.7 points per, a total point differential of .9 per game.)

Finishing 4-3 or 5-2 assuredly would give hope Keenum and the Broncos will be poised for a playoff run in 2019. Keenum has one more year on his contract with $7 million of his $18 million salary fully guaranteed in 2019.

The plan for next year may well have Keenum starting while a high-round rookie develops – much like the Bears did in 2017 with Mike Glennon and Mitch Trubisky, and the Browns did this year with Tyrod Taylor and Baker Mayfield.

Or, an even better scenario, like the Chiefs did in 2017 with Alex Smith and Patrick Mahomes II.

4. Individual accolades, financial incentive

Bradley Chubb, who has 8.0 sacks through nine games, is the kid to beat for NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year.

Phillip Lindsay, who reached the bye break on pace of 1,050 rushing yards, is a top contender for NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year.

Emmanuel Sanders is on pace for 99 catches. Von Miller is on pace to finish the season with 99.5 career sacks.

Sanders and Miller have incentive to pick up the pace just a notch to reach their respective century milestones.

Then there’s the incentive package in cornerback Chris Harris Jr.’s contract. He needs two more interceptions to get an extra $200,000. He gets a $300,000 bonus if he attains 65 percent playing time and the Broncos get six wins. He gets another $300,000 if he attains 75 percent playing time and the Broncos finish 8-8.

Harris has played 98.5 percent of the defensive snaps through the first nine games, so his playing time thresholds are almost crossed. Now about those three to five more wins.

And then there’s a $500,000 bonus if he’s named first or second-team All Pro. There’s more than a million reasons for Harris to keep playing and the Broncos to keep winning, although his hyper competitiveness doesn’t need financial incentive.