Parker Gabriel, Broncos beat reporter: Alright, guys, the Broncos are fresh off a 19-17 win against Green Bay and relatively healthy, so let’s just for a second allow for a strange thought: What happens if they beat Kansas City in the snow (yeah, it might snow) on Sunday at Empower Field? They’d be 3-5 going into the bye week and with the trade deadline looming Tuesday. We know teams are calling inquiring as to the availability of Denver players figuring the team is likely to sell. Should they at least wait until after Sunday to say yes? Should they reconsider altogether if they knock off Patrick Mahomes for the first time? A year ago, the Broncos beat Jacksonville in London to get to 3-5 going into the bye week and George Paton still sent Bradley Chubb to Miami at the deadline for a first-round pick. I’d understand the temptation to hold, but at the end of the day you either need to rebuild or you don’t. You already have a vision for next year’s roster, like Sean Payton said last week, or you don’t. So I’m saying that whatever the plan is currently — let’s say listening broadly and likely selling, but not hellbent on a fire sale — should remain the plan even if the Empower Field turf isn’t the only thing that freezes over this weekend.

Ryan McFadden, Broncos beat reporter:  No matter if the Broncos beat Kansas City or not, I don’t think a fire sale will happen. It’s hard to tank in the NFL so I can’t see this team trading away four guys at the deadline. The biggest thing to consider is Denver’s vision for next year and beyond. Head coach Sean Payton talked about the Detroit Lions being 1-6 and turning things around. I think it’s less likely that Denver has the same turnaround, but if they do, is keeping players around just to go 9-8 and miss the playoffs worth possibly acquiring more picks and preparing for the future? I’m not sure, especially if some of the guys on the roster might not be a part of whatever vision Payton and general manager George Paton have planned moving forward. Another thing to consider is do they think Russell Wilson is the quarterback they want to build around moving forward? Even though Wilson is playing well, he’s not getting younger and I think his best playing days are behind him.

I know Payton wants to win badly but Denver is at a point where a rebuild seems inevitable. Why mortgage the future just to save one season?  A victory over Kansas City might change who stays and who goes. But I’m expecting the Broncos to be sellers no matter what.

Sean Keeler, sports columnist: Sell, baby, sell! Absolutely. Now, that said, do you take a wrecking ball to the thing? Not necessarily. If an offer comes along that sets you up for 2025, ’26 and beyond, by all means, listen. Yeah, 3-5 has a better smell than 2-6, especially with the Chargers and Raiduhs treading water. And yes, Tankathon.com rates the rest of the Broncos’ slate as just the 14th-toughest in the league down the stretch, which seems more than manageable. The only games, on paper, that scare you are that post-bye trip to Buffalo on Nov. 14, a home game with the Browns on Nov. 26, and a visit to resurgent Detroit on Dec. 17. The Chargers have punched below their weight. The Patriots are a complete enigma.

But you’ve gotta start stacking some wins in conference games, and of the Broncos’ seven AFC tilts that follow Sunday’s Taylor Swiftathon, four are on the road. Sean Payton needs at least one more steal of a game nobody thought he’d nab before we should start driving the 9-8 train to happy town. Scoff all you like, but the nerds don’t see a path. Kenneth Massey’s projection pegs the Broncos at 5-12. So does the AI at TeamRankings.com. The stats say this bunch is still closer to chasing a No. 1 or No. 2 pick than chasing a 7 seed.

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