The Broncos are headed to the desert in search of another win.

At 6-5, Denver is in the thick of the AFC playoff picture — and a season sweep of the Broncos' divisional rival would continue to elevate their postseason chances.

But while the Raiders (2-8) are in the midst of a six-game losing streak that began with Denver's Week 5 win, the Broncos aren't looking past their divisional foe.

"Each step, it builds confidence, [but] we can't allow it to build complacency," Head Coach Sean Payton said Wednesday.

On the heels of their largest win of the season, the Broncos seem in lockstep on the importance of maintaining the process that has allowed them to find success.

"There's a ton of people out here trying to take what we're trying to work for," tackle Mike McGlinchey said. "You have to operate with that mindset of … if you don't get better, you're getting worse. Stay in the process of what's allowing us to improve, allowing us to see the results. Just because we've tasted some success, it doesn't mean we're going to change anything. We've got to stay with who we are.

"And certainly, I don't think 6-5 is a reason to pack it in. We've got a lot of work to do. We've got a lot of games left to play to put ourselves in position … for the dance in January."

These are the questions that will determine if the Broncos can earn their first road win over the Raiders since 2015 and take the next step toward the postseason:

CAN BO NIX CONTINUE HIS HOT STREAK?

What does Bo Nix have in store for an encore?

On the heels of an AFC Offensive Player of the Week performance — not to mention back-to-back Rookie of the Week honors — Nix is now set to face a Raiders defense that gives up the fourth-most points in the NFL.

The Raiders won't be at full strength, either, as they ruled out a pair of starting cornerbacks in Jakorian Bennett and nickel Nate Hobbs and have listed another cornerback in Jack Jones as questionable.

Against a beat-up Atlanta secondary, Nix thrived. He threw just five incompletions en route to a career-high 307 passing yards, four touchdowns and 145.0 passer rating while not throwing an interception. If Nix's receivers can gain an edge and he can get the ball out quickly, he could find success again at Allegiant Stadium.

Nix was particularly good at avoiding pressure in Week 11 and was pressured on just 14.3 percent of his dropbacks, which represented his lowest mark on the season. Denver is 6-0 when Nix is pressured on fewer than 30 percent of his dropbacks, and he's thrown for 10 touchdowns, no interceptions and a 106.2 passer rating while completing nearly 70 percent of his passes in those games. The Raiders, meanwhile, enter the game as one of five teams with a pressure rate below 30 percent. The silver and black have the fifth-worst pressure rate in the league while recording the fourth-fewest sacks, and Las Vegas pressured Nix on just 16.1 percent of his dropbacks in Week 5.

Nix had his first performance with two passing touchdowns and a 100-plus passer rating in that Week 5 win, and his development in the weeks since has given his teammates confidence.

"His presence, his ability — and he's given us no reason except to believe, because all you've seen from him is just gradual, gradual, gradual growth," McGlinchey said. "And now it's all of a sudden kind of exploding into these results that are happening for him. We all play a small part in that. Bo has been a great leader, he's been a great teammate and certainly has been infectious. He gives everybody a reason to believe of why we can be successful every week."

Each game, Nix seems to take another step. If he can do that against the Raiders, the Broncos should have a good chance to put up points — and earn a win.

CAN THE BRONCOS' DEFENSE LIMIT BROCK BOWERS?

While Nix has rightfully earned headlines this week, Las Vegas' first-round pick has also made a major impact.

Brock Bowers leads all NFL tight ends with 70 receptions for 706 yards this season, and he's on pace to break the NFL single-season tight end reception mark. Bowers is also on pace for 1,200 receiving yards, which would break the NFL rookie tight end record.

In Week 11, the Raiders doled out 16 targets to the rookie, and he posted the most receptions by a rookie tight end in NFL history (13) while recording his first 100-yard game.

Bowers is a major focal point of the Las Vegas offense, and his six-game stretch of catching at least five passes has only been outdone in franchise history by Jerry Rice.

In the first meeting between the Broncos and Raiders, Bowers posted a 57-yard catch-and-run to open the scoring, and he finished with eight grabs for 97 yards and the touchdown.

"He can move, he can be outside and he can run a route tree maybe different than most tight ends," Payton said Wednesday. "He certainly goes up and makes the first touchdown catch against us. … Man, that's a weapon and it becomes a little bit more challenging when they're at that position then when they're outside at receiver. That's important in this game."

The Raiders have listed their top two running backs as doubtful, and Davante Adams has long since been traded to New York. Las Vegas' offensive plan likely begins and ends with Bowers, and the defense must find a way to slow him down to find success on Sunday.

WILL DENVER SLOW MAXX CROSBY?

While the Raiders have lost a number of key defensive players to injury, Maxx Crosby remains a force.

Crosby recorded a pair of sacks in the Raiders' Week 5 matchup with the Broncos, and he's posted an impressed 15.5 sacks, 19 tackles for loss and 23 quarterback hits in 11 career games against Denver.

Payton said Crosby requires "a lot" of attention during game-planning, and McGlinchey doesn't see a drop in play from Crosby despite the three-time Pro Bowler recording just one sack in his last four games.

"He's got a lot of attention on him," McGlinchey said. "Every time you watch their tape, he's obviously a focal point to take away from the game. You spend a lot of time preparing on how to find help, find scheme, find whatever — and every team in the NFL has been doing that. … He's such a great player, that you want everything [devoted] to have him not do what's he's capable of doing. I think the numbers thing is more of an attention thing than it is his potential. He's not having a down year. He's a great player that a lot of attention is put on him and how to stop their defense."

For Nix to have time to attack down the field, the Broncos must slow Crosby and prevent him from making a game-changing play. The Broncos have found success when they've avoided turning the ball over, and they should take a step toward victory if they don't allow Crosby to wreck the game.