ENGLEWOOD, Colo. — The panic surrounding the Denver Broncos is limited to their fan base. It hasn’t seeped into team headquarters. However, there is a heightened state of alert after two losses by 15 or more points in three games.

“I wouldn’t use that word,” quarterback Peyton Manning said was asked about a possible panic. “I think there definitely is a sense of urgency.”

More than that, this could be the turning point of a season that seems in peril for the first time.

“Personally, I feel like this is probably the most key moment of our season,” defensive tackle Terrance Knighton said.

Whether this is simply a rough stretch or the harbinger of doom is too early to tell. The bald patches of season by most recent champions, including the 2010 Green Bay Packers, 2011 New York Giants and 2012 Baltimore Ravens, offer evidence that a slump can have a long-range benefit.

However, with the surging Miami Dolphins arriving on the heels of five wins in seven games, the Broncos are running low on mulligans. Denver faces a demanding stretch that includes four games against playoff contenders in the next five weeks — three of which will be on the road, where the Broncos are 2-3 with the wins over teams that are a combined 2-18.

“I think right now for us, it’s a lot of one-game seasons,” tight end Jacob Tamme said. “It’s what we’re in right now: It’s a one-game season, and right now it’s the Dolphins game.”

The Dolphins present some similar challenges to the one provided by the St. Louis Rams’ defense that held the Broncos to seven points — their lowest regular-season total since Jan. 1, 2012 — and no points after halftime, the first time Denver was been shut out in the second half in five years.

“Offensively, it’s a big week for us because you’re only as good as you were last week,” Tamme said. “We’re coming off a game we feel like we didn’t do what we needed to do, and as a team, I think we’re all looking to get better.”

Broncos coach John Fox tried to keep the focus on the big picture: The team is still tied for first place in the AFC West and tied for the conference’s second-best record.

“Sometimes we lose sight of where we are. We’re 7-3, and that (means) the O-line is 7-3, as is the rest of the team,” he said, referring to the offensive line. “At 10-0, I’d probably still expect more, and at 7-3, I expect more. And that’s out of everybody, myself included.”

But 7-3 in Denver is not the same as 7-3 in, say, Detroit.

“I’m pretty sure there are a lot of teams that wish they had our record right now and were in the position that we are,” Knighton said, “but we have such high expectations for ourselves.”

Of course, there are nine AFC teams with three or four losses, and the Broncos’ tiebreaker advantage in the AFC West is fragile and could go out the window if Denver loses at Kansas City on Nov. 30. The Chiefs are on track to hold the common-opponent tiebreaker, which comes into play if the teams split their series and finish with the same division record.

“I’m not worried about position, I’m not worried about that stuff. I’m worried about playing better,” Tamme said. “We’ve got to play better. That’s what we need to do, and if we do that, we’ll be OK. That stuff will take care of itself.

“Playoffs, playoff positioning, you don’t get that stuff unless you go out and win games and play good ball, and that’s what we need to do. We need to play better this weekend.”

NOTES: Tight end Virgil Green (calf) returned to practice Wednesday. … Wide receiver Emmanuel Sanders is going through the post-concussion protocol. He did not practice Wednesday. … Left tackle Ryan Clady was limited in practice due to a groin injury, but he is expected to play Sunday. . . . Among those not practicing were running backs Ronnie Hillman (foot) and Montee Ball (foot) and tight end Julius Thomas (ankle).