The door is ajar for North Queensland to make a play for the NRL top four but to bash it down they must fix defensive lapses to beat Brisbane in Townsville on Saturday night.
The Cowboys, on 28 points, are just two points behind fourth-placed Cronulla after winning four of their last six games.
They showed defensive grit in several of those outings, most notably the 16-6 away win over Penrith.
The defensive frailties that were exposed earlier in the season reared their head again in the 48-30 win over Wests Tigers last week at Leichhardt Oval where the hosts scored three of their six tries after Justin Olam had been sent off.
No side in the NRL era has won the title from outside the top four and the Cowboys, who have a bye to come, are aware they cannot let down their guard against the Broncos who have been heavily criticised this week for their poor form.
"We win our games off the back of our defence and if we can get our line speed and tackles right the rest of our game just flows," co-captain Tom Dearden said.
"Defence is so important at this time of year and in particular heading into finals so that is where our focus is going to be."
Fullback Scott Drinkwater has been in electric form in attack and mostly solid defensively but he noted a slip in the side's intensity against the Tigers.
"I think our attitude changed when they went down to 12 men. Up until then we were going pretty solid," Drinkwater said.
"Once Justin went off our defence fell away. The main takeaways are about attitude and knowing what can happen if (the opposition) goes down to 12 men if you are not ready to go contact-wise."
The Cowboys have not beaten the Broncos since 2022 and Drinkwater said their 14th position on the ladder was no cause for complacency.
"They will be fast and physical," he said.
"They have been criticised by a lot of people and they will have a point to prove."
