CLEVELAND, Ohio (92.3 The Fan) – The Browns look to win their fourth in a row overall and sixth in the last seven games with a win at Denver, which would end the Broncos four-game win streak, Sunday afternoon.
Here’s what, and who we are watching for against the Broncos.
Cleveland’s defense continues to be ranked No. 1 overall since Week 1 allowing just 243.3 yards per game and a league low 143.7 passing yards per game but they’ll be without their top corner in Denzel Ward, who suffered a shoulder injury last week and has already been ruled out. The secondary will be charged with containing Courtland Sutton, who has caught a touchdown in five consecutive games for Denver and his eight touchdowns rank second in the NFL among receivers this season.
Defensive end Myles Garrett leads the NFL with 13 sacks. Garrett has registered a sack in five consecutive games, and he is coming off the 17th career multi-sack game of his career. Fellow defensive ends Za’Darius Smith and Ogbo Okoronkwo have helped bolster Garrett’s impact. Smith has 32 tackles, 2.5 sacks and a forced fumble while Okoronkwo has 24 tackles, 3.5 sacks and a fumble recovery this season.
Rookie quarterback Dorian Thompson-Robinson is coming off his first career NFL win after completing 24 of 43 passes for 165 yards with an interception against Pittsburgh. Newly signed Joe Flacco was not elevated from the practice squad meaning P.J. Walker will be the backup quarterback. Thompson-Robinson faces a Broncos defense that has forced 13 of their 19 turnovers in the last five weeks but ranks 24th against the pass allowing 240.1 yards through the air per game.
Tight end David Njoku led the Browns with a season-high seven catches last week and he looks for at least 50 yards receiving for the fifth time in his last six games.
Amari Cooper remains the leading receiver with 45 catches for 749 yards as he approaches his seventh 1,000-yard season and second straight with the Browns. Cooper will have to contend with cornerbacks Patrick Surtain and Ja’Quan McMillen. Surtain has pass breakups in three of the last four games while McMillan recovered a fumble and intercepted a pass in Week 11. He has recovered a fumble in two straight and picked off a pass in two of three.
Running backs Jerome Ford and Kareem Hunt continue to score touchdowns for the Browns. Ford scored his fifth of the season, third rushing, last week while Hunt leads the team with six touchdowns – all of them rushing. Ford averages 4.1 yards per carry while Hunt is averaging 3.2 but opportunity knocks against the worst run defense in the NFL.
Broncos quarterback Russell Wilson leads the NFL with seven 100-plus rating games, including last week’s win over the Vikings that saw him complete 27 of 35 passes for 259 yards and a touchdown. Wilson, who has 12 touchdowns and one interception in six home games, hasn’t thrown an interception since October 12.
Like the Browns, the Broncos deploy a trio of running backs – Javonte Williams, Samaje Perine and Jaleel McLaughlin. Williams, who caught a touchdown in Cleveland in 2021, has a TD catch in two of the last three games. Perine caught a career-high seven passes last week and his 32 catches rank third among running backs leaguewide this season while McLaughlin’s 19 catches rank fourth among rookies this season.
Broncos linebacker Alex Singleton is a tackling machine. He had 16 of them last week and has had 10 or more tackles in seven of the last eight games.
Last week – Browns beat the Steelers 13-10, Broncos beat the
The last time – October 21, 2021: Browns 17, Broncos 14
Series – Broncos lead 21-7
By the numbers – A look at how the two teams match up statistically.
Browns offense vs. Broncos defense:
Scoring: Browns 22.7, Broncos 26.8
Total yards: Browns 325.8, Broncos 400.1
Passing: Browns 183.1, Broncos 240.1
Rushing: Browns 142.7, Broncos 160.0
Browns defense vs. Broncos offense:
Scoring: Browns 18.0, Broncos 21.7
Total yards: Browns 243.3, Broncos 301.2
Passing: Browns 143.7, Broncos 191.0
Rushing: Browns 99.6, Broncos 110.2
Defensive stats
Sacks: Browns 33, Broncos 19
Takeaways: Browns 15, Broncos 19
Turnover differential: Browns -5, Broncos +6
Projected Browns starters – Offense: WR Amari Cooper, LT Geron Christian, LG Joel Bitonio, C Ethan Pocic, RG Wyatt Teller, RT Dawand Jones, TE David Njoku, WR Elijah Moore, WR Cedric Tillman, QB Dorian Thompson-Robinson, RB Jerome Ford
Defense: DE Myles Garrett, DT Dalvin Tomlinson, DT Jordan Elliott, DT Shelby Harris, DE Za’Darius Smith, LB Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah, CB Greg Newsome II, CB Martin Emerson Jr., SS Grant Delpit, FS Juan Thornhill, CB Mike Ford Jr.
Injury report – OUT: WR Marquise Goodwin (concussion), CB Denzel Ward (shoulder); QUESTIONABLE: S Juan Thornhill (calf), LB Jordan Kunaszyk (knee), LB Anthony Walker (hamstring); EXPECTED TO PLAY: S Grant Delpit (thigh), DE Myles Garrett (ankle), LG Joel Bitonio (knee), TE David Njoku (knee), LB Matthew Adams (knee), RG Wyatt Teller (ankle), RT Dawand Jones (knee), CB Greg Newsome II (calf), Ogbo Okoronkwo (groin), CB Mike Ford Jr. (thumb/ribs)
Uniforms – Orange helmet, white jersey, white pants
Broadcast info – Radio: 92.3 The Fan, 98.5 WNCX; TV: WJW TV-8 (FOX)
Kickoff – 4:03 p.m. Empower Field at Mile High; Denver, Colorado
Prediction – Browns 20, Broncos 16
Our prediction record – 6-4