Clean Football Is Necessary Against Denver
Nov 19, 2023; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Cleveland Browns quarterback Dorian Thompson-Robinson (17) throws the ball against the Pittsburgh Steelers during the third quarter at Cleveland Browns Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Scott Galvin-USA TODAY Sports
Even though the Cleveland Browns won’t be playing for first place in the division on Sunday, their matchup vs. the Denver Broncos will still have massive implications. Not only are the Broncos up-and-coming after a slow start, but the Browns have a legitimate shot at the number one seed in the AFC if they can continue to pile up wins.
The Broncos started the season 1-5, which included a loss where the Dolphins put up 70 points on them, but have since won four games straight including wins vs. the Chiefs and Bills. The defense has forced a ton of turnovers and Russell Wilson has finally found his stride.
There is no doubt that this will be a huge challenge on both sides of the ball, but it feels like this is a good matchup for the Browns and they have a good chance of sneaking out with a victory. Below is the perfect game plan to take down the Broncos.
Play a Clean Game:
This could be said any week, but I think the Cleveland Browns playing a clean game is extremely important this week. The combination of the Broncos’ common path to victory and Cleveland’s quarterback situation make this obvious.
Denver has made a living the last few weeks off turnovers. If the Browns offense can avoid a turnover (especially giving the Broncos a short field), I think this one will stay low-scoring which is an advantage for the Browns.
DTR turned the ball over three times in his NFL debut but was substantially better in his second game vs. the Pittsburgh Steelers as he threw no interceptions and was only sacked one time. If the rookie can play mistake free and give this defense a chance to win your game, I feel like it can go the Browns way.
Stefanski’s bunch also needs to keep this game clean in terms of penalties. Costly holding, illegal formations, and various other penalties have killed the Browns on offense. When you have a rookie quarterback you can’t afford to go to first and twenty.
Finally, drops. No more drops. The receivers didn’t do any favors for DTR last week. Elijah Moore and David Njoku both had awful drops on third downs that killed drives that could have turned into points.
The good news is, that DTR should only continue to get better. In his first two starts, he went against the Ravens and Steelers who are two of the better units in the league. And while they only scored 13 points last week, it felt like they were one or two plays away from putting up 27. Playing clean football could get them to that number this week and with a defense like this that could absolutely do the trick.
Stick to the Defensive Plan:
While I’m not too concerned that Jim Schwartz would veer away from his typical defensive strategy with Denzel Ward likely missing the game, it could be tempting. Russell Wilson can be at his best sometimes with pressure, but the Browns tight man-to-man coverage should make things tough on him.
Wilson has gotten his passer rating boosted in the last few weeks, but most of his damage has been done with short passes. So even though the Browns pressure may not be as effective, the Browns tight coverage should be enough to make him hold on to the ball.
What Wilson will tempt you into is blitzing to try and get to Wilson before he can read the field, and then he will hit the quick slant or the stop-and-go and burn you for a touchdown.
The Broncos offensive line has been good this year, but the Browns shouldn’t need to crowd the box to stop the run and leave plenty of help in coverage. Even if Ward misses, the Browns have good depth with Greg Newsome and Martin Emerson on the outside. It will be interesting to see who steps in with Rodney McLeod out for the season.
Overall, the Broncos are a solid team, but I don’t think they are better than Browns right now. I may regret saying this, but I think some teams overlooked the Broncos after their early season struggles. Luckily for the Browns they should have that out of their system.
If Kevin Stefanski can just stick to the plan which includes a lot of runs, screens, and play action, this defense is always going to give you a chance to win the game.
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