The Denver Broncos can take a major step toward a postseason berth when they host the Cleveland Browns on Monday night.
Denver (7-5) has won two straight games since falling to division rival Kansas City on a last-second blocked field goal. The Broncos enter Week 13 holding the seventh and final AFC playoff spot, and their bye awaits on the other side of “Monday Night Football” to reset them for the home stretch.
Optimism is on the rise in the Rocky Mountains after the Broncos completed a season sweep of the Las Vegas Raiders with a 29-19 road win last week.
“To come here and take care of business and get the win — the tide is turning,” receiver Courtland Sutton said postgame. “The Broncos are in the spot we want to be in, back in the AFC West (race), and that’s an exciting spot to be in.”
To notch their eighth win of the campaign, which would match last year’s total, the Broncos will have to defeat a Cleveland team that has won two of its past four games since Jameis Winston took over at quarterback for the injured Deshaun Watson.
The Browns (3-8) got 10 days between games after surprising the Pittsburgh Steelers 24-19 on “Thursday Night Football.” Winston threw for 219 yards and ran for a touchdown in the snow.
Winston and Broncos coach Sean Payton overlapped with the New Orleans Saints in 2020 and 2021. Winston became Payton’s starter for part of 2021 and went 5-2, and Payton on Wednesday praised his former QB’s “natural leadership abilities” while not discounting the 30-year-old’s talent.
“He has tremendous arm strength,” Payton said. “He can get the ball down the field. He can get rid of it, and he can still slide up in the pocket and run.”
Cleveland’s season may look lost on paper, but Winston is bringing a positive vibe after the team’s ugly 1-6 start under Watson. After downing both the Baltimore Ravens and the Steelers, can the Browns trip up another AFC team above .500?
“Getting a win in this league is important regardless of who the opponent is,” Winston said. “And I know this is a great defense, I know that it’s a young kid from Alabama that’s playing some great football right now, so I think that will be an important win for the Cleveland Browns to go and scratch away a win in Denver.”
The young kid from Alabama is rookie quarterback Bo Nix, the former Auburn and Oregon star who followed up a 307-yard, four-touchdown game against the Atlanta Falcons with 273 yards and two TD passes against Las Vegas.
Nix has been sacked just once in each of the Broncos’ past two wins, but facing Myles Garrett is another prospect entirely. The reigning NFL Defensive Player of the Year had three sacks and a forced fumble against Pittsburgh and was named AFC Defensive Player of the Week.
Garrett ranks among the league leaders with 10 sacks, 13 tackles for loss and three forced fumbles.
“Happy for Myles, and also recognize that it takes everybody to achieve those (awards),” Browns coach Kevin Stefanski said. “But what Myles is doing play in and play out, game in and game out, with the amount of attention that he gets play in and play out, is pretty impressive.”
This game also brings Cleveland receiver Jerry Jeudy back to Denver after the Broncos traded him to the Browns in March. Jeudy has broken out while playing with Winston, collecting 24 catches for 379 yards and a touchdown in the past four games.
Nix was limited on Denver’s estimated practice report Thursday with a back injury, as was defensive lineman John Franklin-Myers (shoulder). Cornerback Riley Moss (knee) sat out.
For Cleveland, tight end Geoff Swaim (concussion), wide receiver Cedric Tillman (concussion), left tackle Jedrick Wills Jr. (knee) and safety Juan Thornhill (calf) were out Thursday.
The Browns designated rookie cornerback Myles Harden to return to practice, opening his 21-day window. He had been on the IR with a shin injury since Sept. 12. He was limited Thursday, along with corner Greg Newsome II (abdomen) and tackle Germain Ifedi (biceps).
–Field Level Media