Browns (5-7-1) at Broncos (6-7)
W .......... Seattle .......... 27-24 W ......... Oakland ......... 20-19 L ...... at Baltimore ...... 27-14 L ....... Kansas City ....... 27-23 L ........ at N.Y. Jets ........ 34-16 L ........ L.A. Rams ........ 23-20 W ....... at Arizona ....... 45-10 L .... at Kansas City .... 30-23 L ......... Houston ......... 19-17 Nov. 11 .............. Bye ............. W ...... at Chargers ...... 23-22 W ....... Pittsburgh ....... 24-17 W ..... at Cincinnati ..... 24-10 L ...... at San Fran . ...... 20-14 Dec.15...Cleveland...8:20 Dec. 24 ...at Oakland ...8:15 Dec. 30 L.A. Chargers 4:25
Saturday, 8:20 p.m. ET, Broncos Stadium at Mile High, Denver
TV: NFL Network
Danny Sheridan’s line: by 3
Broncos’ keys to victory: Denver’s offense can’t get too one-dimensional against Cleveland’s underrated defense. After trading away WR Demaryius Thomas and losing WR Emmanuel Sanders to injury, the Broncos are thin at receiver. Still, Denver has to do more than line up and run the ball every play. On defense, the Broncos need to slow down Browns star RB Nick Chubb.
Browns’ keys to victory: Cleveland’s defense needs to focus on stopping Denver’s rushing attack. That’s easier said than done because the Broncos have two talented rookie rushers in Phillip Lindsay and Royce Freeman. If the Browns can stack the box and shut down the run, they shouldn’t have to worry about QB Case Keenum beating them through the air. On offense, QB Baker Mayfield needs to protect the football and allow Chubb to do most of the heavy lifting. Denver’s defense forced nine turnovers during their three-game winning streak before a loss to the 49ers. Mayfield can’t afford to have any big blunders.
Matchup to watch: Browns WR Jarvis Landry vs. Broncos CB Bradley Roby. After CB Chris Harris broke his leg in Week 13, Roby filled in as the team’s top cornerback. Landry (790 yards) is Cleveland’s leading receiver.
Who wins? The Browns might be a better team than their record suggests, but the same could be said of the Broncos. Denver has won three of four games since its bye week and the Broncos seem to always have the upper hand when playing at home.
Broncos, 24-17 Broncos