Browns Fall Against Broncos
After a big scare in Cleveland, the Broncos victory against the Browns kept the visitors unbeaten despite errors made by Peyton Manning. Faced with the defensive ranked 31st in the league against the running game the Broncos tried to exploit the situation by sending running plays in first and second times during its offensive series but were not as effective but towards the end of the game and the last series in overtime. This would have greatly helped Manning being successful but saw some flashes, especially from Ronnie Hillman. Kubiak needs to find a more effective way to improve their running game.
The defense maintained its level of play but there were times in which the pressure to Josh McCown was not the same as double coverage sent to Browns Miller and Barrett he struggled to remove offensive linemen. Even the injured Shane Ray was a factor. Ware was playing very well and was one of the key to pressure on the opponent’s quarterback and help Von Miller had one man blockades elements. In the end, the Broncos’ defense is still the best team unity and helped once again to get the win.
The Broncos have been suffering from Peyton Manning protection and during this meeting, Cleveland was inefficient when pressing their opponents quarterback and could not get one sack. Rarely they reached and neither charged, Mingo nor Krugger were noted as specialists to capture quarterbacks.
Cleveland and Josh McCown should diversify their passing game because they focus the attack on Travis Benjamin way too much. This makes them very predictable and easing the defensive work. In this game, Benjamin had nine receptions for 117 yards the players who follow him had only three receptions.
Is Manning responsible for the terrible pacing of the offensive?. Certainly not but the reality is that the most important and significant mistakes are being made by the 39-year old veteran quarterback. There have been incomplete passes because of the wide receivers, the running backs may not be effective because the line does not open holes but what’s costing on the scoreboard are the Manning interceptions. It is true that he no longer shows strength in his arm and has even had distractions in reading defenses when he throws right passes when the defense is close to the play.