Browns vs Broncos: Cleveland may face challenges from three important offensive players

Week 12’s matchup could be interesting for the Browns defense

Week 11 has come and gone, Thanksgiving has passed, and Week 12 has begun.

The Cleveland Browns will go on a two-game west coast journey beginning this Sunday with a must-win game against the Denver Broncos. The Browns last visited Denver in 2019 (while QB Baker Mayfield was still on the team). There’s no need to go over that again.

After a horrible start to the season, Denver Broncos head coach Sean Payton has turned the team around. Many expected Denver to be sellers at the trade deadline, but they resisted and are now on a four-game winning streak.

The unit has been average offensively. This isn’t a criticism, but after watching this squad all season, I have a good idea of who they are. Conservative football that is efficient and does not turn the ball over.

Russell Wilson hasn’t been fixed (I’ll explain why), but he looks better than he did last year. The running back committee of Javonte Williams, Samaje Perine, and undrafted rookie Jaleel Mclaughlin is strong. Cortland Sutton is getting to know Wilson in the receiving room, and Jerry Jeudy is looking for ways to be involved.

After allowing 70 points against the Miami Dolphins, the defense has greatly improved. In terms of defensive effectiveness, they are still dead last, but they have moved up to sixth place since Week 6.

The unit is opportunistic; there are certain holes to exploit, although they have recently played well. letting older players like Randy Gregory and Frank Clark to leave and letting their younger talent to play appears to be the proper move. Safety Justin Simmons is one of the league’s top five safeties, and Patrick Surtain is a top three cornerback.

Jonathon Cooper and Baron Browning, both former Ohio State Buckeyes, have also emerged as effective pass rushers.

Here are my three players to watch for in this week’s Browns vs Broncos:

QB Russell Wilson

Mr. Unlimited. Mr. “Broncos Country, let’s ride.”

The Browns were not the only team to make a splash in the offseason of 20222 by acquiring a quarterback. Denver acquired Russell Wilson from the Seattle Seahawks on the belief that they were one quarterback away from challenging for a Super Bowl.

Last year it was a fiasco and many claimed that Wilson was “washed” (For the older audience, essentially it’s when someone who was good at one point in their career isn’t anymore.Editor’s note: I’m glad Curtiss is starting to think about us old folks.)

Russell was terrible last season, according to the tape and statistics. Denver fired head coach Nathanial Hackett, who is now the offensive coordinator for the New York Jets, and hired Sean Payton (despite having to give up a first-round pick to do so). Wilson appears to be in better shape than last season, but Sean Payton has transformed him into a game manager.

As a Seahawks fan, Russ began to exhibit indications of decline as early as late 2020 and 2021. His athleticism began to wane (as it does with age) and his playmaking began to degrade, but his arm strength remained.

Payton is aware of his quarterback’s limitations, and Wilson has been playing efficient football this season. He hasn’t been spectacular, but he’s been competent enough that Payton hasn’t considered benching him.

Wilson is hardly a pushover for Cleveland; he has one of those highlight plays every now and again. It will be intriguing to see how the Browns defense performs against the Broncos.

WR Courtland Sutton

Courtland Sutton is unquestionably one of the NFL’s underappreciated wide receivers. Sutton has received a lot of attention (mostly due to trade speculations), but on the field, he has been the key man in Denver’s receiving room. Big body, good catch radius, and the ability to make 50/50 receptions.

Sutton is establishing a rapport with his quarterback, just like Wilson was doing with Tyler Lockett. The parallels are striking when it comes to the incredible catches made by Sutton and Lockett as Russell Wilson was tossing the ball to them.