Cleveland (3-8) at Denver (7-5)
Monday, 8:15 EST, ESPN.
BetMGM NFL Odds: Broncos by 5 1/2.
Against the spread: Browns 4-7; Broncos 9-3.
Series record: Broncos lead 25-7.
Last meeting: Broncos beat Browns 29-12 on Nov. 26, 2023, in Denver.
Last week: Browns beat Steelers 24-19; Broncos beat Raiders 29-19.
Browns offense: overall (29), rush (29)), pass (21), scoring (30)
Browns defense: overall (21), rush (24), pass (T-15), scoring (22)
Broncos offense: overall (23), rush (23), pass (22), scoring (22)
Broncos defense: overall (3), rush (6), pass (9), scoring (3)
Turnover differential: Browns minus-7 ; Broncos plus-2.
Browns player to watch
WR Jerry Jeudy. He returns to Denver, where he was a first-round draft pick in 2020 and mostly a disappointment before being traded to the Browns in March and signing a three-year, $58 million extension. Jeudy’s been on a nice roll, catching 19 passes in his past three games while developing chemistry with QB Jameis Winston. Jeudy is averaging 94.8 yards per game since Week 8.
Broncos player to watch
WR Courtland Sutton. He's come on strong with five consecutive games of 70-plus receiving yards and last week posted his first career game with multiple touchdown catches when he caught a pair of TD throws from surging rookie QB Bo Nix. Rookie wide receivers Devaughn Vele and Troy Franklin are also coming on strong, but Sutton is Nix's safety valve whenever Denver needs a big play.
Key matchup
Browns CB Denzel Ward vs. Sutton. A three-time Pro Bowler, Ward may be having his best season as a pro and leads the league with 17 passes defensed. As always, he'll be given the toughest assignment and this week's that's Sutton, who has 36 catches and 467 yards in his past five games.
Key injuries
Browns: WR Cedric Tillman is still in concussion protocol after getting hurt against the Steelers. ... LT Jedrick Wills Jr. (knee) has missed the past two games and didn't practice through Friday. ... LB Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah (neck) has another week on injured reserve before he's eligible to return. The team has given no specifics on a timeline. ... S Juan Thornhill (calf) got hurt in practice on Monday and could be limited or out.
Broncos: DE Zach Allen is dealing with a heel injury that kept him out last week and CB Riley Moss is dealing with a knee injury he sustained against the Raiders last week.
Series notes
The Broncos have dominated the series and delivered two of Cleveland’s most painful sports moments with “The Fumble” and “The Drive” in consecutive AFC championship games in the late 80s. ... The Browns are 1-7 in their past eight visits to the Mile High City. ... Denver won 11 straight regular-season games over Cleveland from 1991-2015.
Stats and stuff
The Browns are coming in well rested after having not played since beating the Steelers in the snow last Thursday. ... While Cleveland's playoff hopes are infinitesimal, the team has a chance to play spoiler down the stretch. ... Winston has gone 2-2 as a starter since replacing Deshaun Watson, who suffered a season-ending Achilles tendon tear on Oct. 20. ... Winston has averaged 295.8 yards passing since Week 8, second only to Cincinnati's Joe Burrow (317.3). ... Winston credits his time with Broncos coach Sean Payton in New Orleans as pivotal in his growth as a player. ... RB Nick Chubb had two short TD runs in his first game against the Steelers since injuring his knee in Pittsburgh last season. ... DE Myles Garrett boosted his chances of repeating as the AP Defensive Player of the Year after a dominant performance against the Steelers — three sacks, including a strip-sack while outplaying friendly rival T.J. Watt. ... Garrett is just 1 1/2 sacks shy of 100 for his career. ... Garrett is the only NFL player to have at least 10 sacks in each of the past seven seasons. He's also on an illustrious list of players to do it, joining Lawrence Taylor (1984-90) Reggie White (1985-93), Bruce Smith (1992-98), John Randle (1992-99) DeMarcus Ware (2006-12) and Jared Allen (2007-13). All but Allen are Hall of Famers. ... Ward leads the NFL with 17 passes defensed. ... Cleveland is 18-19 on Monday night. ... The Broncos are two games above .500 for the first time since starting out the 2021 season with three victories under Vic Fangio. ... QB Bo Nix's 16 touchdown throws are a team rookie record. ... Last weekend Nix became the 14th rookie in NFL history to have three consecutive games with more than 200 yards passing and multiple touchdown throws. Texans QB CJ Stroud accomplished the feat last season. ... K Wil Lutz scored a career-high 17 points in Denver’s 29-19 win at Las Vegas last week, nailing all five of his field goals (a career best) and both extra points. He kicked two 50-plus-yard field goals in a game for the first time in his nine-year career. ... Lutz became the fifth Denver player to be AFC player of the week. He also won the special teams honor in Week 3. ... The Broncos' 44 sacks are the most by the team through 12 games since 1986 (47 sacks). ... DE Nik Bonitto has 10 sacks, making him the first Denver defender to have double digits in QB takedowns since Bradley Chubb (12) and Von Miller (14 1/2) did it in 2018.
Fantasy tip
Broncos defense. Denver is ranked in the top seven in four major defensive categories, and the Broncos have allowed fewer than 20 points eight times this season. The Browns have scored 20 points or more just twice this season.
___
AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/nfl
