Bridgewater interception was costly as Broncos only have 2 first downs. Denver D gave up easy first-series touchdown.
CLEVELAND — Vic Fangio may have been in serious trouble, but his players haven’t stopped fighting for him. Even if it took a tad too long for the Broncos to put up their dukes.
For a fourth consecutive game, the Broncos were in danger of getting whipped, this time by the injury-riddled Cleveland Browns, who behind backup quarterback Otto Graham, err, Case Keenum, led 10-0 at halftime.
But it was 10-0 after two series so the Denver defense tightened up and Teddy Bridgewater and the Broncos’ offense finally got going with a sustained touchdown drive to start the second half. Bridgewater hit running back Melvin Gordon III out of the backfield for an 8-yard touchdown pass, drawing the Broncos within, 10-7 midway through the third quarter.
Fangio and offensive coordinator Pat Shurmur have received the brunt of criticism from Broncos fans, who are tired of losing and at wit’s end with below-average offensive football. The Broncos’ offense had just two first downs at halftime — then piled up 7 first downs on their second half opening drive.
The Broncos began 2021 by going 3-0 in the preseason and looking good doing it, and then 3-0 in the regular season, and won all three decisively.
But then the schedule toughened and the Broncos have not responded well. They lost 24-7 to pass-happy Lamar Jackson and the Ravens. They fell behind 24-6 before losing to the Steelers. They were down 31-10 last week to the head coach-less Raiders.
And through two defensive series here Thursday night against a Browns’ offense that played with quarterback Baker Mayfield, running backs Nick Chubb and Kareem Hunt, and right tackle Jack Conklin, the Denver D quickly fell behind 10-0.
The Browns — again without the injured Chubb, Hunt, and Conklin — had 46 yards off their first four carries. On the first drive, a running back named D’Ernest Johnson ran as if the Denver D wasn’t there, running for 20 yards, 10 yards to first and goal at the 4, and then a 4-yard touchdown. His runs were set up by a play action completion by Keenum, then a 34-yard tight end screen to Austin Hooper. A former Bronco, Keenum has been playing well, completing 12 of 18 for 124 yards at the half.
The 5-play, 75-yard game-opening drive was ridiculously easy.
To start their next drive, another no-name Browns running back, Demetric Felton, rushed for 12 yards on his first carry. A third running back, John Kelly, who was just signed this week, rushed for 11 yards on his first carry.
“Their running game—let’s say it’s here,’’ said Broncos safety Justin Simmons on Tuesday while raising his hand to shoulder level. “Then with (Nick) Chubb and Kareem Hunt—they’re great players, so they elevate it. Their running game is still here overall in the system with their o-line and the backs that they have. Really whoever’s in the backfield, we know they’re going to have great blocking, and we know that they’re capable of running the football well. As a defense, you’ve got to be able to be a force in the run game and stop that, and that’s what it’s going to take.”
No doubt the Broncos miss their two starting inside linebackers, Alexander Johnson and Josey Jewell, who are both finished for the season because of pectoral tears. And one of their replacements, Micah Kiser, left with a groin injury during the second defensive series, which ended with Cleveland’s Chase McLaughlin booted a 52-yard field goal for a 10-0 lead.
For most of the game, the Broncos’ inside linebackers were Curtis Robinson, a practice squad player most of the season, and Justin Strnad, who was supposed to be a third-down coverage linebacker until injuries hit.
Still, the Denver D could have put up a better fight early. Von Miller, the Broncos’ star pass rusher, tried to inspire his team by guaranteeing he would play well and was going “to kill” the the right tackle he didn’t know (Blake Hance). Miller had a hit on Keenum but no sacks. And he left the game late in the first half with an ankle injury.
For every Joe Namath who makes good on a public guarantee, there are for more Fred “The Hammer” Williamsons who have to eat their words.
It was Broncos’ defensive tackle Shelby Harris who delivered inspiration late in the first half when he sacked Keenum and then blocked a 41-yard field goal attempt that would have given the Browns a 13-0 lead.
To the Denver D’s credit, it did stiffen after the first drive.
Broncos’ quarterback Teddy Bridgewater tried to answer with a heroic effort, if not performance. Battling a foot injury all week, Bridgewater made it to the game, then made a beautiful 31-yard throw to the crick of Courtland Sutton’s right elbow to put the Broncos in field goal range. But after the change of field to start the second quarter, his throw into the end zone for John Brown was easily picked off by Browns’ safety John Johnson III.
Bridgewater and the offense got little going after the pick. At halftime, the Broncos had just two first downs, beating their previous low for inefficiency when they had just three first downs in the first half against Pittsburgh.
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