When The Man(ning) Comes Around: Browns – Broncos Preview

Peyton Manning sits atop his steed. The sun hangs low in the Colorado sky, threatening to drop behind the mountains at any moment. Manning adjusts the straw in his mouth, and the light dances off his Super Bowl XLI ring. His shadow grows longer every day as he continues his ride east. Many claim he has lost a step in his relative old age, but his remains the quickest trigger in the west. As he passes the edge of town, a local calls out to the quarterback. “Say! Where y’all headin’?” Manning regards him as harmless as a napping free safety. He growls, “Cleveland” and the wagon train rolls along.

Familiar Faces

CB Bradley Roby – Ohio State. A second year cornerback, Roby played in the first five games in 2015, recording an interception and a scoop-and-score touchdown against Kansas City. Roby played well as a Buckeye; in 2012, he scored touchdowns on a fumble recovery, blocked punt, and pick-six. In 37 starts at OSU, he recorded eight interceptions and 44 passes defended.

DL Derek Wolfe – Cincinnati. Wolfe made his 2015 debut last week against Oakland with five tackles in a 16-10 victory. In 38 games as a Bearcat, Wolfe amassed 19.5 sacks, which rank him fourth all-time in Cincinnati history. At 6-foot-5 and 285 pounds, Wolfe would displace a lot of water if submerged.

S T.J. Ward – Oregon. The Browns drafted Ward 38th overall in 2010. Ward improved every year in Cleveland and earned a Pro Bowl berth in 2013 with 123 tackles, 1.5 sacks, two interceptions, a forced fumble, and ten defended passes. In 2014, Ward signed a four-year, $23 million dollar deal with Denver, and said this week that the Browns never offered him a contract. Ward is playing well this season with two forced fumbles, two sacks, and 26 tackles.

Last Win: Week 5 1990, Browns 30 @ Broncos 29

Twenty-five years have passed since the last Cleveland victory over Denver. Let me drop a few names on you: Brian Brennan. Kevin Mack. Webster Slaughter. All three caught a touchdown pass from gunslinging Bernie Kosar that October day. John Elway and the Broncos led 29-20 in the fourth quarter, but Bernie led the Browns on a comeback. His pass to Brennan brought the margin to two points and a 30-yard Jerry Kauric field goal sealed the Browns victory in the Mile High City. How much time has passed since this victory? Johnny Manziel had not yet been born.

Last Loss: Week 16 2012, Browns 12 @ Broncos 34

The Broncos and Browns last met three years ago in Colorado. While Cleveland was playing out the string, Denver prepared for a playoff run. The Broncos took an early lead and led wire-to-wire. Peyton Manning threw for 339 yards, three touchdowns, and an interception. Brandon Weeden started the game, but left due to injury so Colt McCoy finished the contest. Neither Cleveland quarterback played especially well in an easy Denver victory.

Undefeated through five games, Denver’s strength comes from their defense. The Broncos have allowed 79 points on the season, good for second-best in the league. The team ranks first with 1,390 yards allowed. Offensively, the usually trusty Peyton Manning has not shown his usual accuracy; he has thrown six touchdowns to seven interceptions along with 1,234 yards. The running game could be doing more to shoulder the load; tailbacks C.J. Anderson and Ronnie Hillman have combined for 351 yards and only two touchdowns on the ground. No doubt they look forward to playing the Browns’ porous run defense.

Despite Manning’s struggles, Browns head coach Mike Pettine knows better than to underestimate the future Hall of Famer. ” I just know having gone against him he’s always been ultra-prepared and had a great deal of success. You have to have a lot of things go right for you and play well at a lot of positions to have success against him.”

Pettine also confirmed that his own starting QB, Josh McCown, took all the first team reps at practice on Thursday and he expects the veteran to start on Sunday. Fresh off a 457-yard performance that won him AFC Offensive Player of the Week honors, McCown faces a much tougher challenge with the Broncos’ stout defense. So how does one contend with Denver’s D? Pettine knows, “We can’t relax for a second. You do that against this team and you are looking at second-and-18.”

Pettine also expects running back Robert Turbin to make his Cleveland debut against Denver. It will be interesting to see how he shares playing time among Turbin, Isaiah Crowell, and Duke Johnson, Jr.

Browns fans do not shy away from sharing their opinion of the Denver Broncos. To present a balanced view, I spoke with my friend Jared Voss, a lifelong Broncos fan, for his perspective on the matchup. On the season, Jared feels the Broncos undefeated run comes with a little help. “[We are] lucky to be where we are right now… Defense deserves a lot of the credit for where we are… Need to have adjustments on the offense.” While some media members are wondering if Peyton is beyond his prime, Jared thinks it would be a mistake to make that assumption. “Manning knows a good situation when he sees one. People hyper-analyze his throwing motion now knowing how good he can be, comparing him to what he was.” Jared supports more autonomy for No. 18. “Give him the playbook and let him call the plays.”

For the matchup, Jared says he is “not really threatened by the Browns.” I brought up a few of the famous matchups from years past — 1986, 1987, and 1989 AFC Title games — but he refused to point to those as sources of his confidence. “A legacy of beating a team does not mean we beat them every time.” Still, Jared believes the Broncos can defeat the Browns on Sunday, expecting a 35-14 final score. As Jared put it, “It’s a pretty good time to be a Broncos fan.”

Manning’s wagon train rolls up Alfred Lerner Way. He appraises the building before him. “New name, same result.” Since the Browns returned the NFL in 1999, the Broncos are 2-0 in Cleveland Browns Stadium and Peyton Manning is 4-0 on the shores of Lake Erie.¹ As he dismounts, Manning sees the Browns players watching from within the building. Fresh off an emotional victory in Baltimore, the team stands tall, unintimidated by their opponent. Joe Thomas walks out brimming with Midwestern hospitality. “Welcome to Cleveland, Peyton.” He extends a hand, but when Peyton accepts it Thomas pulls him in close and whispers, “Saddle up, old man.”

1. Manning’s first three wins came with the Indianapolis Colts. [↩]