CLEVELAND — It wasn’t exactly a must-win game, but it was as close as it could be in week seven of an NFL season. Coming into Thursday night’s game with the Cleveland Browns the Denver Broncos found themselves at 3-3 and tied for last place in the AFC North. Falling to 3-4 with a total of six games left against the Ravens, Steelers and Bengals would leave Cleveland facing a mile-high climb to get back into AFC North chase. Instead, the Browns rode a wave of early energy and the legs of D’Ernest Johnson to beat the team from the mile-high city 17-14 and the difference between waking up 4-3 and 3-4 can’t be overstated.
There is no question the Browns came into week seven feeling the pressure. With Baker Mayfield, Nick Chubb and Kareem Hunt all unavailable and injuries to wide receivers and offensive lineman, there was actually a chance the Browns would start the game with more back-ups than starters on offense. But with First Energy Stadium pulsating with crowd power, Case Keenum and the Browns came out on the opening drive and could not have looked any better.
Keenum got warmed up with a pair of quick passes to Jarvis Landry and Austin Hooper, then it was time for D’Ernest Johnson to electrify the home crowd. Johnson carried 3 straight times on runs of 20, 10 and finally four yards to cap a five play, 75-yard drive that took just 2:40.
It was exactly what Kevin Stefanski and the Browns needed. You could almost hear the crowd collectively exhale.
The rest of the first half was a mix of great Browns defense and adequate play by the Cleveland offense that couldn’t quite finish like it did with that impressive opening drive. The Broncos drive chart in the first half consisted of three series of three and outs and another that ended in the end zone with an interception.
Despite moving the ball well, the Browns would manage just three first half points after the opening drive having another attempted field goal blocked. The Browns outgained the Broncos 190-66 in the first half. They won the time of possession 21:11 to 8:49, yet their inability to finish drives left them with just a 10-0 halftime lead.
The second half was dominated by long clock-consuming drives. Broncos offensive coordinator Pat Shurmer won the battle of halftime adjustments as Teddy Bridgewater, who led Denver to just two first half first downs, opened the second half scoring by leading the Broncos on a 13 play, 79-yard touchdown drive chewing up 7:12 of game clock. Denver, who looked dead in the water at halftime, had pulled within three points at 10-7.
That’s when Keenum stood up and proved he is worthy of the hefty $6 million backup QB salary he demands. Keenum is a seasoned veteran. He’s been in the big moments. He’s the same guy that filled in for the injured Sam Bradford in 2017 and led the Vikings on an 11-3 run to make the playoffs. He’s also the guy who threw one of the most memorable passes in Vikings history, beating the Saints in the first round of the playoffs with the miracle in Minneapolis.
Is he flashy? Nope. Is he electric? Not exactly. But he is very workman-like.
He makes big throws when he needs to. He has a complete command of this offense and did not try to do too much. He didn’t make throws that put his team in bad position. When the Browns needed an answer, he came through. He spread the ball around, connecting on 21 of his 33 -- but perhaps most impressive was the fact his 21 completions went to 10 different pass catchers. After his only touchdown pass of the night stretched the lead back to 10 at 17-7, he would have to answer one more time.
After the teams traded punts, Denver again had little trouble moving through the Browns defense. Bridgewater led a 17 play, 80-yard drive to cut the lead to three at 17-14. But the Browns offense was up to the task of picking up a few critical first downs to run out the final 5:17 to win 17-14 moving to 4-3.
The final drive was a thing of beauty. D’Ernest Johnson would carry eight times on the drive with three of those carries picking up first downs and allowing Cleveland to kill the clock.
Game ball? That’s easy. Johnson. In his first NFL start, Johnson carried 22 times for 146 yards and a touchdown. Add on 22 yards on two receptions and it’s easy to see why the game ball went to him.
Was it pretty? Not always. There were plenty of penalties, nine for 60 yards, but all in all it was a Cleveland-style win. It was gritty and hard-fought. They didn’t turn the ball over and they possessed the ball almost a full quarter more than the Broncos. They picked up critical third downs and held the Broncos to just 41 rushing yards. This one is certainly one to build on. 4-3 feels so much better than 3-4. Now, it’s time to rest up, heal up, then start to think about the Steelers at First Energy Stadium on Halloween.