Cleveland Browns At Denver Broncos Preview and Prediction

The Browns head west to the Mile High City looking to string together their first win streak of the season against the Broncos

Nov 26, 2023; Denver, Colorado, USA; Cleveland Browns defensive end Myles Garrett (95) rushes past Denver Broncos offensive tackle Garett Bolles (72) in the first half at Empower Field at Mile High. Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images / Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images

Denver has been a house of horrors for the Cleveland Browns over the years. The Browns have won just four games in the Mile High City since 1970. The most recent victory came in 2018, in a one-point nail-biter. Before that though, you have to go back to 1990 to find the last time Cleveland won a game in Denver.

At 7-5 on the season, the Broncos are right in the mix for a playoff spot in what many thought was a rebuilding year for the franchise. That so called "rebuild" has been accelerated by the play of rookie quarterback Bo Nix. He's thriving in Sean Payton's offense right now and has Denver well positioned for some meaningful football in the month of December.

Nix may be stealing the headlines, but he has a young and talented team around him. Wide receiver Courtland Sutton is on pace for a career year with Nix. Defensively, star cornerback Patrick Surtain anchors a defense that is yielding the third least points per game this season at a mark of 16.8. That unit is also top 10 in yards allowed per game and is currently the league's best red zone defense, giving up touchdowns on under 40% of their opponents trips inside the 20.

After a three sack effort, Myles Garrett is sure to show up to Denver looking to pick up where he left off in the snow last Thursday. He may also be highly motivated to put up a better performance in Denver this year than he did a season ago. This matchup has all the makings for a defensive struggle.

Who comes out on top?

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Anthony Moeglin: Browns 24, Broncos 21

The Browns head west and keep building some positive momentum they picked up against the Steelers to continue the back half of their season. Nix has been playing very well for the Broncos but the Browns defense will be the best that he has faced in a few weeks and Garrett is playing with a chip on his shoulder right now. After a dud performance in Denver last year, he'll bring a little more in this one.

Despite the fact that Denver has been a tough place for the Browns to play, Winston, Jeudy and Nick Chubb push them to another great win in primetime.

Cole McDaniel: Broncos 20, Browns 14

Even when the Browns should beat the Denver Broncos, they often struggle at Mile High Stadium. In recent history, the Browns fell to the Broncos on the road 24-19 in 2019 and 29-12 last season. In fact, not only do the Broncos lead the all-time series 25-7 but the Browns have only won in Denver four times ever.

This Broncos team does not appear to be anything special despite the surprising 7-5 record. Their wins have come at the expense of the struggling New York Jets, New Orleans Saints, Carolina Panthers and Las Vegas Raiders twice. The two wins where they did happen to impress were against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Week Three and two weeks ago against the Atlanta Falcons.

Denver has virtually no run game this season and if Sutton can be stopped, the offense probably won't get much going. Sure, it may seem that Cleveland should win but that is likely the trap.

I do not trust Cleveland to win back-to-back games this season. Denver should be able to slow down Cleveland's run game and do enough to keep the Browns under 20 points. That will be the key to winning this game.

Dylan Feltovich: Broncos 21, Browns 14

After a shocking Thursday night victory over the Pittsburgh Steelers, the Cleveland Browns are set to take on the Broncos on the road.

Denver's rookie quarterback Bo Nix struggled at the beginning of the season, however, the former Oregon gunslinger found his groove over the past couple of weeks and put himself in the Offensive Rookie of The Year conversation. The combination of Nix's recent play and the Broncos tough defense makes the team a tough matchup for the Browns.

While Cleveland's offense looked serviceable against the Steelers' stout defense, the question becomes whether or not the Browns can keep up against head coach Sean Payton's surging offense.

Spencer German: Broncos 23, Browns 20

Road trips to Denver have not been kind to the Browns over the years. I'm not convinced that discouraging trend ends in 2024.

In some ways the Broncos are a bit of a surprise this season. The fallout of the failed Russell Wilson experiment hasn't set the organization back as far as many thought. That'll happen when a team nails their rookie QB pick. I had my doubts about Nix but he's improved with each week, so much so that he currently boasts the second best odds to win offensive rookie of the year. Sean Payton seems to have nailed his QB of the future.

The Browns provided some great theater on Thursday Night Football last week, and they'll do the same on Monday Night Football in Week 13. This time though, they'll come up a little short of a win, with Nix leading a game-winning drive to break a 20-20 tie in the final minute of play.