Browns Will Play Without Pro Bowl Cornerback In Week 12

The Browns will be without perhaps their top secondary player as they look to extend their winning streak to four games

The Browns will be down their top cornerback when they play Sunday against the Broncos in Week 12.

Denzel Ward has been ruled out for the game due to a shoulder injury suffered last Sunday against the Steelers. It’s the first game Ward will miss this season in what’s been another stellar year by the 2018 first-round pick.

Ward, a two-time Pro Bowler, is tied for the team lead with two interceptions and recorded his 10th pass breakup of the season in Week 11, which made him the first player since 1999 (when pass breakups became an official statistic) to have at least 10 pass breakups and two interceptions in each of his first six seasons in the league.

Nov 5, 2023; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Cleveland Browns cornerback Denzel Ward (21) celebrates his broken up pass intended for Arizona Cardinals wide receiver Marquise Brown (2) during the third quarter at Cleveland Browns Stadium / Mandatory Credit: Scott Galvin-USA TODAY Sports

The loss of Ward is certainly significant for the Browns’ defense, but the group should still be able to hold up well against a Broncos passing game that ranks 24th in the league with 191 passing yards per game. Cornerbacks Greg Newsome II and M.J. Emerson Jr. will be tasked with covering Broncos wideouts Courtland Sutton and Jerry Jeudy, who have combined for 928 receiving yards this season.

The Broncos, however, have seen a small resurgence in their pass game over the last month, which has helped Denver build a four-game win streak — Russell Wilson has thrown seven touchdowns and zero interceptions over the last four games but has only topped 200 passing yards in just one of those games.

The Browns own a three-game win streak themselves, but they’ll need to win without perhaps their top secondary player in order to stretch it to four games.