Sunday the Denver Broncos will attempt to go 6-0 for the seventh time in franchise history. Out of the six previous times they went 6-0, five times they reached the Super Bowl and once they failed to reach the postseason. Currently they are favored on the road, against a surging Cleveland Browns team. The Broncos can certainly beat the Browns, but the team would like to win handily, after winning almost every week in nail-biting fashion.
Three Broncos can impact the game in ways that almost guarantee a victory. Just a few explosive running plays out of Ronnie Hillman could open up the pass for Peyton Manning, Brandon Marshall will have to curb the sudden high output of receiving yards by tight end Gary Barnidge and Brandon McManus will have to out-kick another perfect kicker, Travis Coon.
3. Ronnie Hillman
Its is safe to say that the Broncos running game has been surprisingly inefficient through five games. Their 71.6 net rushing yards per game is 30th in the NFL and has been a source of immense scrutiny. However, head coach Gary Kubiak, after acknowledging their poor performance in that area, has continued to state that they will stick with it. Hillman will get a big opportunity to have a large role in Sunday’s game.
While the Broncos have struggled to run the ball, Cleveland has been horrific at stopping their opponents running backs. They have allowed an average of 149.4 rushing yards per contest this season, ranking 31st in the NFL. That statistic does not seem to matter to Kubiak, who Friday, put the responsibility on his team first.
“My concerns are with us. Statistics and stuff, looking around this league, if you get too carried away with that stuff, you’re wrong. We’ve got to play better regardless of who we’re playing this weekend. It’s always going to be a point that we think we need to run the ball better to help our team, and we have not done that. We’ve got to keep pushing and find a way to do it. But it’s about us.”
Hillman has been the more explosive back of the two main runners for the Broncos. After five games he has outgained C.J. Anderson 212 yards to 139, for a respectable 4.6 per carry, aided considerably by his fantastic 72-yard touchdown run against the Minnesota Vikings.
The Broncos have moved the ball better in recent weeks, but especially in Oakland, they could not finish drives with touchdowns. The Browns week defense, that has given up touchdowns on 68.2% of opponents red zone drives, should help the Broncos with their running game woes. Hillman looks to be the impact player this week in the running game but Anderson will contribute also and spoke Wednesday about the importance of improving in that area.
“We’ve just got to finish, got to find a way to put the ball in the end zone. We’re driving the ball up and down the field, but we have nothing to show for it. Having total yards, having good drives, sustained drives and nothing to show for it is disappointing at times. It’s something that we’re going to get together. We’ll get it fixed.”
2. Brandon Marshall
Marshall is playing at a truly elite level at inside linebacker on arguably the NFL’s best defense. His tackling ability and speed has been impressive this season and Sunday he will have a tough test in one particular area.
Tight end Gary Barnidge, an eight year veteran, has suddenly become an elite pass catcher in head coach Mike Pettine’s offense. Sunday, Marshall will likely be the player used most often to cover Barnidge. According to the Browns media relations, he is first in third down receptions (11), second in receiving yards (374), second in receiving average (15.6), third in touchdowns (3) and third in receptions (24) among NFL tight ends.
Marshall understands the challenge but takes the responsibility of covering tight ends with a lot of pride each week. He has been studying the breakout season Barnidge is having.
“When we have man coverage we [inside linebackers] have to be on the tight ends,” Marshall said Friday. “He’s a big body guy. I have to really play my technique, try not to get bodied by him. He can body you and make big catches. I take a lot of pride in it because it’s my job.”
Just last week Barnidge caught eight of 10 targets from quarterback Josh McCown for 139 yards and one touchdown. Pettine made it clear on Monday why Barnidge is getting so many looks in the passing offense recently and it highlights why Marshall’s coverage will be so important Sunday at FirstEnergy Stadium.
“If you look at our receivers on the outside, we don’t have big targets. We’re actually the opposite of that. [WR Andrew] Hawkins, [WR Travis] Benjamin and [WR Taylor] Gabriel aren’t the biggest targets, so it’s nice to have that presence in the middle of the field that can make plays. Gary is the ultimate professional. He shows up for work, he knows what to do, he runs his routes, he gets open and he catches the ball.”
- Brandon McManus
McManus is arguably the team MVP through five weeks of the season. He is a perfect 12-for-12 on field goals, has been exceptional on kickoffs and even had a great punt last week against the Oakland Raiders. He has quietly been a major contributor to the team’s 5-0 start, but this week it will be magnified due to the Browns’ own impressive kicker.
Second year kicker, Travis Coons is 11-for-11 this season, including a 32-yard game-winner last week in overtime versus the Baltimore Ravens. However, he his longest made attempt this season is only 43 yards and his kickoffs have been returned over 50 percent of the time. McManus has hit several field goals over 50 yards, including a 57-yard make in Week 1 versus the Ravens. Special teams coach Joe DeCamillis spoke Thursday about facing the Browns, who have been performing well on special teams, and the heightened attention that brings to Sunday’s contest.
“I think our guys definitely have a heightened sense of urgency this week. When you watch No. 11 [Travis Benjamin] back there, I think he’s 15.4 [avg.] and he’s already had a score. He’s got great speed and he’s done it in his career before he was hurt. He was outstanding there, too. It’s going to be a heck of a challenge for us. They’ve got another one, [CB] Justin Gilbert—I believe he was like the tenth pick in the draft—returning kickoffs. They’ve just got a heck of a special teams. They’ve been good.”
McManus remains the top-ranked kicker on Pro Football Focus and last week’s win highlighted why his role is so significant. Raiders kicker and All-Pro Sebastian Janikowski had a field goal blocked and missed another while McManus hit all three of his attempts on a day in which the Broncos offense struggled. Sunday, Kubiak is hoping McManus will be kicking several extra points instead of field goals, but if that does not happen and it once again comes down to the final minutes, McManus needs to win the kicking battle again.
The Broncos cannot overlook any opponents, but looking at the Browns it seems that this could be their chance to “get right” against a struggling defense. For the Broncos stifling defense, they will have to stop McCown and an offense that is averaging 377.4 yards per game. A good day for Hillman, Marshall and McManus would almost certainly mean another Broncos “W.” The Broncos can improve to 6-0 before the bye, get healthy and approach the toughest part of their schedule with another road win.
Prediction: DEN 27, CLEV 16
OTHER NOTES:
The Broncos have dominated the Browns all the way back to John Elway’s early days under center. They hold a 19-5 all-time record against the Browns and are riding a 10-game win streak that dates back to 1991.
Ty Sambrailo (shoulder), DeMarcus Ware (back) were ruled out by Kubiak Friday afternoon. Even Mathis (hamstring), Aqib Talib (ankle), Demaryius Thomas (neck), Juwan Thompson (hamstring) are questionable. Kubiak stated that Thomas and Talib should be able to play while Mathis is trying to work through a hamstring injury that has plagued him for several weeks now.
According to the Browns injury report, they will be without starting free safety Tashaun Gipson (ankle), Pro Bowl cornerback Joe Haden (concussion/finger) and backup weak-side linebacker Craig Robertson (ankle). Their players listed as questionable include starting running back Isaiah Crowell (toe) and middle linebacker Karlos Dansby (ankle).
*All stats provided by the Denver Broncos Media Relations unless otherwise noted
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