The Denver Broncos finally gave their fans something to cheer about on Sunday, defeating the Cleveland Browns 24-19. With the win, the Broncos get to 3-6 on the year.
The Browns are a struggling franchise and the Broncos were able to take advantage of that. It was also nice to see the play of a new quarterback as well as some other young players fans have been waiting to see break out.
At 3-6, it’s still hard to get excited about a playoff push for this team, but on this night, the Broncos were able to make the big plays at the end when they needed to.
Winner: Brandon Allen
What a day for this guy, right? Allen only completed 12 passes in the game, but he also protected the ball, made all the right reads and threw two touchdown passes.
Fans of the Broncos have become so accustomed to bad quarterback play that this was a refreshing performance. Those who say the team has found its quarterback of the future need to pump the brakes, but Allen looked solid in his new role.
Loser: Joe Flacco
As a direct result of the way Allen played, Flacco took a loss in this game.
I stated earlier that the team has already seen enough from Flacco and that becomes more and more evident with each passing game. The offense looked better and the team played better than it has all season with Flacco in this game.
Big dead money hit or not, the Broncos need to move on from Flacco next season.
Winner: Phillip Lindsay
Lindsay looked like the kind of explosive back he was as a rookie last season, something that has been missing this year.
He had three carries in this game which gained 15 yards or more, including a 30-yard touchdown run. He also gained 16 yards late in the game on a direct snap from the Wildcat formation. The first down clinched the victory for the Broncos.
Loser: Diontae Spencer
Spencer is normally just a return man for the Broncos, but he got some extra offensive snaps in this game. He caught one pass in the game and on that play, he fumbled the ball. Cleveland recovered and he left with an injury.
That’s the hat trick in a bad way.
That fumble led to three points for the Browns, who recovered the ball deep in Denver territory.
Winner: Noah Fant
It took Fant half the season to look like a first-round pick, but he definitely did on Sunday. He scored on the game’s biggest play, a 75-yard touchdown in the second quarter.
Fant caught about a 10-yard pass, slipped a few tackles as he got to the sideline and then showed some incredible speed as he raced to the end zone.
He finished the game with three catches for 115 yards and the score.
Winner: Courtland Sutton
Sutton also found the end zone in this game, making an amazing play on a 21-yard touchdown catch in the first quarter with one of the league’s best young corners, Denzel Ward, right there to make the play.
He had six catches for 56 yards and the touchdown in this game. He is really beginning to establish himself as a true No. 1 option for this team.
Winner: A.J. Johnson
Man, it’s fun to watch this guy play. It’s even more fun when you consider that he is an inside linebacker, a position that has been a problem for the Broncos for many years.
Johnson led the team with 13 tackles in this game, six of which were solo tackles. He has really stepped up and become an exciting piece in this defense.
