Denver Broncos look to continue historical dominance of Cleveland Browns

The Denver Broncos will be in desperation mode on Thursday Night Football, looking to get their season back on track.

Following three straight losses in which the Broncos have been thoroughly outplayed in each game, they now head to FirstEnergy Stadium on a short week to face what many thought would be one of the AFC’s best teams this season.

That has not been the case as the Cleveland Browns also sit at 3-3 and will be missing a host of important players for this game, including starting quarterback Baker Mayfield.

It was thought early in the week that the Broncos could be going up against one of their old starting quarterbacks in Case Keenum. That is now confirmed.

This will be Keenum’s first start as a member of the Browns, but Broncos fans know him well as he was the team’s starting quarterback for all 16 games of the 2018 season.

Though history won’t have an impact on Thursday night’s game, it is still fun to discuss. And the Browns are a team that the Broncos have historically dominated.

Here are just a few fun facts from this series.

• Denver has defeated the Browns in the AFC Championship Game three times.
• Two of those games featured “The Drive” and “The Fumble”, two key pieces of Denver history. 
• These two teams have met 30 times in all and the Broncos have won 24 of them. 
• The Broncos actually hold an 11-2 all-time advantage in games played in Cleveland. 
• The Browns have not beaten Denver in Cleveland since October 1989, 32 years ago. 

In that game, Matt Bahr kicked a 48-yard field goal as time expired to break a 13-13 tie. The Browns’ only other win at home over Denver came back in 1974, a 2-point victory. The Broncos could easily be undefeated in Cleveland.

So what does that mean for the game on Thursday? Well, not much. But it’s still interesting how the Broncos have made things quite difficult for the Browns and their fans over the years.

Fans who have cheered on the Browns for decades likely still hold a major grudge against John Elway and the Broncos.

Broncos have a chance against banged-up Browns

This is a different age and both franchises are going to be hungry for a win to avoid going to 3-4 in a tough AFC conference. Because the Broncos have been outscored by 34 points in their last three games, it’s easy to pick the Browns at home, but the fact that Cleveland is missing the following players could make it a little bit tougher.

• QB Baker Mayfield
• RB Nick Chubb
• RB Kareem Hunt
• LB Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah

In addition, wide receiver Odell Beckham and both starting tackles, Jedrick Wills and Jack Conklin have been limited in practice and are listed as questionable for the game. Wide receiver Jarvis Landry, who has missed most of this season, has been designated for return from injured reserve but is also questionable for the game.

The Broncos have looked about as bad as any team in the league of late but this depleted Browns squad could be just what the doctor ordered. Browns fans likely wouldn’t be surprised if their team suffered another letdown against the orange and blue, as that has happened a time or two since the teams began playing way back in 1970.