After a week of preparation, the Browns will travel to Denver to take on the Broncos on Monday Night Football.
The Broncos are riding a two-game winning streak and have lost just twice at home this season. They hold a 7-5 record this season and are third in the AFC West.
"This is a very, very good team," head coach Kevin Stefanski said. "Very impressed with their tape. I think they're very talented, very well-coached on all three sides of the ball."
Here are three questions to consider going into the Browns' primetime matchup against the Broncos in Week 13.
Will WR Jerry Jeudy continue his emergence as the Browns' go-to receiver?
On the Browns' game-winning drive against the Steelers in Week 12, QB Jameis Winston turned to WR Jerry Jeudy in key moments that kept the drive, and the Browns' hopes of winning the game, alive.
Jeudy caught a short pass from Winston on fourth down in Pittsburgh territory after Stefanski said he had decided they were too far from the goalposts to attempt a field goal in the wintery conditions. Three plays later, Winston and Jeudy connected on third down for a 15-yard gain that set up RB Nick Chubb's game-winning touchdown.
Through Winston's four games as a starter, Jeudy has averaged just under 95 receiving yards per game, adding a touchdown.
"Well, the simple thing, he's been open," Winston said on Jeudy's recent increase in production. "I think we've schemed up some great things to get him open, and he's just a great receiver. [...] But when you see your wide receiver one in Jerry Jeudy, block, make effort plays for Nick Chubb, make effort plays for the offensive line, you know that he is embracing the entire part of being a football player. And I think Jerry Jeudy is one of the best football players I've played with."
Part of Jeudy's success, Stefanski said, is due to his ability to run a large number of routes, keeping opposing defensive backs guessing. Additionally, Jeudy's growing connection with Winston has allowed him to improvise after plays break down.
Against the Saints in Week 11, Winston was flushed out of the pocket and had to throw on the run. Jeudy adjusted his route to make himself an easier target for Winston, secured the catch and ran 89 yards untouched for the score.
"We do work it, but it is quite a bit of instincts," Stefanski said on Jeudy's ability to improvise. "It becomes pickup basketball, becomes fast-break basketball, where there are rules, but you also play with a feel. And I think that's important for the quarterback, and it's also important for all the guys that are filling the wing, looking for a layup to work with the quarterback."
Jeudy, who spent the first four seasons of his career in Denver, will likely see several matchups against CB Pat Surtain II, who has three interceptions and just one touchdown allowed in 11 games, per NFL Pro.
"It's going to be a fun matchup. I've known Pat since little league, I've been competing against him for nearly my whole life," Jeudy said. "So, to finally get the opportunity to compete against him on this big stage, it's going to be fun."
Will the Browns be able to establish the run against the stingy Broncos defense?
RB Nick Chubb had his best game of the season in Week 12 against the Steelers, carrying the ball 20 times for 59 yards and two touchdowns. His previous season-high in carries was 16, which came in Week 8 against the Ravens.
To Chubb, who made his 2024 season debut in Week 8 against the Bengals after returning from a season-ending knee injury in Week 2 of the 2023 season, it was just another win.
"It obviously feels good to get a win against a division opponent, but other than that, it's a regular game. Happy to be back with the boys, getting a win against a great rival we've got here, but other than that, it just felt good to win," Chubb said.
In order for Chubb and the Browns to build their first winning streak of the season, establishing the run against a talented Broncos defense will be important. The Broncos are allowing the sixth-fewest rushing yards per game at 96.2 and 3.8 yards per rush, the fourth-fewest in the NFL.
Their success against the run has helped lead them to become one of the best scoring defenses in the NFL, allowing just 16.8 points per game, trailing only the Chargers' 15.9 points per game.
Chubb's continued progress will be key for the Browns to overcome the Broncos on Monday night. Since his reintroduction to the Browns offense, the Browns are 2-3, with Chubb playing a major role in their increase in offensive production.
"I love the fact that he's really been able to come on and keep getting better and better and I think more and more confident, I hope, out there in terms of himself and the scheme and what we're doing," offensive coordinator Ken Dorsey said.
Can the Browns defense counter QB Bo Nix's rushing success?
Broncos rookie QB Bo Nix started the first two weeks of the 2024 season averaging 192 passing yards per game, throwing four interceptions and zero touchdown passes.
Since Week 2, Nix's progression in head coach Sean Payton's system has been evident, averaging over 216 passing yards and throwing 16 passing touchdowns compared to just two interceptions.
"He's making great decisions with the ball, not turning it over," Stefanski said of the rookie quarterback. "He's taking shots to [WR] Cortland Sutton, which is a very difficult cover for anybody. They're running the ball. They have multiple guys that they can get the ball to and then he's a very good scrambler. He's outstanding off-schedule. So, what they're doing is very efficient."
In addition to his success in the air, Nix has 300 rushing yards and four rushing touchdowns on the season.
The Browns have struggled at times against dual-threat quarterbacks this season, allowing 4.4 yards per carry to opposing quarterbacks. In Week 5, QB Jayden Daniels rushed for 82 yards on 11 carries, the most rushing yards the Browns have surrendered to an opposing quarterback this season.
Holding Nix, who has rushed for an average of 5.3 times per game, to a limited day on the ground could help the Browns secure a win in Denver.
"He's very, very athletic," Stefanski said. "I think he has the most scrambles in the NFL. So, he's a guy that you have to do your best to contain him, you have to tackle him when he's on the move, he can throw it on the move really well. And they can run designed runs with him as well. He's a very athletic player."
