With Joe Flacco now in the house, how long is the Browns’ leash on Dorian Thompson-Robinson?
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Editor's note: Tony Grossi is a Cleveland Browns analyst for TheLandOnDemand.com and 850 ESPN Cleveland. He has covered the Browns since 1984.
DENVER, CO
Four downs on Browns (7-3) v. Denver Broncos (5-5)
First down: The leash. How long?
If nothing else, the Browns lead the league in quarterback feel-good stories. First it was P.J. Walker, the former XFL MVP who came off the practice squad while Deshaun Watson was dealing with a strange, strained rotator cuff injury. Walker won two games, but the curtain came down in his third appearance when a late interception – his sixth turnover in three games -- led to a loss in Seattle. Now with Watson out for the year after an equally strange shoulder bone fracture, the feel-good fill-in is Dorian Thompson-Robinson. The eminently likable rookie fifth-round draft pick and favorite son of the front office earned massive props for putting a tough three quarters behind him and beating Pittsburgh with a drive on which he completed four passes in a row to set up a field goal. Emotions poured out of DTR as he wept walking off the field and three days later confided the enormous pressure he felt to come through. The Browns responded by signing 15-year veteran and former Browns-killer Joe Flacco, 38, as QB insurance. Flacco was promised nothing, but you have to wonder how long the Browns will keep his cannon arm and icy veins on the sideline as DTR shoulders the weight of a team stalking Baltimore for the AFC North division lead. Coach Kevin Stefanski wouldn’t even name his No. 2 QB in advance of the Denver game.
Dorian Thompson-Robinson's emotional week ended in a last-gasp win over the Steelers. Can he keep it going as the games get even more important. (Cleveland Browns)
Second down: Keep it ugly.
In his fourth season as Browns coach, Stefanski has learned to accept winning ugly with defense, field position and conservative offense. It’s not what he and coordinator Alex Van Pelt envisioned when they hunkered in the football lab with Watson in the spring months – especially after Nick Chubb had a season-ending knee injury in Week 2. But here we are at 7-3. In Walker’s three games against San Francisco, Indianapolis and Seattle, Stefanski called 104 passes (including sacks) v. 107 runs. That ratio was more lopsided in DTR’s start – 44 passes v. 29 runs – because the Steelers loaded up the defensive box in the second half and slowed the Jerome Ford-Kareem Hunt run game. Stefanski has to stay patient and disciplined against a Broncos defense that has improved greatly since giving up 70 points to Miami eight weeks ago. The resurgent Broncos are last in the league in run defense, yielding 160 yards a game on the ground. The Broncos kind of lure teams into throwing the ball. They are merely 27th with 19 sacks, but are tied for eighth with 10 interceptions. They also have nine fumble recoveries for 19 total takeaways – tied for second. In their four straight wins, the Broncos have 12 takeaways.
Third down: Letting Russ Cook.
Much maligned in his first season in Denver, Russell Wilson has made a turnaround under first-year coach Sean Payton. Wilson lost 15 pounds before the season to better move outside the pocket. Although Wilson remains one of the league’s most accurate deep passers and will take his shots, Payton has shortened Wilson’s targets. As a result, his 6.95 average yards-per-attempt is the lowest in his 12 NFL seasons. But his 69.0 completion rate is a career high, his 19-to-4 TD-to-INT rate is his second-best, and his 104.3 passer rating is his third-best. Wilson’s four fourth-quarter comebacks are the most in the NFL this year and brought his career total to 35 – ninth-best in league history. Wilson is 2-0 lifetime against the Browns, winning with Seattle in 2015 and 2019. The Browns will try to get their first win against Wilson without their top cornerback Denzel Ward, who is out with a shoulder injury.
Fourth down: Denver doldrums.
The Browns’ sordid history against the Broncos is embodied in their three losses in AFC Championship games following the 1986, 1987 and 1989 seasons. That trilogy of defeat denied the Browns three Super Bowl appearances. They haven’t come nearly as close since. In fact, Denver has always been the toughest team for the Browns to beat. Including the three post-season games, the Browns are 7-24 all time v. the Broncos. That .225 win percentage is the worst the Browns have against any NFL team. Also, their 4-13 (.235) record in Denver is the Browns’ second-worst, surpassed only by their 1-12 (.076) mark in Detroit.
The pick: Broncos 20, Browns 13.
My record: 6-4.
