Broncos Will Bash Browns On Monday Night Football

Browns vs. Broncos, 8:15 ET

You can't win ‘em all, I suppose. No, I’m not talking about my bets, although the statement would ring true for that as well. I am referring to this prime time game being a bit of a dud in terms of the on-paper matchup. However, you never know what you're going to get in some of these games, and even the ones that you think might be boring turn out to be great. For Monday Night Football, capping off the Week 13 of the NFL, we have the Browns taking on the Broncos. 

For the Browns, this has to feel like they almost had another bye week in their season. They won the game on Thursday Night Football against the Steelers. If you missed it, this was actually a really entertaining game once the snow started falling at a rapid rate. Before that, it was a little slow, with neither team making much progress. By the end of the game, it was a back-and-forth battle that saw the Browns close it out late. I have to say, I am enjoying watching and listening to Jameis Winston play football more than I thought I would. He now seems like a guy that appreciates where he is in his life, and recognizes the end is closer than the beginning. He is responsible for two of the three Browns wins, both against their division rivals. Not much has gone right for Cleveland this year, but Winston is at least helping a little bit. The big question here is if their defense will do anything to stop the Broncos offense. On the road this season, the Browns have allowed 13, 20, 34, 20, and 35 points. A bit of a mixed bag in there. They have a bad rushing defense and a decent passing defense. My expectation is that the Broncos might be able to capitalize on both.

Nov 17, 2024; New Orleans, Louisiana, USA;  Cleveland Browns quarterback Jameis Winston (5) throws against the New Orleans Saints at Caesars Superdome. Mandatory Credit: Matthew Hinton-Imagn Images

The Broncos are probably not going to make the playoffs, but they have put together a season to build upon. At this point, you have to at least consider Bo Nix for Rookie of the Year. It is unlikely that anyone beats out Jayden Daniels, but Nix has done an admirable job this season with 2,548 yards, 16 touchdowns, and just six interceptions. The Broncos are 7-5 for the season and 3-2 at home. Not exactly world beaters, but it is hard to win in the NFL and they are two games away from securing a winning season. The defense has been pretty impressive, with a top-10 passing defense, and the sixth best rushing defense. Overall, they are allowing teams the third fewest points on average as well. The Steelers were fairly similar and the Browns were able to run the ball well on them. You somewhat need to throw that game out the window though as the Steelers were playing in snow, on the road, and coming off of a big win against the Ravens.

In this game, the Broncos being at home should help them avoid the same fate as the Steelers. There is no question the Browns are playing better with Winston under center, but they aren't unbelievable or unbeatable. Winston has played in four games, and the Browns are 2-2 in his starts. I assume the Browns will put up a fight, but I think the Broncos pull away in the end and win this by at least a touchdown. I'll back the -5.5 spread for Denver here. 

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