After securing a massive win in Week 12 over the Pittsburgh Steelers on Thursday Night Football, the Cleveland Browns are still technically alive in the pursuit of a spot in the postseason, even if the chances of actually making it into January feel rather unlikely at 3-8 in the AFC North.
And yet, in Week 13, that optimism may take an absolute nosedive if Sean Payton‘s Broncos have anything to say about it, as, after a slow start to the season, Denver has been on fire in a loaded AFC West.
Discussing the challenge of having to go toe-to-toe against a head coach he knows very well, Payton, on his home turf, Kevin Stefanski broke down how the former Saints coach has helped to get Bo Nix going in 2024 to reporters on Wednesday, which didn’t always look like a guarantee to start out the season.
“I think they’re playing very, very efficiently. He’s making great decisions with the ball, not turning it over,” Stefanski told reporters. “He’s taking shots to Courtland Sutton, which is a very difficult cover for anybody. They’re running the ball; they have multiple guys that can get the ball to and then he’s a very good scrambler. He’s outstanding off schedule. So just what they’re doing is very efficient.”
Asked what really represents a Payton offense for the fans who aren’t really familiar with his style of play, Stefanski broke it down, noting it’s not so much about what he calls but the different personnel grouping he calls them from.
“Multiple personnel groupings. That’s one thing that coach does a great job of. And then they do a really nice job schematically, both in the run and the pass,” Stefanski noted. “There’s reason behind everything what they’re doing and trying to get a guy open in the pass game or scheme up a run in the run game.”
While the Broncos’ offense doesn’t look fantastic from a statistical perspective, ranking 22nd in passing yards and 23rd in rushing yards through 12 weeks, the Broncos have been getting better over the past six games, averaging 348.8 total yards over the past six weeks versus just 278.2 over the first six weeks of the season. Factor in a very good defense that could muck things up on the opposite side of the ball, and the Browns could be in for a very tough showdown in Denver on Cyber Monday.
Kevin Stefanski is impressed by the Broncos’ defense, too
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Speaking of Denver’s defense, Stefanski touched on that side of the ball, too, noting that Vance Joseph has created a very good unit built to attack opposing offenses instead of taking what they are given.
“Really, really impressive defense. I think Vance Joseph is doing an outstanding job with them. You look over there, they have good players at every level,” Stefanski told reporters. “Obviously, (Pat) Surtain II is a very, very good corner. We played him last year, know how talented he is, but they have a bunch of guys in that back end that can produce, that can tackle, that can make plays on the ball. They’re sound, they can pressure you, they can play coverage. I think they have 14 players with at least a half a sack. They’re leading the league in sacks. So, like you mentioned, rush and coverage go together and they’re doing a very, very good job.”
Ranking ninth against the pass and sixth against the run, the Broncos’ defense has been among the better units in the AFC, regardless of division. If Jameis Winston and company are going to take care of business in Week 13, they are going to need to beat up on a unit that could end up having multiple Pro Bowlers when everything is said and done.