There was initially a lot of promise among the fanbase when backup quarterback Jameis Winston secured their first win over the Jacksonville Jaguars after their starting quarterback, Deshaun Watson was ruled out with a season-ending injury. But since then, the Browns have not had much to celebrate. They are just 1-7 in their last eight games. And even though the Browns’ chances at a playoff berth are slim, perhaps they can use the end of this season as a stepping stone for the 2025 season. Cleveland proved that they have enough to beat elite teams, with a shocking win over their division rival, the Pittsburgh Steelers, last week. They will be looking for a similar result when they face the Broncos this week.
The Broncos have had one of the most dramatic turnaround seasons in recent memory. After a pedestrian start to the season, losing their first two games, the Broncos slowly but surely have become one of the hottest teams in the NFL, winning seven of their last ten games. Much of that success can be attributed to the play of their starting quarterback, Bo Nix who also had a slow start to the season. Coming into Week 8 of the season, Nix had accrued only completed 121 of his last 198 pass attempts for 1,082 yards. He also has a touchdown to interception ratio of 5:5 and a dismal quarterback rating of 44.0. But as the season has matured, so has Nix. In his last three games, he has thrown eight touchdown passes and zero interceptions. Now just a game behind the Chargers for second place in the division, it will be interesting to see if Denver can make a push for the playoffs.