At first glance one would have thought that the Cleveland Browns might have been in trouble on Thursday night in their home game against the Denver Broncos at FirstEnergy Stadium. The Browns were without quarterback Baker Mayfield (broken bone in his shoulder), and running backs Nick Chubb and Kareem Hunt (calf injuries).
However, the Browns backup players of quarterback Case Keenum of Brownwood, Texas, and running back D’Ernest Johnson had significant games offensively in the 17-14 Cleveland win over Denver. Johnson had 22 rushes for 146 yards and one touchdown, along with two catches for 22 yards, and Keenum completed 21 of 33 passes for 199 yards and a touchdown. Keenum’s touchdown pass was a one yard throw to Browns fullback Johnny Stanton of Rancho Santa Margarita, California, with 27 seconds left in the third quarter, which put the Browns up 14-7 at the time.
This was Keenum’s first start with the Browns. Last season there was some speculation that Keenum would take over from Mayfield, when Mayfield struggled during the year, but Browns head coach Kevin Stefanski decided to stick with Mayfield. Stefanski’s patience paid off as Mayfield guided the Browns to the postseason, where they upset the Pittsburgh Steelers 48-37 in one of six wildcard games.
With the win, the Browns improved to a record of four wins and three losses. The win snaps a two-game losing streak for Cleveland where they were beaten 47-42 in a shootout by the Los Angeles Chargers in week five, and then hammered 37-14 to the Arizona Cardinals in week six.
The engine of the Browns team at the moment seems to be their defense. In their four wins, they have given up only 48 points (12 points a game). In their three losses however, the Browns have given up 117 points (39 points per game).
