Monday Night Football: Picks and predictions for Broncos vs. Browns
The Denver Broncos host the Cleveland Browns in Week 13 of the 2024 NFL Season on Monday Night Football. Let's predict the game. To closeout Week 13, Denver and Cleveland send us to the finish line, and these two teams are in drastically different positions. The Broncos are 7-5 and have a nice lead for the seventh Wild Card seed in the AFC.
The Browns come into this game at 3-8 and would probably need to win-out to sniff the playoffs. We know that isn't happening, but Cleveland did play spoiler in Week 12 when they hosted the Pittsburgh Steelers, so this team could make some noise.
Who wins in Week 13?
Monday Night Football: Picks and predictions for Broncos vs. Browns
Denver Broncos (7-5)
Points per Game: 17th (22.0)
Points Allowed per Game: 2nd (16.8)
Bo Nix: 16 touchdown passes, six interceptions, 89.9 rating
Cleveland Browns (3-8)
Points per Game: 31st (16.9)
Points Allowed per Game: 23rd (24.3)
Jameis Winston: 7 touchdown passes, four interceptions, 88.5 rating
It's truly a tale of two teams here. The Denver Broncos notably have the 2nd-ranked scoring defense in the NFL, holding opponents to just under 17 points per game. They also rank 17th in points scored at 22 per contest, which is a solid number for a team with a rookie QB.
The Browns have the 31st-ranked scoring offense in the NFL, not even scoring 17 per contest, and they are struggling to prevent opposing teams from scoring, ranking 23rd in points allowed. Given that the Broncos offense has really played well in recent weeks, this could be another efficient game from Bo Nix, who keeps stacking up the individual honors as each week passes.
He's thrown just two interceptions since Week 3, and with the Browns having picked-off just two passes all year, Nix is likely to keep the hall out of harm's way. Conversely, the Broncos defense could have a field day against this offense, as they do struggle to establish the run, and Jameis Winston takes a lot of sacks.
Well, no team in the NFL has more sacks than the Denver Broncos, and the Broncos do excel at stopping the run. This could be a game where, if Denver can get out to an early lead, it would force Cleveland to abdandon the run a bit and put the ball in Winston's hands. Denver's pass rush would be able to tee-off in this scenario, and it's not likely that Winston could move the ball efficiently against one of the better defenses in the NFL.
Unless something unexpected happens, the Denver Broncos should come away with the win here to closeout Week 13.