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The 11-3 Denver Broncos will seek their third double-digit winning streak in team history when they host the 5-9 Cleveland Browns at Sports Authority Field. Kickoff on Sunday is scheduled for 2:05 p.m. MST.
BROADCAST:
The game will be televised nationally by KCNC-TV (CBS 4) with Ian Eagle calling the play-by-play and Dan Fouts will add his biased color commentary during the game. Check the Broadcast Map to see if the game will be aired in your area.
WEATHER: The current forecast is calling for Mostly sunny skies, with a high near 47 and a low of 24f.
ODDS: After opening at 12.5, the current line favors the Broncos by 13 points. The Wise guys in Las Vegas set the Over/Under at 44.5.
SERIES: This will be the 24th meeting between these two teams. The Broncos lead the series 18-5 (Home: 9-3/Away: 9-2). Denver has won the last 9 games, the most recent being a 27-6 victory at Home in Week 2 of the 2009 season.
You have to go all the way back to October 8, 1990 to find the last time Cleveland bested the Broncos. Jerry Kauric kicked a 30 yard field goal to beat John Elway and the Company at the old Mile High Stadium.
QUICK HITS
- Denver leads the NFL with a +133 scoring differential in the 2nd half this year to represent the 7th-highest such figure since the 1970 NFL merger and the best since Jacksonville (+134) in 1999.
- The club’s nine-game winning streak is tied for the 3rd-longest such streak in team history and the longest since winning 13 games in a row during its 1998 Super Bowl season.
- The Broncos are AFC West Champions for a record-tying 12th time with 10 of those coming during Owner & CEO Pat Bowlen’s tenure with the team (1984-Pres.).
WHAT TO WATCH FOR
CB Champ Bailey (34 INTs as a Bronco)
- Needs one Interception to pass Tyrone Braxton (34) for sole possession of 4th place on the team’s all-time interceptions list.
CB Omar Bolden (9 Special-Teams Tackles in 2012)
- Needs one Special-Teams Tackle to become just the 13th Broncos rookie since 1994 to record at least 10 Special-Teams stops.
WR Eric Decker (923 receiving yards in 2012)
- Needs 77 receiving yards for his first career 1,000-yard season, which would make him and WR Demaryius Thomas the first pair of 1,000-yard receivers in a season since 2004).
TE Joel Dreessen (36 receptions in 2012)
- Needs one reception to set a career high (36 in 2010).
DE Elvis Dumervil (6 FF in 2012)
WR Trindon Holliday (105-yd. KOR and 76-yd. PR in 2012)
QB Peyton Manning (7 300-yard games 2012)
LB Von Miller (16 Sacks/6 FF in 2012)
2012 TEAM COMPARISON
BRONCOS BROWNS
Record . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .11-3 . . . . . . . . . . . 5-9
Division Standing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1st (AFCW) . . . . .4th (AFCN)
Turnover Margin (NFL Rank) . . . . . . . EVEN (18th) . . .+7 (T-10th)
OFFENSE
Net Yards Per Game (NFL Rank) . . . . 387.2 (5th) . . . . .319.6 (26th)
Yards Per Play (NFL Rank) . . . . . . . . . 5.8 (9th) . . . . . . .5.1 (26th)
Points Per Game (NFL Rank) . . . . . . . 29.2 (2nd) . . . . . 20 (24th)
Possession Average . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30:39 . . . . . . . . . 27:59
Net Rushing Yards Per Game . . . . . . . 110.1 . . . . . . . . . .97.4
Net Passing Yards Per Game . . . . . . . .277.1 . . . . . . . . . .222.2
Had Intercepted/Yards . . . . . . . . . . . . 10/218 . . . . . . . . 17/295
Sacks Allowed/Yards . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21/137. . . . . . . . . 26/170
Fumbles/Lost . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .19/13 . . . . . . . . . .18/4
Third Down Pct. (NFL Rank) . . . . . . .43.0% (7th) . . . . . 31.1% (30th)
Red Zone TD Pct. (NFL Rank) . . . . . .56.4% (11th) . . . . .41.7% (30th)
Giveaways (NFL Rank) . . . . . . . . . . . 23 (T-16 th) . . . . 21 (T-13th)
DEFENSE
Net Yards Per Game (NFL Rank) . . .307.1 (4th). . . . . . 368.0 (22nd)
Yards Per Play (NFL Rank) . . . . . . . .4.7 (3rd) . . . . . . . .5.3 (17th)
Points Per Game (NFL Rank) . . . . . .19.6 (5th). . . . . . . .22.1 (15th)
Net Rushing Yards Per Game . . . . . .91.0 . . . . . . . . . . . .120.6
Net Passing Yards Per Game . . . . . . 216.1 . . . . . . . . . . . 247.4
Intercepted By/Yards . . . . . . . . . . . .16/347. . . . . . . . . . 16/230
Sacks For/Yards . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .42/300. . . . . . . . . . 36/220
Opponent Fumbles/Lost . . . . . . . . . 22/7 . . . . . . . . . . . . 23/12
Third Down Pct. (NFL Rank) . . . . . 31.1% (3rd) . . . . . . 36.4% (8th)
Red Zone TD Pct. (NFL Rank) . . . . 62.2% (30th). . . . . .54.6% (21st)
Takeaways (NFL Rank) . . . . . . . . . 23 (T-16th). . . . . . . 28 (T-5th)
SPECIAL TEAMS
Punts-Average Yards (Gross) . . . . .46.2 . . . . . . . . . . . . 42.0
Punts-Average Yards (Net) . . . . . . 42.0 . . . . . . . . . . . . 37.0
Punt Returns-Avg. . . . . . . . . . . . . . .9.9 . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15.5
Punt Returns-Avg. Allowed . . . . . . 5.8 . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11.0
Kickoff Returns-Avg. . . . . . . . . . . . .22.9 . . . . . . . . . . . . 25.3
Kickoff Returns-Avg. Allowed . . . . .21.4 . . . . . . . . . . . . 20.0
Field Goals Made/Attempted . . . . . .23/29 . . . . . . . . . . 26/27
PENALTIES
Penalties Against/Yards . . . . . . . . . . .84/691 . . . . . . . . .94/857
Opponent Penalties Against/Yards . .108/850 . . . . . . . .106/866
BRONCOS DEFENSE SUCCESSFUL ON 3RD DOWN
During Denver’s last eight games, the defense has held opponents to 18-of-100 (18.0%) on 3rd downs to lead all other NFL teams by a wide margin in that category. Included in that stretch was a string of 26 consecutive 3rd-down stops (Games 8-10) that represented the longest such streak in the NFL in the last 10 years.
TOP THIRD-DOWN DEFENSES, NFL, WEEK 8-PRES.
Team
Attempts
Converted
Percentage
1. Denver
100
18
18.0
2. San Francisco
97
25
25.8
3. Pittsburgh
109
32
29.4
4. Carolina
93
28
30.1
5. N.Y. Jets
88
27
30.7
DENVER’S THIRD-DOWN DEFENSE BREAKDOWN (LAST 8 GAMES)
Down & Distance
Attempts
Converted
Percentage
3rd & 11+
24
2
8.3
3rd & 10+
39
4
10.3
3rd & 8+
57
6
10.5
3rd & 5+
73
7
9.6
MOST CONSECUTIVE THIRD-DOWN STOPS, NFL, SINCE 2003
Team
Number
Dates
1. Denver
26
11/4/12-11/18/12
2. N.Y. Jets
25
12/3/09-12/20-09
3. N.Y. Jets
21
9/26/10-10/11/10
Arizona
21
12/18/05-12/24/05
5. Baltimore
20
12/17/06-12/24/06
Go Broncos!
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