Cleveland Browns beaten up in tough loss to Denver Broncos

DENVER — The Browns losing to the Denver Broncos in Denver isn't a surprising result. They've made the Mile High City a Mile High Nightmare for decades, in good times and bad.

What made the Browns' 29-12 loss to Denver on Sunday such a miserable experience was the latest rash of injuries it produced for a team already thin because of injuries.

The Browns lost quarterback Dorian Thompson-Robinson to a head injury, making his availability going forward for next week's game at the Los Angeles Rams severely in question. They also lost leading receiver Amari Cooper to a rib injury and defensive tackle Jordan Elliott to an ankle injury, although their availability beyond Sunday will be known in the coming days.

Those injuries merely added injury to the insult that was the end of the Browns' three-game win streak, as they fell to 7-4 with the loss. Denver, the AFC's hottest team even at 6-5, have won five in a row.

The Browns were the fourth consecutive Denver opponent to turn the ball over at least three times in a game. Cleveland had three turnovers, including a killer fumble on the first play of the fourth quarter that allowed Denver to open up a two-score lead.

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That fumble came two plays after Thompson-Robinson was knocked out of the game on a roughing the passer call on Denver's Baron Browning on the next-to-last play of the third quarter. The rookie was 14-of-29 for 134 yards with a touchdown and a 73.1 passer rating before being knocked out.

P.J. Walker, the only other quarterback active for the Browns, came in to replace Thompson-Robinson and was mostly ineffective. He was 6-of-13 for 56 yards and a 58.5 passer rating.

Walker was also sacked by Denver's Zach Allen with 2:20 remaining for a safety.

The Browns finished with 270 total yards. They were 2-of-13 on third down.

The Broncos improved to 22-7 all-time against the Browns, including 12-4 in Denver.

Here's how another disappointing day in Denver played out for the Browns.

Denver Broncos turn fourth-down fumble into another field goal

P.J. Walker was hit by Denver's P.J. Locke on fourth-and-14 from the Broncos 33. Walker fumbled on the play, which Locke recovered.

The Broncos turned that turnover, the Browns' third, into a 34-yard field goal with 4:19 remaining. That made it 27-12 Denver.

Amari Cooper shaken up on third-down incompletion

The injuries just keep piling up for the Browns. This time, it's a big one in receiver Amari Cooper.

Cooper, the team's leading receiver, appeared to grab his ribs after getting hit on a third-and-14 play from the Broncos 33. He stayed down for a couple of minutes before walking off the field and into the medical tent.

Cooper eventually left to the locker room.

The official status was a rib injury. He was ruled out for the rest of the game.

Jordan Elliott headed to locker room for Browns

The Browns sustained another big injury in the fourth quarter as defensive tackle Jordan Elliott went from the medical tent to the locker room. The injury was revealed to be an ankle injury, and he did not return.

Dorian Thompson-Robinson being evaluated for a concussion

Dorian Thompson-Robinson is being evaluated for a possible concussion after being hit by Denver's Baron Browning late in the third quarter. The play knocked Thompson-Robinson out of the game.

Thompson-Robinson was 14-of-29 for 134 yards with a touchdown and a 73.1 passer rating. He rushed 5 times for 21 yards.

Cleveland Browns fumble it away to Broncos, who turn it into a TD

The Browns gave all of the momentum away on the first play of the fourth quarter. That's when Elijah Moore fumbled an reverse and Denver's D.J. Jones recovered it at the Browns 20.

Four player later, the Broncos had a 24-12 lead with 13:29 remaining when Russell Wilson hit Adam Trautman on a sliding 8-yard touchdown catch on third down. The play was originally ruled as an incompletion, but was overturned after Denver coach Sean Payton challenged the ruling.

End 3rd quarter: Denver Broncos 17, Cleveland Browns 12

The Browns trail the Broncos 17-12 after three quarters. The Browns have a second-and-7 from their own 41.

Dorian Thompson-Robinson knocked out of game on roughing call

The Browns got the call they needed to extend their drive. They may have also lost their quarterback.

Dorian Thompson-Robinson was hit by Denver's Baron Browning after he released the pass on a third-and-12 play. Thompson-Robinson had scrambled all the way back from the Browns 23 to the goal line, where he released the pass.

As Thompson-Robinson released the pass, Browning hit him on the right shoulder driving him to the ground. The flag didn't immediately come out in the instance of the hit, but the officials eventually did throw the flag for roughing the passer.

Thompson-Robinson remained down for several minutes before eventually going to the medical tent with help. P.J. Walker replaced him in the game.

Cleveland Browns defense holds Denver Broncos to field goal

The Broncos seemed destined to really make the Browns pay for not getting the 2-point conversion on their touchdown. They seemingly marched without effort from their onw 25 to the Browns 7.

However, that's where the Browns defense made itself known. On third-and-goal from the 2, Denver's Samaje Perrine was swarmed for a 3-yard loss, leaving the Broncos to kick a 23-yard Will Lutz field goal for a 17-12 lead with 1:25 left in the third.

Harrison Bryant catches fourth-down TD for Browns, while Amari Cooper drops 2-point pass

Harrison Bryant made a fourth-down play for the Browns to make amends for his fourth-down fumble in the first quarter. On fourth-and-goal from the Denver 2, the Browns came out in the "robust-T" formation and faked the handoff to Kareem Hunt.

Dorian Thompson-Robinson kept the ball and rolled to his right, stopping to find a wide-open Bryant in the end zone for the touchdown catch. However, the Browns' trickery didn't extend to the 2-point conversion play.

Thompson-Robinson took a flip from Hunt on an end-around and threw to Amari Cooper in the end zone. The ball was low, but Cooper still had a great opportunity to catch it.

Cooper didn't, leaving the Browns in a 14-12 hole with 6:42 left in the third.

Cleveland Browns get going on first third-quarter possession

The Browns managed to force a three-and-out on Denver's first second-half possession. They took over at their own 21 after the punt.

For the offense, it took an impressive 11-yard catch by Amari Cooper on third-and-8 to get the drive started. From there, it was a combination of a number of people, including Jerome Ford running and David Njoku making two big catches, to get the ball to the Denver 11

However, it would take Denver safety P.J. Locke's late hit on Njoku on a third-and-goal from the Broncos 11 to give the Browns a first-and-goal at the Broncos 5.

Za'Darius Smith heads to medical tent after 1st second-half play

The Browns first noticeable injury of the game came on the first play of the second half. Defensive end Za'Darius Smith stayed down after Russell Wilson's 2-yard completion to Javontae Williams before eventually being getting up and walking to the medical tent.

Smith was in the tent briefly before returning with his left ankle clearly re-taped. There's been no press box announcement on the official injury or his status for the game.

Halftime score: Denver Broncos 14, Cleveland Browns 6

The Broncos are getting touchdowns, the Browns are getting field goals. That's why Denver leads Cleveland at the break.

Dorian Thompson-Robinson is 9-of-20 for 85 yards and a 57.3 passer rating in the first half for the Browns. He's also rushed 5 times for 21 yards.

Russell Wilson is 5-of-12 for 66 yards and a 59.7 passer rating for Denver. He's run 8 times for 37 yards, including a touchdown.

Dorian Thompson-Robinson finds Cedric Tillman to set up FG

Rookie Cedric Tillman is already having his best game as a pro through one half. Tillman, who was Dorian Thompson-Robinson's high school teammate at Bishop Gorman High School in Las Vegas, has 4 catches on 4 targets for 55 yards.

That includes two catches for 40 yards on the Browns' final first-half drive. One of those was a 23-yarder to the Denver 9.

The Browns would get a 24-yard Dustin Hopkins field goal with 22 seconds remaining in the half. It pulled them within 14-6 of Denver.

Kareem Hunt climbs over line to pick up fourth down

The Browns needed about a yard on the second play coming out of the two-minute warning to convert a fourth-and-1 from the Denver 46. Kareem Hunt gave the 3 yards.

On the play, Hunt scaled the back of one of his offensive linemen to get beyond the line to gain.

Denver Broncos sabotage own drive with early penalties

The Broncos never got going on their subsequent possession after the Browns field goal, even after they got going. They gained 18 net yards on their first two plays, getting to their own 43.

Then a first-down false start made it first-and-15 at their own 38. The next play Courtland Sutton was called for offensive pass interference when he pushed off on Greg Newsome II while making a 37-yard catch down the sideline.

That made it first and-25 at the Broncos 28. They would ultimately punt.

Cleveland Browns find traction in running game, get field goal

It only took until the fourth possession, but the Browns finally got their running game going. In fact, it was the driving force for the drive that ended with Dustin Hopkins' 36-yard field goal pulling them within 14-3 with 5:59 left in the second quarter.

It started with a 19-yard run by Jerome Ford. From there, Thompson-Robinson and Kareem Hunt both also got into the act.

The Browns went 57 yards on the drive in 13 plays. However, they actually netted 59 rushing yards on the drive.

Russell Wilson keeper sets up Russell Wilson TD run

The Broncos are showing the Browns what it means to have a veteran quarterback running your offense. Russell Wilson may not be vintage Russell Wilson, but he's still savvy enough to make defenses work.

Such as on Denver's second scoring drive, which had three big plays. All of those big plays involved Wilson.

The first was a perfectly-threaded 16-yard pass on third-and-7 to Marvin Mims to move the sticks. The second was a perfectly run 19-yard keeper in which he booted to the left after getting the defense to dive inward.

That put the ball on the Browns 7. Wilson would cap the drive with a run to the right for a 2-yard touchdown with 11:11 left in the second quarter for a 14-0 Denver lead.

End 1st quarter: Denver Broncos 7, Cleveland Browns 0

The Broncos will start the second quarter with a first down at the Browns 48. They've gained 99 yards to the Browns 34.

Denver is 3-of-4 on third-down conversions. The Browns are 0-of-3.

Russell Wilson's fourth-down fumble gives Browns ball back

The Browns gave Denver a short field with a fourth-down fumble. The Broncos gave the ball back when quarterback Russell Wilson fumbled after gaining 8 yards on a fourth-and-2 play from the Browns 42.

Linebacker Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah punched the ball out of Wilson's hand as he was being brought down and teammate Alex Wright recovered. The Browns, though, went three-and-out once they got the ball back.

Harrison Bryant fumbles away fourth-down chance for Browns

The Harrison Bryant quarterback sneak play bit the Browns on Sunday. Facing fourth-and-1 just shy of midfield, the Browns again lined the tight end up at quarterback to try and get the first down.

Bryant never got the snap, fumbling it away to Denver. Broncos defensive lineman Mike Purcell recovered the ball at the 50.

Dorian Thompson-Robinson finds a rhythm, former Bishop Gorman teammate

Dorian Thompson-Robinson's second possession was much better in terms of his ability to move the ball. He was 4-for-4 for 24 yards, with two of those going to his former high school teammate, Cedric Tillman.

Courtland Sutton gets loose to set up Broncos touchdown

The Browns had Denver in a third-and-8 from the Cleveland 34, primed to potentially hold the Broncos to a field goal try. Then the defense lost track of Courtland Sutton running a crossing pattern, but Russell Wilson didn't.

Wilson hit Sutton in stride, and he took the ball to the Browns 3. The next play, Samaje Perine managed to get the ball across the goal line for the Broncos 7-0 lead with 8:14 left in the first quarter.

Two Browns penalties aid Broncos opening drive

The Browns gave Denver 39 yards on the Broncos opening drive after it appeared they would be getting the ball back. The first was a 34-yard pass interference call on Greg Newsome II while guarding Courtland Sutton on a third-and-10 play from the Denver 30.

That moved the ball to the Browns 36, although it wouldn't stay there long. On first down, Alex Wright was lined up in the neutral zone for an offsides penalty on Cleveland, making it first-and-5 from the Browns 31.

Browns go three-and-out, Broncos get ball on punt touchback

The Browns went three-and-out to open the game. Corey Bojorquez's punt went 72 yards into the end zone for a touchback.

The opening defensive personnel group for the Browns was as followed:

• DE: Myles Garrett
• DT: Jordan Elliott
• DT: Dalvin Tomlinson
• DE: Za'Darius Smith
• LB: Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah
• LB: Sione Takitaki
• LB: Tony Fields II
• S: Grant Delpit
• CB: Greg Newsome II
• CB: Martin Emerson Jr.
• S: Juan Thornhill

Cleveland Browns, Dorian Thompson-Robinson open with the football

The Broncos lost the coin toss and deferred. The Browns got the football to start, which meant rookie Dorian Thompson-Robinson got to go first

Here's the first offensive group:

• QB: Dorian Thompson-Robinson
• RB: Jerome Ford
• TE: David Njoku
• WR: Amari Cooper
• WR: Elijah Moore
• WR: Cedric Tillman
• LT: Geron Christian
• LG: Joel Bitonio
• C: Ethan Pocic
• RG: Wyatt Teller
• RT: Dawand Jones

Anthony Walker Jr. out, Juan Thornhill active for Cleveland Browns

While linebacker Anthony Walker Jr. was able to get on the field for practice on Friday before the Browns left for Colorado, he won't be able to get on the field for the game. The hamstring injury which he sustained on punt coverage in the second quarter of last Sunday's win over the Pittsburgh Steelers wasn't healed enough for him to be able to play against the Broncos.

Walker, who was listed as questionable on Friday, was among the inactive players for the Browns (7-3) against the Broncos (5-5). So, too, was cornerback Denzel Ward, who was ruled out on Friday with a shoulder injury suffered against the Steelers kept him out of practice all week.

However, safety Juan Thornhill was among the active players and is expected to start against Denver. Thornhill was questionable coming into the game with a calf injury which had kept him out against Pittsburgh.

The Browns also had receiver Marquise Goodwin inactive after ruling him out with a concussion. The other four inactive players for the game were center Luke Wypler, defensive end Isaiah McGuire, defensive tackle Siaki Ika and offensive tackle Leroy Watson IV.

How to watch, stream and listen to the Cleveland Browns vs. Denver Broncos

• TV channel: FOX WJW-TV (Channel 8).
• Stream: Fox Sports Live, Fubo (free trial).
• Announcers: Kevin Kugler (play-by-play), Mark Sanchez (analyst) and Laura Okmin (sideline reporter).

How to listen to the Cleveland Browns vs. Denver Broncos on the radio

• The Cleveland Browns Radio Network will carry the game, with Jeff Phelps (play-by-play), Nathan Zegura (analyst) and Je'Rod Cherry (sideline reporter) on the call. Among the affiliates in the Akron-Canton area are WAKR-AM 1590, WONE-FM 97.5, WHBC-AM 1480, WQKT-FM 104.5, WKRK-FM 92.3, WKNR-AM 850 and WNCX-FM 98.5.
• ESPN Radio will be carrying the game on various affiliates, as well as on Sirius/XM Radio channel 81. Steve Levy (play by play) and Harry Douglas (analyst) will be on the call.
• The Browns have also started a Spanish-language broadcast, with Rafael “Rafa” Hernández-Brito (play-by-play) and Octavio Sequera (analyst) on the call. Games will be streamed on La Mega Cleveland, as well as heard on WNZN-FM 89.1 in Lorain and WVKO-FM 103.1 in Columbus.

Browns-Broncos odds, money line, over/under

• Provided by Tipico Sportsbook; access USA TODAY Sports Scores and Sports Betting Odds hub for a full list. Lines last updated at 10 a.m. ET, Saturday.
• Moneyline (ML): Browns +105 (bet $105 to win $105) | Broncos -125 (bet $125 to win $100)
• Against the spread: Browns +1.5 (-110) | Broncos -1.5 (-110)
• Over/Under (O/U): 37 (O: -110 | U: -110)

Cleveland Browns, Denver Broncos injury report

• Browns: Cornerback Denzel Ward (shoulder), out; receiver Marquise Goodwin (concussion), out; safety Juan Thornhill (calf), questionable; linebacker Anthony Walker Jr. (hamstring), questionable
• Broncos: Safety P.J. Locke (ankle), questionable; running back Dwayne Washington (illness), questionable

Cleveland Browns, Denver Broncos in Week 11

The Browns improved to 7-3 on the season with a 13-10 win over the Pittsburgh Steelers at Cleveland Browns Stadium. Dustin Hopkins kicked a 34-yard field goal with 2 seconds remaining to win the game. Rookie quarterback Dorian Thompson-Robinson led the Browns from their own 35 in the final 1:18.

The Broncos improved to 5-5 on the season and won their four in a row by beating the Minnesota Vikings 21-20 last Sunday night at Empower Field at Mile High. QB Russell Wilson completed 27-of-35 passes for 259 yards with one touchdown and a 106. 7 passer rating. Denver's defense forced the Vikings into three turnovers, the third consecutive game in which the Broncos forced at least three turnovers.

Cleveland Browns vs. Denver Broncos series

Sunday's game will mark the 29th meeting between the Browns and the Denver Broncos all-time, including the 26th regular-season meeting. The series began in 1970, but is most famous for the three AFC Championship Game meetings in the 1980s.

• Overall: Broncos 21-7
• In regular season: Broncos 18-7
• In playoffs: Broncos 3-0
• In Cleveland: Broncos 10-3
• In Denver: Broncos 11-4
• Streak: Browns won the last meeting
• Last meeting: Browns won 17-14 in Cleveland on Oct. 21, 2021

Chris Easterling can be reached at ceasterling@thebeaconjournal.com. Read more about the Browns at www.beaconjournal.com/sports/browns. Follow him on Twitter at @ceasterlingABJ