Open thread between Browns and Broncos: Can Denver compete in the AFC West?

This week is almost over. The season is almost over. And if the San Francisco 49ers have a terrible night, the Cleveland Browns can step in later and remind us that things could get a lot worse.

Tonight the Browns travel to Mile High to face the Denver Broncos. The Broncos looked pretty bad at the start of the season, but have improved significantly as the season has progressed. They are 7-5 years old and have a promising future. Broncos quarterback Bo Nix played a great game against the Atlanta Falcons two weeks ago; He went 28-33 (84.9 percent), 307 yards and four touchdowns. That’s pretty good no matter what defense you’re facing. The Las Vegas Raiders brought him back down to earth the following week, but the Broncos won.

The Browns? Well, they’re the Browns. They find out who they are and get quality wins against the Baltimore Ravens and Pittsburgh Steelers. But beyond that, they only have one other win, an 18-13 victory over the Jacksonville Jaguars. Then there are eight defeats.

Quarterback Jameis Winston appears to be a bright spot on the team and could stay. If that’s done, the Browns could also have a top-10 pick in the draft. Right now they don’t want to play for a draft pick, they want to see what they have for 2025. At least this game could be entertaining. Don’t hold your breath, think positive.

According to FanDuel Sportsbook, the Broncos have a 6.5-point lead. The choice for me is to cover the Broncos. That’s not something I’m particularly happy about. This is still the Cleveland Browns, so I don’t think they can keep it within six minutes. The over-under of 41.5 points is also a bit questionable. If I have to make a bet, I’ll take the under.

I hope this game is entertaining, but given the performance of these teams, I wouldn’t be surprised if it turns into a dirty slugfest.