Broncos vs. Browns: What's the Game Plan for Cleveland?

Peyton Manning and the Denver Broncos offensive skill players didn’t just forget how to play football during the offseason. But the Cleveland Browns have to be encouraged seeing their recent struggles as they prepare for their pivotal Week 6 matchup at FirstEnergy Stadium.

No, the Broncos’ 28th-ranked offense isn’t something we expected, even with Manning entering the twilight of his career and his arm resembling Cheez Whiz. But Denver's struggles are very real, and its patchwork offensive line isn’t helping matters.

Starting left tackle Ty Sambrailo, a rookie, has struggled on tape but won’t play, and his backup is veteran Ryan Harris—moving over from right tackle—who hasn’t been much better. Sambrailo missed Denver’s last game in Oakland, and the team limped to just nine offensive points.

We’ll get into that and more as we take a look at Cleveland’s Week 6 game plan.

Offensive Game Plan

Denver’s defensive success has been predicated on penetration and pressure. Whether it’s a run or pass play, coordinator Wade Phillips has maximized the talent he has by applying ample pressure on offenses while still putting his defenders in positions to succeed. Phillips will send safety T.J. Ward—two sacks—and other defensive backs on pass and run blitzes.

Nearly half of the team’s 22 sacks have come from positions other than outside linebacker. That’s attributable to the scheme as much as it is the high level play of its edge defenders. While game-planning for Von Miller, Shaq Barrett, Shane Ray and DeMarcus Ware (out this week), teams become susceptible to interior blitzes and loaded blitzes to one side with defensive backs cheating up to rush the quarterback.

The Browns have done a pretty good job dealing with some of those types of pressures throughout the year but have given up 13 sacks over the last three games. Not all of those are their fault, though. Tight ends, running backs and Josh McCown himself have been responsible for them.

One way the Oakland Raiders attacked the Broncos last week was in the short and quick passing games. Throwing laterally will help keep Phillips honest with his play-calling. If offensive coordinator John DeFilippo can find some early success with using the lateral passing game as an extension of the run game, it will keep Denver from loading the box and sending all-out pressures on McCown.

He has done that recently by using heavy personnel and then having McCown audible out of the initial formation once on the line of scrimmage. Getting Duke Johnson, Isaiah Crowell, Robert Turbin or even fullback Malcolm Johnson into a mismatch against linebackers is again the ideal outcome this week against another stout and aggressive front seven.

Defensive Game Plan

Much like the Browns, the Broncos aren’t running the ball well at all. And also like Cleveland, it might not be a matter of game plan or scheming. The Broncos offensive line just doesn’t look very good.

Bringing back former offensive coordinator Gary Kubiak to replace John Fox as the team’s head coach brought with it a reversion back to the zone-blocking scheme. The group up front isn’t getting much push and isn’t able to stay on blocks long enough for C.J. Anderson or Ronnie Hillman to find room to stretch running plays.

That’s a good thing for the Browns but also a point of caution. Defensive coordinator Jim O’Neil is going to have to choose his personnel wisely, because Manning and the Broncos will spread the field and get creative while running the ball out of the shotgun formation.

They’ll lull the Browns to sleep with screen passes or short throws to Sanders and then hand off to Anderson or find him or another back who delayed before dropping into a pass pattern. That guy will usually be uncovered if recent history has taught us anything so far this season.

Being able to commit the necessary personnel to stopping the run means Tramon Williams, Pierre Desir and K’Waun Williams will have to exceed expectations with their post-snap jams, keeping Thomas, Emmanuel Sanders and others from getting free releases.

Key Player Matchups

OLB Von Miller vs. OT Mitchell Schwartz and Tight Ends

Miller may only have two sacks so far, but he’s the key disruptor for the left side of the Broncos defense. With Ware out, you may see Philips utilize Miller differently to attempt to generate a more effective pass rush, although Barrett and Ray have played well with two sacks each so far in 2015.

Mitchell Schwartz has played well against good fronts to this point but nothing like what he’ll get from Miller this week. And if Gary Barnidge, Jim Dray or a running back is tasked with chipping or getting a shoulder on Miller, good luck to the life of that play call, because it’s doomed from the start.

WR Demaryius Thomas vs. CB Pierre Desir

Duane Burleson/Associated Press

Desir will get another start this week as Joe Haden is out after suffering a concussion last week in Baltimore. Demaryius Thomas has been banged up with a neck injury himself, but Kubiak said the receiver will be “ready to go” this week in Cleveland, per Mile High Report.

Desir’s 6’1” size is what makes him the ideal cover man for Thomas. Plus, he has been holding his own for the most part. With Haden out in Week 3, San Diego Chargers receiver Keenan Allen beat him off the line and over the top for a score. Thomas and Manning will play those same types of games, baiting the younger cornerback and then taking their deep shots.

He did make a great play last week on a similar play, breaking up a deep attempt from Derek Carr to Michael Crabtree, and has several other breakups this season.

We’ll see how he fares. There’s no better test or motivation for a player than trial by fire.

OLB Paul Kruger vs. Broncos Tackles

Paul Kruger played just 48 snaps last week, but don’t expect that to be a trend.

"

#Browns DC Jim O'Neil said Paul Kruger's going to get his reps. Doesn't see fewer snaps being the case every week.

— Nate Ulrich (@NateUlrichABJ) October 15, 2015"

And don’t expect the team to continue using him primarily as a drop defender. Getting Kruger vertical and into the offensive backfield is vital this week.

He’ll face some type of combination of Harris, Tyler Polumbus and Max Garcia. None of those names should scare you, or Kruger, and he should be able to make an impact by disrupting Manning’s timing this week.

Look for a big week from Kruger, especially because the Broncos shouldn’t be able to run the ball as effectively as other teams have against the Browns to this point. That means longer down-and-distance situations, meaning more time in the pocket for Manning.

QB/OC Peyton Manning vs. DC Jim O’Neil

Manning is a mastermind on the field, so much so it’s universally accepted that he’s actually been responsible for calling plays because he changes them so often at the line of scrimmage.

"He is playing chess; a lot of people may be playing checkers, and he is playing chess,” Browns cornerback Tramon Williams said. “As a defense and as a team, we have to play chess, too.”

O’Neil hasn’t done the best job disguising coverages and blitzes, as Philip Rivers made painfully clear to the team's defenders in Week 4.

Maybe it’s part O’Neil trying to keep things simple for his players to try to help them succeed, or maybe he’s just being too transparent. Manning is 6-2 against Rex Ryan defenses, so it’s not a good time to get vanilla this week.

Prediction

DeFilippo looks good for the most part as a rookie play-caller. That’s surprising but also something we shouldn’t overlook as the Browns prepare to face their toughest test to date in Phillips’ defense.

Without a true go-to guy, in the passing game, the Browns offense will be competitive, but it will stall more often than not and won’t achieve anything close to the production of recent weeks.

Defensively, there’s a chance the Browns can have a decent showing in run defense, although Kubiak is probably ready to stretch them out with his zone blocking and run off the edges like every team this season has found success in doing.

Manning will be Manning, and it’ll be nearly impossible to shut down the likes of Thomas and Sanders for four quarters. That will be the difference: Manning and the Broncos’ execution will win out in a close game decided on the final possessions.

Final Prediction: Broncos 21, Browns 19

Unless otherwise noted, all quotes obtained from Cleveland Browns team press release emails from communications managers Dan Murphy or Rob McBurnett.

Mike Hoag (@MikeHoagJr) covers the Cleveland Browns for Bleacher Report and is the managing editor of Browns Beat.