Cleveland Browns vs. Denver Broncos: 10 Keys to the Game for Broncos

The Denver Broncos enter Sunday's game vs. the Cleveland Browns as the hottest team in the NFL.

Fresh off their 34-17 victory over the Baltimore Ravens, the Broncos have put themselves in the driver's seat to clinch a first-round bye as the AFC's No. 2 seed. Denver controls its own destiny, and if the Broncos win their remaining two games versus the Browns and the visiting Kansas City Chiefs, the Broncos will have a week off to prepare for a home game in the Divisional Round.

The Cleveland Browns (5-9) have exceeded expectations as one of the youngest teams in the NFL. Three of their starters are rookies who have started all 14 games this year. That would include quarterback Brandon Weeden and running back Trent Richardson. Their rookies have started a league-high 77 games so far this season.

The Browns are 4-3 overall in their past seven games and, in Week 15, led the NFC East-leading Redskins 14-10 at halftime before losing the game, 38-21.

Despite Cleveland having nothing to play for in this game but pride and momentum heading into next season, the Browns have been a tough team to beat for much of this year. Five of their nine losses have been by seven points or fewer.

What are some things the Broncos need to do on Sunday to avoid a letdown at Mile High?

Mix Up Coverages and Looks on Defense

This shouldn't be a hard task to accomplish for Denver coordinator Jack Del Rio. He's done it all season long.

Despite cornerback Tracy Porter being sidelined since Week 6, the Broncos have succeeded in playing corners Chris Harris and Tony Carter alongside Champ Bailey. The Broncos have the fifth-ranked defense in the NFL in points allowed per game. Von Miller is a candidate for Defensive Player of the Year, as he currently has 16 sacks on the season.

The entire defensive unit has been a model of consistency all season. In the first six games of the year, the unit allowed 138 total points. Through the last eight games, the unit has allowed just 136 total points.

Brandon Weeden has had a solid hand in making the Browns competitive this year, but he has had some ugly games. Weeden's 72.4 quarterback rating is 32nd in the league. The only starting quarterback that has a worse rating is Mark Sanchez, who was benched this week.

Weeden is very raw despite being 29 years old. He has thrown 17 interceptions to go against 14 touchdowns, and the fact that he has a weak receiving corps does not help matters. The team's leading pass-catcher is running back Trent Richardson with 48 grabs.

The Browns have an anemic offense, as they are 24th in the league at scoring. It shouldn't be hard for the Broncos to make life miserable for Weeden.

Trent Richardson

Trent Richardson is a big deal in this game, because he is really Cleveland's main offensive option.

Despite talented players such as Josh Cribbs and Greg Little, Richardson may be the only legit threat on the offensive side of the ball for the Browns.

Richardson isn't exactly lighting it up every time he touches the ball, but he is the focal point on offense. Richardson ranks seventh in carries and fourth in touches in the NFL.

This is a rookie we're talking about here.

Richardson is averaging only 3.5 yards a carry, but he has scored 11 touchdowns and is tied second among NFL running backs in that department—impressive considering that he plays in such a limited offense.

The Broncos rank second across the board in rushing defense. They are second in rushing touchdowns, yards and yards per attempt allowed.

If the Broncos want to have an easier time winning this game, they need to focus on shutting Richardson down.

By making him a nonfactor, the Broncos will make the Browns offense a nonfactor.

Peyton Manning

Peyton Manning will likely win his fifth MVP award this year.

Manning has led the Broncos to nine consecutive wins with a chance to close out the regular season with two more victories added to that streak.

Peyton is third in touchdowns, third in completion percentage and fourth in passer rating. The Broncos are the second-best offense in the league, averaging over 29 points per game.

If Manning plays how he's played since that Week 6 road game against the San Diego Chargers, this game should never be in doubt.

Von Miller

Miller is in a three-headed race with J.J. Watt and Aldon Smith for Defensive Player of the Year.

Although both Watt and Smith have more sacks, Miller's impact on his team's defense could be considered more valuable.

Miller has six forced fumbles and relentlessly pressures the opposing quarterback—but does so rushing off the edge from a conventional linebacker position, unlike Watt, for example, who is used almost exclusively as a pass-rushing end.

Brandon Weeden already struggles as it is, and life won't be any easier with Miller breathing down his neck all Sunday.

Turnovers

I could put this down as a slide every time I write this article.

It cannot be pointed out enough how important turnovers are in football. The Ravens were trailing the Broncos 10-0 at the end of the first half and were driving towards Denver's goal line with a chance of cutting the deficit to 10-7.

Unfortunately for Baltimore, Joe Flacco threw a pass towards Anquan Boldin that ended up being picked off by Denver corner Chris Harris, who returned the interception 98 yards for a touchdown to give the Broncos a 17-0 lead going into the half.

That turnaround sealed Baltimore's fate.

Even though the Broncos clearly have a better team than the Browns, turnovers can kill any team.

Denver has to make sure to limit its mistakes.

Knowshon Moreno

Moreno was named AFC Offensive Player of the Week for his effort in the win over the Baltimore Ravens.

He rushed for 118 yards and a touchdown. Since taking over four games ago for the starting job for the injured Willis McGahee, Moreno is averaging nearly 98 rushing yards a game.

The Broncos are a good team without Moreno rushing the ball. However, with Moreno's rushing complementing the passing game, Denver's attack is nearly unstoppable.

The Broncos are averaging over 26 points a game since Moreno stepped into the starting lineup. With Moreno running the ball hard, it would be hard to envision the Broncos slipping up versus Cleveland's 19th-ranked rushing defense.

Cutting Down on the Drops

The Broncos' leading receivers have had problems catching the ball.

Demaryius Thomas ranks third in the NFL with nine drops, while Eric Decker ranks 11th with seven.

This Bronco offense is like a well-oiled machine, but nothing kills the rhythm of a passing game more than turnovers and dropped passes.

It's a basic concept.

Don't drop passes.

One Game at a Time

You know the old saying, "one game at a time"?

The 2012 Denver Broncos have exemplified this mantra.

The Broncos were 2-3 at one point and have won nine consecutive games. Denver controls its own destiny as far as being a No. 2 seed is concerned. It would be easy to look past the 5-9 Cleveland Browns and the Kansas City Chiefs (2-12) as Denver heads into the playoffs.

That would be a mistake.

The Broncos need to continue abiding by the "one-game-at-a-time" philosophy in order to continue their streak and their success.

Special Teams

Lost in the Broncos' dominating 34-17 victory in Baltimore were special teams miscues.

Trindon Holliday had a fumble on a return and kicker Matt Prater had to make two special teams tackles, as the return units allowed Ravens returner Jacoby Jones to gain huge chunks of yards.

The Browns have one of the best returners in all of football in Josh Cribbs.

Cribbs could be the X-factor. Even if he's not, the Broncos would be best served to clean up their special teams mistakes in time for the playoffs.

Overconfidence

It would be easy to get caught up in the hoopla of being the hottest team in the league.

The Broncos are widely considered to be not only the AFC's best, but the NFL's best after New England was knocked off by San Francisco 38-31 last Sunday night. CBS Sports and AP32 consider the Broncos to be the best team in the NFL.

Denver cannot allow the hype or anticipation of the playoffs to distract them from a young but tough Browns team.