Cleveland Browns-Denver Broncos Preview: Key Matchups to Watch

With week two of regular season practices almost wrapped up, the Cleveland Browns had many things to work on resulting from their week one loss to the Minnesota Vikings.

Moving on to the Denver Broncos, the Browns and head coach Eric Mangini go up against another Bill Belichick protege in Broncos new head coach, Josh McDaniels.

The Broncos are very similar to where the Browns are right now, they are rebuilding the team and installing a new system after 13 seasons under former coach Mike Shanahan.

Last week they won their first game of the new season by sheer luck on the last play of the game, courtesy of a bounce into the hands of wide receiver Brandon Stockley who took it 87 yards for the game-winning score, versus the Cincinnati Bengals.

Last year versus Denver was the beginning of the end for the Browns in 2008. It was the game where players began saying that the team had "just given up," but that was a different regime, and now Mangini is bringing a more disciplined team to Denver.

There are several key matchups that the Browns need to look at in order to achieve victory in the thin air of the Rocky Mountains.

CB Brandon McDonald Versus Himself From Last Year's Game

McDonald had what was probably one of the worst games in his professional football career last year against the Broncos. He was responsible for covering then rookie wide receiver Eddie Royal, who wound up torching McDonald for two long touchdowns.

Look for McDonald to redeem himself this Sunday and not give up any long touchdown plays.

The Browns Defensive Front Seven Versus the Broncos Running Game and QB Kyle Orton Who Has a Bum Finger

Denver's running game under former coach Shanahan was one of the best year in and year out due to a zone blocking scheme.

It didn't matter who the runner was, because it was the scheme that made the Broncos running game a success, now McDaniels is moving away from that scheme and with the addition of rookie running back Knowshon Moreno, the Broncos are looking to develop him at their featured back for the future.

Moreno still has a lot to learn about running the ball in the NFL, and look for the Browns defense to shut down the running attack and actually hold a NFL team to under 100 total rushing yards which hasn't happened in a long time.

Orton has an injured finger which may or may not affect his throwing, but look for the Browns defensive backs to get at least two interceptions off of him.

The defensive front seven will continue to get pressure on opposing quarterbacks and build on their impressive four-sack performance of week one.

CB Eric Wright Versus WR Brandon Marshall

After week one, Wright is quickly becoming one of the top shut down corners in the NFL. Against the Vikings, he was one-on-one with their top receiver, Bernard Berrian, and Berrian did not catch a single pass for the entire game.

Against the Broncos, Wright will face one of the top producing receivers of the NFL the past two seasons in Brandon Marshall.

Whether or not, Marshall's heart is really in the game will be determined on gameday, since Marshall wants out of Denver in the worst way.

Wright will have his hands full Sunday, look for him to not shut down Marshall like he did with Berrian, but look for Marshall to be a non-factor in the game since the Broncos will probably focus on the McDonald-Royal matchup.

Browns Offensive Coordinator Brian Daboll Versus Conservative Play-Calling

Last week Daboll was ripped by many for his conservative play-calling, but most forgot that was his first regular season game calling plays as an offensive coordinator.

With one game under his belt, look for Daboll to take a few long shots down the field as long as Brady Quinn can pull the trigger.

Daboll also has a new weapon in running back Jerome Harrison who is finally healthy and looks to contribute.

Which leads to...

...RB Harrison Will Be the Secret Weapon

Harrison has not played in a game since the first preseason game against the Green Bay Packers, and has not fully participated in practices for that entire time due to an injured knee.

Practice reports have said that Harrison has quickly made strides this week and he will be getting touches in the game.

What kind of touches will Harrison get will be the real surprise!

With Harrison getting lots of hype before training camp began, it will be very exciting to see him finally utilized by Mangini (Who loved getting the ball into Leon Washington's hands as much as possible and who Harrison has been compared to many times!)

WR Josh Cribbs Versus Denver CBs Not Named Champ Bailey

Bailey is one of the, if not the top, shut down corner in the NFL and he lines up against the opposing teams top wide receiver no matter where they line up.

Since Bailey will be blanketing Braylon Edwards, that gives Cribbs the chance to show that he is deserving of being the other starting receiver.

Cribbs will continue to grow into a starting receiver over the next several games, but what better time than now to showcase his talents and playmaking ability and take that next step into become a true all-around offensive threat against the Broncos.

Look for him to get into the open field several times and since he is so hard to tackle, look for Cribbs to get a good amount of yardage after the catch too.

Final Prediction: Browns 28 Broncos 13

With both teams rebuilding, look for the Browns to play very disciplined football, a big passing play to Cribbs, a pick-six for Wright, more pressure and sacks for the defense, a solid performance by Quinn, and avenge themselves after a disastrous second half in week one.

(Article originally posted on Dawg Scooper)