Broncos' Offensive Woes Continue in Overtime Win over Browns

The Broncos remained undefeated on the season with a 26-23 win over the Cleveland Browns on Sunday. It wasn’t easy, and once again the Broncos had to rely on their defense to seal the victory.

The team now goes into its bye week with an unblemished record, but there are a lot of things on the offensive side that need to change.

Broncos head coach Gary Kubiak talked about the struggle after the game.

“It’s hard to win in this league, so I’m proud of where we’re at as a football team," he said. "Also, as a coach, I’m concerned about a lot of the things we have to improve upon. I think we’re a good football team that can be a great football team if we could correct a lot of our faults and mistakes.”

“We continue to battle and find a way to win, and I believe today was no different,” he added.

The offensive woes for this team continue, so in this article we’re going to take a look at the good, bad and ugly on that side of the ball.

The Good

David Richard/Associated Press

Ronnie Hillman was able to rush for over 100 yards for the second time this year. His speed makes for a fine asset, and if there’s a small crease, then Hillman can gash the defense. He carried the ball 20 times for 111 yards.

Prior to Sunday's game, Hillman's season high in carries was 12 (Week 1). In fact, his 20 carries are the most by any Broncos rusher this year in a single game.

The Broncos stayed committed to the running game and had some success on the ground against the Browns. Kubiak was happy with the results.

“Well, we didn’t abandon it. I tried to hang in there with it. I thought we ran the ball pretty well today," he said. "I think we could still run it better, but we were more committed to it today. We tried to stay more balanced in what we were doing.”

Hillman is not the starter, but we might see him moved into the starting lineup when the team returns from the bye week to play the Green Bay Packers.

Changes have to be made to the offense, and this may be one that the team considers.

Emmanuel Sanders was about the only thing working for the Broncos' passing game, and most of his production came on one play. In the fourth quarter with the Browns leading 20-16, Peyton Manning hit Sanders down the right sideline for a 75-yard scoring strike. That play was the longest of Sanders’ career.

At the end of the fourth quarter, the Broncos went back to the well with Sanders on a go route—this time on the left side of the field. It was ruled that Sanders caught the ball as he tumbled to the ground, but instant replay showed that Sanders did not have control and the ball hit the ground.

Without that catch, the Broncos couldn’t try a game-winning field goal in regulation. Sanders also hurt his shoulder on that sequence.

Kubiak had no update on Sanders after the game. He did believe initially that Sanders came down with the football.

“I thought he caught the ball. My concern was, did he get up, not touch it and step out of bounds so we could kick the field goal? To be honest with you, that never entered my mind. I looked up at the scoreboard when they replayed it and I saw that’s what they were looking at,” he said.

“I thought he caught the ball because I didn’t see it move when it made contact with the ground.”

The Bad

Andrew Weber/Getty Images

Manning struggled mightily in the game against the Browns. He threw three interceptions on Sunday, including one that was returned for a touchdown. 

His 290-yard performance was his second-highest yardage total of the year, but Manning didn’t look good.

He seemed to be out of sync as Kubiak asked him to do things that aren’t comfortable for Manning. The veteran quarterback believes that he and Kubiak are getting on the same page.

“We are both committed to the cause. I think this bye week comes at a good time where we can study some things we have done in the first six weeks and see what has worked and maybe what is not working as well, and that is what the bye week—as much as you use it for rest, you kind of do a little self-scout and see what things are working for us and what things we can build on,” Manning said.

“That is what we will do during this time, I think.”

Demaryius Thomas is one of Manning's favorite targets, but he let his team down more than once by dropping passes that were on the money. The veteran wide receiver was targeted 17 times by Manning, and he hauled in 10 catches for 111 yards on Sunday.

Thomas takes the blame for his lapses in concentration.

“I have no idea. I have to figure something out. I’m not playing my best right now. I take the blame for that," he said. "The first one I took my eyes off of the ball, knowing I have to keep my eyes on the ball as a receiver. It happens, but they were too easy of a pass to drop. I take the blame. I have to be better.”

We’ll see if Thomas can bounce back with improved concentration when the team returns from its bye week.

The Ugly

Jason Miller/Getty Images

The team tried to use Manning on rollouts and bootlegs on Sunday, and the results were not great.

Manning is not fleet of foot, and he needs his feet set to throw with proper velocity. Throwing on the run is not a strong suit for the veteran, and when he’s asked to do that, his passes flutter more than usual and his pass placement is off.

Kubiak spoke honestly about Manning’s rough day after the game.

“I think he made the plays that got us in position to win the game, and obviously, he has plays that he wants back. That’s a continuing process of me working with him and getting him as comfortable as I possibly can," he said. "I know he’s very capable of getting rid of those mistakes and hanging on to the great plays that he’s made until it’s over.”

“He’s our leader and he’ll keep battling.”

Receivers Cody Latimer and Jordan Norwood both had plays where it seemed like they were not on the same page with Manning. Those two were only targeted three times combined, and Norwood caught the only pass between the two—for a one-yard loss.

All quotes and injury/practice observations obtained firsthand. Record/statistical information provided via the Broncos' media department unless otherwise noted. Advanced stats via ESPN's employees-only database.

Contract and salary-cap information provided by Spotrac. Transaction history provided by Pro Sports Transactions.