9:22 P.M. MDT: There were 69,952 fans in the house tonight, with 5,409 no-shows.

9:23 P.M. MDT: Denver has third-and-4 from its 38.

9:24 P.M. MDT: David Kircus got open across the middle for what would have been the necessary yardage for a first down, but Patrick Ramsey’s pass sailed just behind him. Paul Ernster’s punt sailed 52 yards but was returned 14 yards even though a slew of Broncos were in the area where the football was fielded.

9:29 P.M. MDT: Three-and-out for Cleveland, but a Roderick Rogers penalty on Glenn Martinez’s return forces Denver to begin at its 6-yard-line … its worst field position of the night.

8:39 P.M. MDT: Major props to the media-relations department — or anyone who was even indirectly responsible for the Cold Stone ice cream that was available in the press box. I went for the “caramel turtle,” which was downright delightful. It put a sweet tinge on a first half that was mostly sour for the Broncos until the final moments, when Jay Cutler and the offense came alive for an efficient, effective two-minute drill to a touchdown. Denver’s offense closed the half with 171 total yards from scrimmage — 25 fewer than the Browns. Off we go for the second half …

8:40 P.M. MDT: Domenik Hixon fields Phil Dawson’s kickoff five yards into the end zone and returns it 33 yards — gaining a few extra yards while wiggling his way through traffic. The first-team offense is on the field.

8:41 P.M. MDT: Cutler takes a timeout 46 seconds into the second half with second-and-12 at the Denver 26.

8:43 P.M. MDT: Cleveland decides it would rather have the Broncos in third-and-11 than second-and-22. Kamerion Wimbley works past Matt Lepsis from the left side, but Cutler steps out of the pass rush, although the pass falls incomplete.

8:47 P.M. MDT: Paul Ernster uncorks a 49-yard punt; the 6-yard return nonetheless leaves him with a net of 43 for the kick … Denver’s first-team defense is still in the game, and has Cleveland in a third-and-9 from the Browns 21.

8:48 P.M. MDT: Pressure from the outside by Jarvis Moss and Elvis Dumervil helps coax a Derek Anderson pass that is just a little bit off, giving the Broncos defense its first three-and-out of the game.

8:49 P.M. MDT: First-team offense back on the field for more work with outstanding field position at the Denver 48 following the exchange of punts … and muchas gracias to media-relations intern Brad Gee for grabbing a leftover plate of tortilla chips and salsa and tossing them into the nearby wastebasket, thus letting me stay at my perch and work on the game story. (And, yes, Brad, if that was your blatant attempt to get into the blog … mission accomplished.)

8:51 P.M. MDT: Nice little stiff-arm from Cecil Sapp on Browns safety Sean Jones for an extra yard or two near the right sideline … Broncos still have third-and-1 at the Cleveland 43.

8:52 P.M. MDT: Cutler has a pass tipped incomplete … It’s the second time tonight Cutler has had a pass deflected near the line of scrimmage.

8:53 P.M. MDT: Todd Sauerbrun takes his turn on punting duties … A 28-yard punt that ends in a fair catch. It is the first punt that Sauerbrun has dropped inside the 20-yard-line so far this preseason.

8:55 P.M. MDT: A Brady Quinn sighting. He’ll face Denver’s first-team defense. This could be interesting.

8:56 P.M. MDT: And Quinn’s first pass against a first-team defense is a 7-yard dumpoff.

8:57 P.M. MDT: Cleveland on the move after Quinn finds Jason Wright; Wright eludes tackle attempts from John Lynch and Ian Gold for 10 extra yards to the Browns 43.

8:58 P.M. MDT: With a strong pass rush bearing down on him, Quinn stayed in the pocket and found Kellen Winslow for a 25-yard gain across the middle. Cleveland is now at the Denver 35.

9:01 P.M. MDT: Third-and-four at the Denver 29. Crowd getting loud … Quinn looks for Joe Jurevicius in the left side of the end zone near the sideline … Dre’ Bly with him step for step … a splendid throw and catch, but Jurevicius’ foot landed on the touch line. Incomplete … and a scoreless drive after Phil Dawson misses the field-goal try.

9:02 P.M. MDT: With 5:55 left, here comes the second team, led by Patrick Ramsey.

9:04 P.M. MDT: Whoa … Ramsey clobbered in the open field for an eight-yard sack … then a nice burst for Selvin Young into the open field for 16 yards … great acceleration from Young as he sprinted up the field … and one play later, more of the same. Young looks splendid in the open field right now.

9:07 P.M. MDT: In watching Young run, I’m reminded of an admonishment Rod Smith made last summer after Mike Bell ran for the sidelines … that you’ve got to run at people. Not only is Young showing speed on this possession, but he’s taking on potential tacklers, using his speed to get some momentum.

9:09 P.M. MDT: Too many penalties on this possession — that’s three, and the pass-interference call on Tony Scheffler costs the Broncos a red-zone foray. One play later, Ramsey loses his grip on the football, allowing the Browns to take over at the Denver 37 after recovering the fumble.

9:15 P.M. MDT: Cleveland wasted little time capitalizing, making it into the end zone in just three plays. Cleveland now leads 17-10.

9:18 P.M. MDT: More strong running from Young … Denver has a first down at its 32 as the quarter concludes.

7:42 P.M. MDT: Besides the third-down issues — which, of course, were chronicled in the first-quarter blog — there were some other numbers of interest:

FIRST DOWNS: Browns 7, Broncos 3
TOTAL YARDAGE: Browns 106, Broncos 66

OK, gotta refocus on the game …

7:44 P.M. MDT: Leave it to John Lynch, the ancient mariner of the Broncos’ defensive sailboat, for a third-and-1 stop. Lynch nabbed Jamal Lewis in the backfield, holding him up for no gain. But it might not allow the No. 1 defense to force its first punt of the preseason … Cleveland has called timeout and its offense remains on the field for now.

7:47 P.M. MDT: Yep, they’re going for it … and it looks like the Broncos got the stop, but it won’t matter, because Kellen Winslow committed a false-start infraction. So there’s the punt after all …

7:48 P.M. MDT: Denver’s first-team offense will take over at its 20 following a touchback on Dave Zastudil’s punt.

7:50 P.M. MDT: D’Qwell Jackson’s got some turbo boost — which he showed in catching Cecil Sapp near the left sideline. Pretty much nullified a great block by Matt Lepsis to spring Sapp loose … One play later, Jay Cutler finds a wide-open Brandon Stokley for 26 yards.

7:51 P.M. MDT: Some other receivers working their way into the rotation — Glenn Martinez and Brian Clark. For Martinez, it is his Broncos debut; he was in uniform but did not play last week and missed the San Francisco preseason game entirely.

7:53 P.M. MDT: Now Domenik Hixon’s in; he catches a 5-yard pass out of the slot … Denver still in third-and-5, and a harried Cutler finds Selvin Young, who would have been better off dropping the pass than catching it; the 5-yard loss pushes Denver out of field-goal range.

7:55 P.M. MDT: Todd Sauerbrun tries to pooch it; it hits about five feet from the goal line but bounces into the end zone. A net of 20 yards on the punt … and Cleveland takes over possession at its 20 with 9:41 left in the quarter.

7:57 P.M. MDT: Charlie Frye, exit stage left … Derek Anderson comes in, while the rest of the Browns No. 1 offense remains intact.

7:58 P.M. MDT: Ian Gold had the Browns’ first-and-10 play from their 20 diagnosed, but he missed the tackle on Jamal Lewis. Fourteen yards later, the Browns are on the move at the Cleveland 34. One play later, Lewis is wide open and scoots forward for 16.

7:59 P.M. MDT: Jason Wright relieves Lewis and scoots up the middle for seven yards of his own … Denver has Jimmy Kennedy in at left defensive tackle … Anderson is now 3-of-3 after finding Steve Heiden, moving Cleveland to the Denver 34.

8:01 P.M. MDT: Cleveland now at the Denver 21 after Anderson finds Kellen Winslow. Denver has yet to even force a third down on this drive. In the TV booth, ex-Broncos running back Reggie Rivers is declaring this “gut-check time.”

8:02 P.M. MDT: Ryan Tucker commits a false-start infraction, putting Cleveland in second-and-9 from the Denver 20.

8:03 P.M. MDT: Lynch with another big hit, clobbering Steve Heiden to limit him to a 2-yard gain. Cleveland now with third-and-7 from the Denver 18. Maybe this will get the crowd into it … there’s palpable foot-stomping for the first time … but it doesn’t help the defense, as Winslow slides for a 10-yard reception in the right flat. Cleveland hurries to the line of scrimmage, but Denver will challenge the ruling.

8:06 P.M. MDT: Still a completion. First-and-goal, Cleveland, at the Denver 8.

8:07 P.M. MDT: Well, here comes a third down — after two Jamal Lewis runs net five yards. Third-and-goal forthcoming. Crowd making some noise … and it helps, as Anderson loses the football as he pump-fakes. It’s a two-yard loss — and it’s also the two-minute warning here in a rapid first half.

8:11 P.M. MDT: Phil Dawson hits the field-goal attempt, but a flag flies … offsides against Dre’ Bly … declined, and it’s 10-3, Cleveland, with 1:59 left in the half.

8:13 P.M. MDT: Broncos at the 20 after a kickoff touchback … First-and-10, shotgun formation … and some dazzling moves by Brandon Marshall after the reception only net him one more yard. They did, however, allow him to get out of bounds and stop the clock.

8:14 P.M. MDT: Cutler finds Marshall wide open in the right flat … he breaks a tackle and ends up with a 22-yard gain to the Cleveland 49. Time out, Denver, with 95 seconds left before halftime.

8:15 P.M. MDT: Now it’s Daniel Graham as the target for 11 yards and another first down … Cutler then scrambles for six more yards, with a flag flying in at the end after Cutler dove forward … It’s an unnecessary-roughness infraction against Shaun Smith, who spins Cutler’s legs after the play … That moves Denver to the Cleveland 17 with 1:07 left.

8:17 P.M. MDT: Nice change-of-pace draw play to Cecil Sapp … you can make that kind of call when you’re inside the 20, have two timeouts and over a minute to play … That picked up 10 yards to the Cleveland 7 … With no timeout called and the clock ticking, the ball goes to Sapp once again, and he picks up five more yards to the Cleveland 2 … An impressive drive so far, but the Broncos’ No. 1 offense has had red-zone troubles since the game-opening drive at San Francisco.

8:18 P.M. MDT: Last week, Kyle Johnson couldn’t hang on when the Broncos went to their bread-and-butter goal-line play — the playfake rollout-and-toss-to-the-fullback. Tonight, he does, and the game is deadlocked with 33 seconds left. Cutler looked quite composed and downright comfortable in the hurry-up offense, and you have to like the draw to Sapp in the Cleveland red zone when Cleveland’s ‘D’ was thinking pass.

8:20 P.M. MDT: Ernster’s kickoff sails 68 yards … probably not what he wanted. It’s returned 24 yards to the Cleveland 26.

8:22 P.M. MDT: A terrific individual pass-rush by Elvis Dumervil to get to Derek Anderson — one that saw the defensive end push his blocker back into Anderson — was ruined when Dumervil was flagged for a face mask. It’s the equivalent of a perfect vault with a flubbed landing, and it moves the Browns up to the Denver 37 since the infraction was enforced after the four-yard sack.

8:23 P.M. MDT: Another outstanding pass rush by Dumervil, looking to make amends … this time he flushes Anderson out of the pocket, allowing Amon Gordon to take advantage for the sack and the five-yard loss.

8:26 P.M. MDT: Halftime, tie game.

7:00 P.M. MDT: There’s no such thing as a “moment of truth” in the preseason, but after the first two August games, I think it’s fair to say I’m understandably curious to see what Denver’s first-teamers have in the offing tonight. And I myself would like to see a good game from Brandon Marshall, since I used a pick in my 16-round fantasy-football draft this morning on the second-year wide receiver who remains listed with the second team on the depth chart.

7:03 P.M. MDT: Waiting for the coin toss …

7:05 P.M. MDT: Denver’s four captains are John Lynch, Jay Cutler, Jason Elam and Matt Lepsis … Cleveland wins the coin toss by calling tails.

7:07 P.M. MDT: Paul Ernster opens the game by clobbering the opening kickoff 85 yards, five yards beyond the back of the end zone … Elvis Dumervil starts in place of Ebenezer Ekuban at right defensive end … Amon Gordon and Sam Adams remain the starting tackles … Nate Webster, as expected, is the starting strongside linebacker.

7:08 P.M. MDT: Broncos have Cleveland in a third-and-5, and Elvis Dumervil and Jarvis Moss get pressure on Cleveland quarterback Charlie Frye … but Frye feels the pressure, steps to the right and runs 14 yards to a first down that has Cleveland one yard waaway from midfield.

7:11 P.M. MDT: Third-and-8 for the Browns after Amon Gordon gets credit for a sack … but the Broncos’ first-team defense will not force its first punt of the preseason as Frye, with plenty of time, locates a wide-open Steve Heiden across the middle. Cleveland now at the Denver 35.

7:12 P.M. MDT: Alvin McKinley seeing some time at right defensive end … Frye finds Braylon Edwards for 24 yards outside of Dre’ Bly to get the Browns to first-and-goal at the Denver 6.

7:14 P.M. MDT: Ian Gold and Elvis Dumervil were there at the goal line, but Jamal Lewis plowed through them for a 1-yard touchdown run on second-and-goal. A few boos are heard after the play, and the Broncos now trail 7-0. Says CBS4’s Gary Miller on the local TV broadcast: “A discouraging start.”

7:17 P.M. MDT: Quincy Morgan has received the bulk of the kickoff-return work so far this preseason, but Domenik Hixon gets this return … and drops it in the end zone. He recovers to take a knee for the touchback.

7:19 P.M. MDT: Broncos open in a two-tight end, two-wide receiver formation … Nate Jackson and Daniel Graham as the tight ends; Brandon Marshall and Javon Walker as the wide receivers. Cecil Sapp is the tailback behind Jay Cutler. Matt Lepsis at left tackle, Chris Myers at left guard, Tom Nalen at center, Montrae Holland at right guard and Erik Pears at right tackle.

7:20 P.M. MDT: The sluggish start continues with a fumbled snap on the opening play and a near-interception on second-and-12 by Antwan Peek.

7:21 P.M. MDT: Brandon Stokley in at the slot on third-and-12 from the Denver 18 … Walker on the in route up the left side then goes up the middle and follows Brandon Marshall’s blocking for a 37-yard gain to the Cleveland 45.

7:23 P.M. MDT: Cutler’s second-and-9 pass from the Cleveland 44 is tipped by Kamerion Wimbley at the line of scrimmage … Stokley back in the slot again on third down as Denver goes into the shotgun formation … Cutler’s pass for Stokley across the middle was intercepted by Sean Jones, who was also called for holding, nullifying the play and resuscitating the Broncos’ drive.

7:24 P.M. MDT: A Selvin Young sighting … and an impressive one at that, as he quickly turns the corner for eight yards to move Denver to the Cleveland 31 and into field-goal range.

7:25 P.M. MDT: Quick slant to Walker on third-and-1 from the 30 … and the wideout can’t hang on. Denver eschews the field goal to go for it on fourth down, and Sapp hurtles through the middle of the line for 11 yards.

7:27 P.M. MDT: Denver’s drive now at 12 plays … Sapp now has three straight carries for a total of 19 yards … third-and-2 from the Cleveland 11 … Cutler rolls right for Walker, open outside the 10-yard-line, but Walker has a catchable football skip off his hands.

7:29 P.M. MDT: Broncos settle for a 29-yard Elam field goal with 3:53 left in the quarter. Denver trails, 7-3.

7:31 P.M. MDT: It’s Todd Sauerbrun’s turn to kick off, as he’ll try to match Paul Ernster’s 85-yard game-opening blast out of the end zone … Sauerbrun gets a 74-yard kickoff that is not returned; it was a low, line-drive shot but good enough for the touchback.

7:35 P.M. MDT: Cleveland picks up another third-down conversion; this one — a Jamal Lewis 2-yard run — came on third-and-about-a-foot, but nevertheless Denver’s No. 1 defense remains in search of its first forced punt.

7:37 P.M. MDT: Third-and-5 from the Cleveland 36, and the Broncos blitzed … but Frye quickly got the pass off to Edwards, and got the 10-yard reception before Bly and Lynch met him for the tackle.

7:40 P.M. MDT: The quarter runs out. Cleveland 4-of-4 on third downs, Denver 1-of-3. That statistic tells the story so far. Second-quarter notes in the next entry … see you there.

Thoughts from the pregame walkaround …

… Plenty of Browns jerseys along the 100-level concourse. At one point it seemed as though every last one of them was rocking the “Quinn 10″ backside. I wonder if all of these fans also owned Tim Couch, Jeff Garcia and Charlie Frye jerseys?

… Very laid-back air on the concourse. Befitting the preseason, I suppose, but it just seems a bit lackadasical for the home opener. Can’t put my finger on why …

… In watching the Colts-Lions game on the TV monitors in the press box, it appears the Colts are their typical unstoppable selves on offense. The more things change … yada yada yada …

… If you’re on the club level, I recommend the burgers. Haven’t had a bad one yet in my five years of pregame wanderings in search of atmosphere, crazy fans and food…

… Nothing unexpected in the pregame rundown of players who will and won’t play.

Photos:

In the words of Jules Winnfield, “Time to get into character.” Back in a few with game notes … until then, vaya con Dios.