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Playtime Percentage A breakdown of Broncos’ players participation in Sunday’s Week 16 win against Cleveland |
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Playtime Percentage A breakdown of Broncos’ players participation in Sunday’s Week 16 win against Cleveland |
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PLAYER |
OFFENSIVE PLAYS |
DEFENSIVE PLAYS |
SPECIAL TEAMS PLAYS |
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9
Wide receiver Demaryius Thomas tied a career high with nine catches and topped the 100-yard mark for the sixth game of the season on Sunday.
10
The Broncos won their 10th straight game to match the second-longest win streak in franchise history with their 34-12 win against the Cleveland Browns on Sunday.
17.5
Linebacker Von Miller finished Sunday’s win with 1.5 sacks to increase his season total to a Broncos-record 17.5.
18.8%
During the Broncos’ last nine games, opponents have converted just 21-of-112 third-down attempts (18.8 pct.). That figure is best in the NFL with the next closest team, the New York Jets, nearly 10 percentage points behind (31-of-113, 27.4 pct.).
19
Wide receiver Eric Decker caught a pair of touchdowns against Cleveland to give him 11 on the season and 19 over the past two years. That total ties the Broncos’ record for receiving scores in a two-year span. Decker’s 11 touchdowns are tied for third-most in the league this year.
36
Tight end Jacob Tamme’s 36-yard catch in the second quarter and 33-yard catch in the third represent the two longest plays of his career.

After the team’s 10th straight win on Sunday, Monday morning has brought with it another potential accolade. Quarterback Peyton Manning is one of three finalists for the FedEx Air NFL Player of the Week.
Manning completed 30-of-43 passes for 339 yards, three touchdowns, one interception and a passer rating of 106.6 in Denver’s 34-12 victory against the Cleveland Browns.
His touchdown passes were to wideout Demaryius Thomas on the first possession of the game, wideout Eric Decker in the second quarter and Decker again in the third.
It was the 72nd time Manning has thrown for at least three touchdowns, tying Brett Favre for the most in NFL history.
Click to continue reading “Manning Nominated for FedEx Air Award”

WHAT WENT RIGHT
Record-Setting Win
Several records were set in Sunday’s win against the Browns. First and foremost, linebacker Von Miller set a new franchise, single-season record with 17.5 sacks.
Next up, quarterback Peyton Manning tied Brett Favre for the most career games in NFL history with at least three touchdown passes. Both players have 72.
In addition, wide receiver Eric Decker’s two touchdowns Sunday gave him 19 over the past two seasons. That total ties the franchise record for receiving touchdowns in a two-year span, with that mark previously shared by Rod Smith and Anthony Miller.
Fast Start
The Broncos wasted no time jumping out to a 7-0 lead in the first quarter and a 14-3 lead at halftime before leading by as much as 25 in the fourth quarter.
The opening drive was fueled by the Manning to Demaryius Thomas connection. Thomas caught three passes on the eight-play drive for 57 yards — including a diving 22-yard touchdown.
“We always talk about starting fast,” Thomas said. “This is my first time, for me, starting that fast as an individual. We started fast as an offense and defense started fast, everything was clicking.”
Click to continue reading “What Went Right, What Went Wrong: Cleveland”

First-and-10 from the Denver 33, 14:10 to play in the first quarter: Quarterback Peyton Manning and wide receiver Demaryius Thomas set the tone early with their first connection of the day – a 23-yard gain that took the Broncos to the Cleveland 44-yard line on their opening drive. Five plays later, the pair struck again on a 22-yard touchdown pass that gave Denver an early 7-0 lead.
Third-and-9 from the Denver 9, 4:40 to play in the first quarter: With the Browns driving deep in Denver territory, the defense came up with a third-down stop when safety Mike Adams knocked the pass from Browns quarterback Brandon Weeden away from its intended target – wide receiver Josh Cooper. The Browns settled for a field goal, making the score Broncos 7, Browns 3 early in the game.
Third-and-6 from the Cleveland 25, 13:53 to play in the second quarter: Facing a third down for the third time on the drive, the Broncos moved the chains with a 14-yard completion from Manning to wide receiver Eric Decker. After a 1-yard run by fullback Jacob Hester and an incomplete pass, Manning again hit Decker, this time for a 10-yard touchdown that gave Denver a 14-3 lead.
Third-and-7 from the Cleveland 10, :21 to play in the second quarter: With a chance to extend the Broncos’ lead before halftime, Manning’s pass was intercepted by Browns safety Usama Young in the end zone.
Fourth-and-2 from the Denver 36, 12:36 to play in the third quarter: The Broncos came up with a special-teams takeaway when Browns returner Josh Cribbs muffed a punt and running back Lance Ball pounced on the fumble. After a pass interference penalty against Cleveland in the end zone, the Broncos scored on a 1-yard run by Hester to take a 31-6 lead.
HEAD COACH JOHN FOX
On injuries
“Update on the injuries in the game: [CB] Tracy Porter left the game and did not return with a concussion. [WR] Trindon Holliday also left the game I believe later in the game with a sprained ankle.”
On the overall performance of the game
“It’s a win and that’s the most important stat. There’s ups and downs in every game. You look around the league and you’ve got to show up every Sunday and part of being good and doing the things you’re trying to do every year, you’ve got to be consistent. That’s not letting down and I think our team’s done a pretty good job of that of late.”
On QB Peyton Manning’s competitiveness
“It’s tremendous. This team’s been a fun team. I’ve liked this team when we were 2-2 and I said that publicly. They’ve gotten better. They’ve taken ownership. It’s a tribute to all of those guys in that locker room and the hard work they’ve put in. It’s not been just one guy. Obviously, he’s been an important cog, no doubt, but we’ve had a lot of guys that have put everything into this and we’ll see where it takes us.”
QB PEYTON MANNING
On the two red zone touchdowns on third down
“They were both man-to-man coverages both on third down which was good to see. We finished the rest of those drives with touchdowns in the red zone. But pretty tight coverage. I though [WR] Demaryius [Thomas] made a great catch on his … just to take it right out of the air. I think [WR] Eric [Decker] made a heck of a catch on his. I will tell on the one to Eric, it really is a luxury both he and Demaryius give you the opportunity to throw that ball high in the back of the end zone. You know, people call that the Dwight Clark throws—our ball or nobody’s ball. You can throw it high because of the height and their ability to jump, you can make that throw. That was really a good play but especially because they were third down touchdowns. I thought that was really impressive.”
BRONCOS VS. BROWNS:

BRONCOS BEAT BROWNS, WIN 10TH STRAIGHT: The Broncos improved to 12-3 with a win over the Browns on Sunday.
Stay tuned to DenverBroncos.com for in-depth coverage on the win.
BRONCOS ON TWITTER: Follow the action on Twitter, as well, via the Broncos’ official gameday account. @BroncosGameday will keep fans updated with live, in-game updates throughout tonight’s matchup. To chime in with your tweets, use #CLEvsDEN.
BRONCOS VS. BROWNS PREVIEWS: As you await kickoff, get prepared for the game by watching the NFL Films preview and reading DenverBroncos.com’s complete breakdown, including important matchups on each side of the ball, links to coverage from earlier in the week and a key to victory for Denver. Also, check out some noteworthy facts and figures in What to Watch For.
NFL GAMEPASS: For international Broncos fans located outside the United States and Mexico, watch today’s game live and in HD with NFL GamePass.
BRONCOS MOBILE APP: For those of you who follow the action on your smartphone, there’s a free official Broncos mobile app. On your smartphone, visit BroncosMobile.com to download it.
BRONCOS ON INSTAGRAM: The Broncos have joined Instagram. Follow the team’s account, DenverBroncos, for exclusive, behind-the-scenes photos from Dove Valley, road trips and gameday.
LISTEN LIVE: Listen to the live AM 850 KOA broadcast of the game featuring Dave Logan on play-by-play, Ed McCaffrey on color commentary and Andy Lindahl reporting from the sideline.
BRONCOS TV ON SITE: HOME VS. CLEVELAND: Check out the Week 16 installment of Broncos TV On Site, as Chris Hall and Gray Caldwell preview the game from the field.
INACTIVES: The teams have announced their inactive players for Sunday’s game.
BROWNS WIN COIN TOSS: Cleveland won the coin toss and deferred its choice to the second half. Click here for captains and starters.
BRONCOS STRIKE QUICKLY: The Broncos went 80 yards in 2:50 for a touchdown on the opening possession.
BROWNS RESPOND WITH FIELD GOAL: The Browns drove into the red zone after Denver’s touchdown and settled for a field goal.
MANNING TO DECKER PUTS BRONCOS UP 14-3: The Broncos have scored touchdowns on each of their first two possessions.
INJURY UPDATE: Tracy Porter suffered a concussion in the first quarter and has been ruled out for the game.
BRONCOS ENTER HALFTIME WITH 14-3 LEAD: Knowshon Moreno is the game’s leading rusher and Demaryius Thomas is the game’s leading passer at halftime.
HALFTIME PHOTOS: View photos from the first half of action.
SACK FORCES CLEVELAND FIELD GOAL: Von Miller and Elvis Dumervil sacked Brandon Weeden to force a long Cleveland field goal.
MANNING TO DECKER II EXTENDS LEAD: Peyton Manning and Eric Decker hooked up for their second touchdown of the game and gave Denver a 21-6 lead.
MILLER BREAKS BRONCOS SACK RECORD: In the third quarter, linebacker Von Miller broke the Broncos all-time single-season sack record.
PRATER EXTENDS LEAD: Matt Prater kicked a 27-yarder to put Denver up 24-6.
THOMAS TOPS 100: Demaryius Thomas has topped the 100-yard receiving mark.
HESTER’S TD MAKES IT 31-6: The Broncos recovered a fumble on a muffed punt and turned it into a touchdown.
MANNING TOPS 300: Quarterback Peyton Manning has gone over 300 yards passing on the day.
CLEVELAND CUTS LEAD TO 19: Cleveand scored a fourth-quarter touchdown but missed the two-point conversion.
The Broncos defeated the Browns on Sunday at Sports Authority Field at Mile High by a score of 34-12. It was their 10th straight win, tying the second-longest win streak in franchise history.
The win improved the team to 12-3.
Quarterback Peyton Manning topped the 300-yard passing mark and threw for three passing touchdowns on the day and wideout Demaryius Thomas topped the 100-yard receiving mark and scored one touchdown.
Manning was 30-of-43 on the game for 339 yards with three touchdowns, an interception and a passer rating of 106.6
Thomas tied a career-high with nine catches for 102 yards and a touchdown. Wideout Eric Decker scored two touchdowns of his own, adding six catches for 65 yards.
The Broncos scored the first touchdown of the game on the opening possession, which took them less than three minutes to find the end zone. The Browns responded with a field goal on their first possession, but the Broncos then added another touchdown on their next possession to make it 14-3.
Denver added another 20 points in the second half – one touchdown from each Decker and Thomas.
Also in the second half, linebacker Von Miller broke the Broncos single-season sack record. He entered the game with 16, recorded a half-sack and then got another one to break the old record of 17, which was set by defensive end Elvis Dumervil.
Denver takes on the Kansas City Chiefs next Sunday at Sports Authority Field at Mile High in the regular season finale.
In the fourth quarter, the Browns finished a 10-play, 80-yard drive with a 6-yard touchdown to wideout Greg Little. The drive took 4:15 and the score made it 31-12. Cleveland missed a two-point conversion attempt. Little also made a 12-yard first-down catch on the drive.
A 21-yard completion to tight end Benjamin Watson was the longest play of the drive. It was also fueled by a 19-yard defensive pass interference penalty that moved Cleveland down to the 6-yard line.