It could be that the Broncos are one of the most surprising teams in the NFL, with a relentless, opportunistic defense and a more-than-capable offense.
Or, it could be that Denver should be thankful for getting the dregs of the AFC North in its opening two games.
Perhaps that assessment is a tad unfair to the Cincinnati Bengals, who traveled to NFC-darling Green Bay on Sunday and emerged with a victory one week after an unlikely, last-few-seconds loss to the Broncos. But there was no excuse for the Cleveland Browns’ performance in a 27-6 loss to Denver at Invesco Field at Mile High.
It was hard to quantify just how poorly Cleveland played in falling to 0-2 — or pinpoint the worst aspect of the Browns’ play. Was it the 186 yards rushing and 449 in total offense the Browns allowed to a Broncos offense that for much of the day seemed to be getting acquainted for the very first time? Or maybe, was it an anemic offense that totaled only 200 yards, turning over the football three times and allowing four sacks, all by Elvis Dumervil, who tied a Broncos franchise record?
Suffice it to say, Browns coach Eric Mangini concluded, it was total team effort.
“There’s no magic potion to take,” Mangini said. “It’s not going to happen outside the (locker) room. It’s going to happen inside. There’s a lot of areas we need to improve on. It’s not some big mystery; it’s things that are correctable and controllable.”
For much of his postgame news conference, Mangini chose to focus on the Browns’ inability to respond to adversity, which was somewhat ironic in that Cleveland received one of the biggest gifts a team can get when the Broncos fumbled away the opening kickoff. Cleveland got the ball on the Denver 22-yard line.
But instead of taking control right away, the Browns settled for a Phil Dawson field goal. Similarly, when the Broncos missed a pair of relatively short field-goal attempts, seemingly giving life to the Browns, Cleveland was unwilling, or unable, to accept the gifts.
“When we got that turnover, I was definitely thinking, ‘Yeah, here we go,’ ” said quarterback Brady Quinn, who was 18-for-31 for 161 yards. “It’s tough to pinpoint one thing specifically as to why we struggled, but I know I have to play better to give us a chance to win.”
Anthony Cotton: 303-954-1292 or acotton@denverpost.com
