CLEVELAND — The Broncos put their perfect record (5-0) on the line when they take on the Browns (2-3) in Cleveland for their final game before a bye week. Here are the inactives and a couple of the top storylines to watch in the Week 6 matchup:
INACTIVES
Outside linebacker DeMarcus Ware (back) and left tackle Ty Sambrailo (shoulder) were ruled out Friday with injuries. Joining them on the Broncos’ inactive list: running back Juwan Thompson, quarterback Trevor Siemian, nose tackle Darius Kilgo, cornerback Lorenzo Doss and guard Shelley Smith.
Thompson injured his hamstring in Week 5 at Oakland, prompting the Broncos to promote Kapri Bibbs from the practice squad and waive tight end Richard Gordon.
Left guard Evan Mathis, who was listed as questionable with a hamstring injury, is active — good news for an offensive line that has already endured many shifts this season.
Defensive end Kenny Anunike will make his NFL debut after recovering from his latest knee injury.
Inactive for the Browns: quarterback Austin Davis, receivers Marlon Moore and Dwayne Bowe, defensive backs Joe Haden and Tashaun Gipson, linebacker Craig Roberts and tight end E.J. Bibbs. Which means Johnny Manziel is active despite his recent off-the-field incident.
Searching for the run game. Coach Gary Kubiak has called it a commitment. But on Sunday, when the temperature in Cleveland is expected to hover around 45 degrees and the wind picks up to 20 miles per hour, it will be a necessity.
The Broncos average only 21.6 carries and 71.6 rushing yards per game, the third-fewest in the league in both categories. They’ve recorded only seven runs of 10 yards or more, well below the league average of 14. And they’ve gained only 3.31 yards per carry, the second-fewest in the NFL.
The Broncos’ offensive woes have extended to nearly every position, but the lack of a running game has also hindered all.
“If you run the ball and you boot a little bit, doing those types of things obviously helps,” Kubiak said Friday. “If you go through the last week, (Owen Daniels) didn’t even get his hands on a ball. That’s not what he’s here for. He’s got to touch the football. There is a lot of things that we can do better that would help spread the football around to whoever gets the opportunity to make the play.”
Although it’s been said before, Sunday’s game may be one of the best opportunities the Broncos’ rushers have to find their rhythm. The Browns’ defense ranks 31st against the run, allowing 149.4 yards per game.
C.J. Anderson and Ronnie Hillman will, again, split time, but Kubiak has said he’ll leave in whoever is picking up yards. Should Bibbs see time, his quick first step and explosiveness could give the Broncos a needed spark.
Shaquil Barrett’s time. The sack master will sit. DeMarcus Ware, the team’s leader with 4.5 sacks per game, was ruled out Friday because of back spasms he suffered in Week 5 at Oakland. With a bye week looming, Ware and the team decided to take advantage of the extended rest period to keep the veteran linebacker fresh for the latter part of the season.
His absence means more time for Barrett, a practice squad player turned backup who has two sacks for a loss of 14 yards this season. The former Colorado State Ram impressed in the preseason and has drawn praise from Kubiak and his teammates.
“I saw something from Shaq last year, but he was still young. Initially during the preseason, you could just see it early in training camp that he wasn’t going to be nothing,” outside linebacker Von Miller said. “He was going to be on this team. He was going to be in the rotation on the 53. You could just tell by his performance and the way that he came into training camp. With that said, I feel confident in Shaq and all of those guys.”
The Broncos are in the enviable position of having one of the deepest outside linebacker corps, with Barrett and first-round draft pick Shane Ray spelling Ware and Miller. The preseason showed glimmers of their depth, and the second half of last Sunday’s win over the Raiders offered confirmation, when Barrett and Ray picked up a sack apiece. Barrett will start Sunday, but Ray will see more time.
HOW TO WATCH
FirstEnergy Stadium, Cleveland — 11 a.m.
TV: CBS (KCNC) — Ian Eagle play-by-play; Dan Fouts, color; Evan Washburn, sideline
Radio: Compass Media, KOA (850 AM), The Fox (103.5 FM)
SERIES HISTORY
Meetings: 24
Broncos’ record: 19-5-0 (home: 10-3-0; away: 9-2-0)
Last game: Dec. 23, 2012 at Sports Authority Field — Broncos 34, Browns 12
Broncos have won last 10 games, dating back to Dec. 8, 1991.
CONNECTIONS
• Broncos safety T.J. Ward was drafted by the Browns in the second round of the 2010 draft (No. 38) and played four seasons with Cleveland before signing with Denver in March 2014.
• Peyton Manning was coached for two seasons (1996-97) in college by Browns senior offensive assistant Kurt Roper when Roper was a graduate assistant for Tennessee. Manning also has a close relationship with Browns owner Jimmy Haslam, whose father played at Tennessee. The Haslams are long-time university boosters.
• Broncos receiver Andre Caldwell (2007) and inside linebacker Lerentee McCray (2008) played at Florida with Browns cornerback Joe Haden. (Haden was ruled out for Sunday with a concussion.)
• Broncos receiver Jordan Norwood played in Cleveland from 2011-12. He recorded his first NFL start and touchdown catch as a Brown, in 2011.
NEXT UP
Sun., Nov. 1: vs. Green Bay, Sports Authority Field — 6: 30 p.m., NBC
Nicki Jhabvala: njhabvala@denverpost.com or @NickiJhabvala
