Broncos quarterback played 17 consecutive quarters without an interception this season.
That streak ended Saturday.
Keenum tossed a pair of picks in the Broncos’ 17-16 loss against the Browns — in the second quarter to cornerback Jabrill Peppers on a deep fade to the end zone intended for wide receiver ; and in the fourth quarter to cornerback T.J. Carrie on a deep crossing route intended to wide receiver near midfield.
“First one, it was man coverage. Heck, when we’re in field-goal range, I’ve got to be more careful with the ball,” Keenum said. “Trying to give (Sutton) a chance and (Peppers) made a heck of a play coming from the middle of the field and intercepting that one. I need to get that ball up and down a little bit sooner. The second was just a really poor read by me. We were feeling good, wanted to take a shot, and they did a good job disguising the coverage. They rolled to a different form of cover two, and I didn’t see (Carrie). Itap not an excuse, but itap ultimately what lost us the football game because they went down and scored right after that.”
Coach Vance Joseph stressed the need for Keenum to be more aggressive passing after five games without an interception but only five touchdowns through the air. Keenum did not complete a touchdown pass Saturday.
“I think it let me play loose,” Keenum said. “There are a few plays I want back, sure. I can’t make those mistakes, so there’s a fine line to play there. But I think you’ve got do a little it more.”
Ray, Cravens benched. Joseph said the decision to deactivate linebacker and safety Su’a Cravens was based on production.
“We’re playing the best players,” Joseph said. “Trying to win a game. Simple as that.”
That created an opportunity for linebacker Jeff Holland and safety Trey Marshall, two undrafted rookies who made their NFL debuts. Holland played 21 snaps and had two tackles. Marshall played 11 snaps on special teams.
The Broncos have used 11 true rookies this year (players who were in college in 2017).
Coaching to win. After Joseph’s decision to kick a field goal with 4:35 remaining, Browns interim coach Gregg Williams faced a go-for-it-or-kick call with 1:53 remaining.
The Browns had fourth-and-1 from the Broncos’ 10. A field goal would have been a four-point advantage, but Williams opted for a Nick Chubb run. He was stuffed for a two-yard loss by defensive end .
“The big thing was, we came here to win the ball game,” Williams said. “Thatap the aggressive nature of this team.”
Second disqualification. The Broncos had their second player ejection of the season when cornerback Jamar Taylor was penalized for throwing a punch at Browns receiver in the third quarter. Perriman was called for unsportsmanlike conduct but not ejected.
Running back was ejected in the first half of the Broncos’ Week 3 loss at Baltimore.
