Favorites for a change

For the first time since the early stages of this season, the Browns enter a game Sunday in Denver as favorites with an honest-to-goodness chance to end a three-game losing streak.

Bidding adios to a torturous stretch against the elite of the National Football League in the last five games (Los Angeles Rams, Baltimore, San Francisco, Seattle and New England), they look forward to the much softer second-half schedule.

The Rams, Ravens, 49ers, Seahawks and Patriots are a gaudy 33-7 thus far. Opponents the rest of the way are 18-34-1. These teams are no better than the Browns’ equal, more than a few a whole lot worse. No excuses from now on.

This is where the season grows in importance. It’s at a crossroads that very well might determine exactly where the Browns will be after winding up the regular season in Cincinnati on Dec. 29.

Two major maladies have stymied this talented, underachieving football team – turnovers and an assault on the NFL record for number of penalties and yardage. We’ll get to the turnovers in a minute.

Right now, the Browns are on pace to smash the league record for total number of penalties and yardage in a season, set by the 1998 Kansas City Chiefs, who committed 158 (accepted) penalties for 1,304 yards. Those Chiefs finished 7-9.

The highly undisciplined Browns on 1,236 plays (offense, defense and special teams) this season have been flagged 88 times (16 declined, two offset), for a net total of 70 for 591 yards. That extrapolates to a record 160 penalties and 1,351 yards.

As for turnovers, it’s not so much they are compiling them at a record rate. Not even close. The 1978 49ers (2-14) turned over the football an incredible 63 times. The Browns are on pace for just 39.

The problem is the timing of them, when those giveaways occur, usually at the most inopportune time. Quarterback Baker Mayfield, the main gift-giver with 12 interceptions, has found the red zone, so bountiful for him in his rookie season, balancing the scale this season.

Looking forward to the rest of this season is one thing. Actually doing something about it, like remembering how to win football games, is incumbent if this club wants to start playing like most fans expect.

The Browns this season have been their own worst enemy, taking two giants steps back for every one they take forward. In at least a couple of those losses, the opponent patiently waited until the Browns self-destructed and walked away with a victory.

Freddie Kitchens needs to stop acting like a rookie head coach and start making wise decisions. Keep his head into the entire game instead of concentrating on calling plays for the offense. Dumb very avoidable mistakes are costing his team.

Unfortunately, his stubbornness gets in the way of whatever progress he seeks from his team. And the drama that accompanies the constant losing with a team that has no business losing these games is strangling the ultimate objective.

Kitchens talks a good game. Too bad he doesn’t coach one. And now he’s got an opportunity to start eliminating some of that drama by winning because if he doesn’t, he very well might lose the locker room.

The Broncos team the Browns face Sunday is arguably the weakest that franchise has seen in many years. They’ve been sliding ever since winning Super Bowl 50 in 2016 behind quarterback Peyton Manning, who retired after the victory.

At 2-6, they have had trouble scoring and only a strong defense has kept them competitive with a trio of two-point losses. One of their victories was a 16-0 verdict against the Tennessee Titans, who walloped the Browns in the season opener.

The Browns catch a break with Denver starting quarterback Joe Flacco, who tortured the Browns for 11 seasons with the Ravens, out for the season with a herniated disc in his neck.

Brandon Allen, who has bounced around the NFL since 2016, will make his pro debut – he has never played in a regular-season game – against a Cleveland defense that seems to have recovered from a three-game malaise that saw opponents singe the unit with 618 yards on the ground.

With that in mind, one would think crowding the line of scrimmage, challenging Allen to beat them through the air, is somewhere in the Cleveland game plan. The Broncos’ conservative approach on offense, which caused Flacco to criticize the coaching staff, features running backs Phillip Lindsay and Royce Freeman.

They have combined for 851 yards, all six touchdowns on the ground and pose a threat out of the backfield with 51 pass receptions for 342 more yards. Wide receiver Courtland Sutton, a huge target at 6-4, is their main deep threat with 39 grabs for 636 yards and three scores.

The Cleveland defensive line, at least based on the stats, should have a delightful afternoon against a Denver offensive line that has allowed 27 sacks, an average of more than three a game. Myles Garrett should flourish against Denver left tackle Garett Bolles.

Defense is where the Broncos excel despite losing linebacker Bradley Chubb, Nick Chubb’s younger cousin, to a torn ACL in game four. Bradley had 12 sacks in his rookie year.

As a result, the Broncos’ sack total is just 17. But a strong secondary has limited opposing quarterbacks to just 195 yards a game. Another challenge for Mayfield, who is way overdue for a good game.

Look for Kitchens to finally open his eyes and recognize running his offense through Nick Chubb is the key to winning games. Chubb’s success on the ground makes Mayfield that much more effective. Never mind those two fluke fumbles in last week’s loss in New England. He is not a fumbler.

If the Cleveland offensive line blocks as it did against the Patriots, the Denver pass rush featuring defensive linemen Derek Wolfe and DeMarcus Walker and the amazing Von Miller from his linebacker spot could make things very interesting. They own 12 of the club’s sacks.

Offensive tackles Justin McCray and Chris Hubbard must neutralize Miller or else Mayfield will see plenty of the perennial All-Pro as he attempts to pick apart the Broncos’ secondary with a finally healthy wide receivers corps.

This is a game the Browns should win. No Make that this is a game the Browns must win. Three straight games at home, where they are winless in three games this season, are up next against Buffalo, Pittsburgh and Miami.

If they don’t win Sunday, the heat intensifies around not only Kitchens, but General Manager John Dorsey, who hired Kitchens, as well. Every indication, though, points to a Cleveland victory, which makes this one of the easiest picks of the season to this point. Fewer penalties and no turnovers help lower the heat. Make it:

Browns 30, Broncos 13