Cleveland @ Denver preview

Last Meeting ( Dec 15, 2018 ) Cleveland 17, Denver 16

The Cleveland Browns were expecting to take a major step forward behind second-year quarterback Baker Mayfield while the Denver Broncos hope they had solved their issues under center with the offseason acquisition of Joe Flacco. Things have not panned out for either quarterback or team, who have combined for four wins entering Sunday's matchup in Denver.

The Browns stumbled to their third consecutive defeat, falling at New England 27-13 last week behind another mistake-filled performance from Mayfield, the No. 1 overall pick in last year's draft. “We’re 2-5,” Mayfield told reporters before stalking away from a press briefing Wednesday. “We’ve got to win.” Denver, which has lost two in a row, will be without Flacco for Sunday and possibly the remainder of the season after he was diagnosed with a herniated disk in his neck. Brandon Allen, a former sixth-round pick of Jacksonville who has never taken a snap in the NFL, will make the start against Cleveland.

TV: 4:25 p.m. ET, CBS. LINE: Broncos -3. O/U: 39

ABOUT THE BROWNS (2-5): Mayfield energized the long-suffering Cleveland fan base during his promising rookie campaign, but he has regressed in Year 2, completing only 57.6 percent of his passes and throwing twice as many interceptions (12) as touchdowns (six). Second-year running back Nick Chubb has been the team's best offensive player, but he negated his second straight 100-yard performance by losing a pair of fumbles in the loss at New England. Wideouts Odell Beckham Jr. and Jarvis Landry each had five receptions last week but they have combined for only one touchdown. Myles Garrett is tied for the league lead with 10.0 sacks but Cleveland ranks 29th against the run (143.3 yards).

ABOUT THE BRONCOS (2-6): Flacco, who complained about conservative play-calling in last week's 15-13 loss at Indianapolis, failed to eclipse more than 213 yards passing in each of the last four games. The absence of the former Super Bowl MVP, who has only six scoring passes versus five interceptions, puts Allen in line to become the sixth different starting quarterback for the Broncos since the start of the 2016 season. "First of all, Brandon is a very intelligent dude,” running back Phillip Lindsay said. “I’m excited to see what he has to offer. I think he’s going to move around a lot, and I think he’s going to take shots and stuff.” Denver has a decent 1-2 backfield punch in Lindsay and Royce Freeman, while its defense ranks fourth against the pass (194.8 yards).

EXTRA POINTS

1. Chubb has rushed for 601 yards and five touchdowns in the past five games.

2. Broncos WR Courtland Sutton vies for his fifth straight game with at least 70 yards receiving.

3. Beckham needs 36 receiving yards to become the fourth-fastest in history to reach 6,000.

PREDICTION: Browns 20, Broncos 18