3 Browns to Blame for Loss to the Broncos in Week 12

1. Greg Newsome, Cornerback

Cleveland had a three-and-out on offense and they needed their defense to get them the ball back to avoid an early hole. That nearly happened when the Broncos were forced into a third-and-10. Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah stuffed Javaonte Williams for no gain on a run and then Sione Takitaki was there to take him down on a screen pass for no gain on second down.

The Broncos then threw a deep ball with Courtland Sutton going one-on-one with Greg Newsome. Sutton wasn’t able to come down with the ball but he drew a flag on the Cleveland cornerback. Newsome was hit with a pass interference, which gave the Broncos 34 yards.

A few plays later, Newsome was again on the wrong end of a third-down play that hurt the Cleveland D. This time, it was third-and-eight and Newsome was unable to keep up with Sutton over the middle. The veteran wideout hauled in a reception for 31 yards, giving his team the ball at the three-yard line. Naturally, the Broncos punched it in and it was a 7-0 lead — thanks in large part to Newsome struggling with Sutton.

Cleveland needed Newsome to step up with Denzel Ward out and he let them down in a big way. Sutton finished with 61 yards plus the 34 on the penalty. He had no issues separating from Newsome, which is a huge reason the Broncos pulled off the win. They clearly missed Ward in this one.

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