DENVER — Just about every offensive player that spoke with the media addressed the elephant in the room following the Browns’ 29-12 loss to the Denver Broncos on Sunday.
And no, the advantage at Mile High — where a message painted on the wall outside the visitors’ locker room reminds opposing players that they are in fact 5,280 feet above sea level — wasn’t enough of a reason to explain away Cleveland’s clumsy performance.
“We just didn’t come out there and play our best ball today,” Kareem Hunt said. “I mean, they got the elevation and everything, but I feel like it’s no excuse. We still could have played better. … I don’t know. It was just sloppy man. It was real sloppy.”
The Browns fumbled the ball five times in the game, and lost three of them, accounting for all of their turnovers. Those three lost fumbles equated to two scores, 10 total Denver points.
All week, Cleveland acknowledged the fact that Denver has been particularly adept at creating takeaways this season. Coming into this week’s slate of games, the Broncos were tied for second in the NFL with 19 for the year. Thirteen of those came in their previous four games alone, helping them to four straight wins. They’ve now created 17 in their last five.
