Week 7 instant reactions: Cleveland Browns win ugly battle with Denver

The Cleveland Browns were able to win an ugly game and move to 4-3. Case Keenum was a game manager and D’Ernest Johnson shined.

The Cleveland Browns tried to give away the game multiple times on Thursday night, but the Denver Broncos just wouldn’t give it to them.

Twice the Browns defense gave up scores on third and goal plays from eight plus yards, but at the end of the day, the Browns pulled off the 17-14 victory and move to 4-3 on the season.

Case Keenum was nothing special on the night going 21-of-33 for 199 yards and one touchdown, but he managed the game and didn’t turn the ball over. Honestly, he was exactly what the Browns needed to make sure they got the win.

The star of the night was D’Ernest Johnson who ran for 146 yards on 22 carries and a touchdown. He could have had a few more yards and another touchdown, but he wisely laid down on the last first down of the game before cruising into the end zone.

The defense was fierce in the first half but allowed the Broncos offense to get in a rhythm in the second half. Overall, I liked the scheme a lot from Joe Woods, but there were a ton of missed tackles.

There were two huge ones where Denzel Ward missed a tackle to stop the receiver short of the end zone and another where Ronnie Harrison just took a poor angle.

Hey, a win is a win in the NFL and now the Browns get a long week off before facing the Pittsburgh Steelers at home on Halloween. The bad news, Jarvis Landry and Denzel Ward both left the game late with injuries.

Odell Beckham also appeared to aggravate his shoulder again but did play through the pain.  Happy victory Friday!