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DENVER — In the end, even a coach with Sean Payton's extensive NFL résumé could only let out a quick sigh after the Denver Broncos' wild 41-32 victory over the Cleveland Browns on Monday night at Empower Field at Mile High.



"Holy cow," Payton said as he approached the podium.

The Broncos managed to secure the win despite allowing Browns quarterback Jameis Winston to throw for an astonishing 497 yards and four touchdowns. Former Broncos first-round pick Jerry Jeudy torched his old team with 235 receiving yards, as Cleveland racked up a staggering 552 yards of total offense. However, the Broncos' defense turned the tide with three interceptions, two of which were returned for touchdowns. The victory moved Denver to 8-5, keeping them in the No. 7 spot in the AFC playoff race.

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"Some games unfold the way you expect, but obviously, this one took a very different path," Payton said. "We made enough plays to win .. and that next win was the most important. It wasn’t perfect by any stretch, but we were able to finish."

Broncos rookie quarterback Bo Nix summed it up: "Really, it’s just about moving on to the next drive—not worrying about the score, not worrying about what happened before. ... We just had to put everything together as best as possible and find a way to win. A game like this, you literally just have to score more points, no matter how it happens."



Jerry Jeudy's 235 receiving yards were the most the Broncos have ever allowed in franchise history. Meanwhile, Jameis Winston's 497 passing yards were the second most by an opposing quarterback against Denver, trailing only Tony Romo's 506 yards in 2013.

The Broncos built second-half leads of 21-10 and 28-17, only to see the Browns surge ahead 32-31 with 8:57 left in the game on Winston’s 5-yard touchdown pass to Nick Chubb—his fourth of the night.



Denver responded with a gritty 11-play, 61-yard drive, including two third-down conversions, capped by Wil Lutz’s 27-yard field goal to reclaim a 34-32 lead. The game’s turning point came on Cleveland’s next possession, when cornerback Ja’Quan McMillian intercepted Winston and returned it 44 yards for a touchdown. Earlier in the game, outside linebacker Nik Bonitto had returned an interception 71 yards for a score, marking two critical defensive plays in a game dominated by offense.

“Stuff got ugly on the sideline a little bit ... we just had to pull everybody together,” safety P.J. Locke said. “We told ourselves, ‘We’re being tested right now.’ But we pulled it out. It was crazy ... we had the ultimate faith. JMac came up with a great play.”



Head coach Sean Payton echoed the sentiment: “Big play. The game was full of them, but that was significant. Just a different type of game. We’ve got to learn from it. It’s December now, and everything matters. We have to keep growing.”

The Broncos sealed the victory when linebacker Cody Barton intercepted Winston in the end zone with 44 seconds remaining, snuffing out Cleveland’s final attempt. The win keeps Denver firmly in the AFC playoff hunt and improves their conference record to 4-4, an important tiebreaker as the season progresses.

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The Broncos now head into their bye week before hosting the Indianapolis Colts (6-7) on Dec. 15. It’s the first time since 2016 the Broncos have been three games over .500 this late in a season, marking a potential turning point in their quest to end a playoff drought that stretches back to their Super Bowl 50 victory.




“Obviously, when we go back and look at that tape defensively, there’s going to be a lot we’d do differently,” Payton admitted. “... And yet, we had two pick-sixes and another interception. I told the team in the locker room, it wasn’t pretty, but we did what we had to do, especially late. .. I’m proud of the way we fought and got that next win.”