Five Key Matchups: Broncos vs. Browns

Sunday's matchup will pit two of the best rookies in the NFL against one another, and the winner of that battle could go a long way in determining the game's outcome. Bradley Chubb leads all rookies with 12 sacks — and he's hunting down the all-time rookie record of 14.5 — while Baker Mayfield leads all rookies in passing yards and touchdowns.

The two rookies got to know each other during the draft process, and Chubb left a good impression on Mayfield.

"Bradley's a great guy and obviously very talented," Mayfield said Tuesday. "Everything else speaks for itself. His play this year, I don't think, to anybody, is a surprise. He's been playing great, creating huge plays for that defense, and adding another presence on the other side of … Von [Miller]." 

Mayfield has garnered similar praise from the Broncos.

"As far as his football abilities, it's obvious he's playing at a high level," Head Coach Vance Joseph said Tuesday. "He's pushing the ball down the field, and he's making plays with his legs also. That's surprising to me — that he's making so many plays off-schedule, down the field. That makes him dangerous."

Phillip Lindsay's emergence as one of this year's best rookies continues to drive the Denver offense, and his touchdown last week gave him 10 combined scores on the season, tied for second-most among rookies and 12th-most in the NFL.

The Broncos as a whole, though, struggled to run the ball last week against San Francisco, and they'll be anxious to get back on the right track against the Browns.

"We didn't run the football well [Sunday]," Joseph said Monday. "They really beat us up front. Our success on offense is really based through the running game and that was slow-coming yesterday. It affected our entire day with first, second and obviously third downs being long."

Trying to slow down Lindsay will be do-it-all defensive back Damarious Randall, an offseason acquisition from Green Bay. Randall leads the team with 67 individual tackles and is third with 74 combined tackles.

"He's fit in very well in the multiplicity of things that he's been able to do," interim head coach Gregg Williams said. "He's been coached very well at the different stops before he got here. I know a lot about [former Packers defensive coordinator] Dom Capers [so] I know a lot about what they do and how they go about coaching the defense that he played up there in Green Bay, so he fit in here in a hurry."

Jared Veldheer has been rock solid on the right side of the Broncos' offensive line, and he hasn't had a holding penalty accepted against him this season. On Sunday, though, he'll have one of his toughest challenges in Myles Garrett. The 2017 first-overall pick is tied for third in the NFL with 12.5 sacks this year, and he's been solid against the run as well. How Veldheer holds up against the talented youngster could go a long way in determining how successful Case Keenum is.

"For a tackle in this league, it's like playing corner now," Joseph said Wednesday. "Everyone's got receivers and everyone's got rushers. That's just the league. We have to play with great technique, obviously have a plan to chip this guy and double this guy on occasion because he's a special rusher."

Nick Chubb didn't get his first NFL start until Week 7 of this season, but he's certainly made the most of his opportunities. In the last seven game, he's averaging 83.9 rushing yards per game and has added 21.4 yards as a receiver. He's also found the end zone eight times.

"Very rarely do you see him just get tackled by one person," Browns quarterback Baker Mayfield said Tuesday. "If it does happen that way, then he's falling forward for extra yards. That's the difference. When you look at hidden yardage within the drives, being able to keep the chains short on third down and different stuff like that, he really impacts the game."

Chubb presents a tough task given how hard he runs, but it's hard to overpower a guy like Domata Peko Sr. The 13-year veteran in the middle of the defensive line has anchored one of the NFL's best running defenses over the second half of the season, and Denver has only allowed eight rushing touchdown this season, tied for fifth-fewest in the league. On Sunday, limiting Chubb could be a key, and Peko can help lead that charge.

With Chris Harris Jr. out due to a lower leg injury, Bradley Roby will once again serve as the Broncos' top cornerback, and that could mean a matchup with Jarvis Landry. Last week, Roby did a solid job in his debut as the team's top corner and forced a fumble late in the fourth quarter.

The Ohio State product now faces one of the league's most skilled and physical receivers in Landry, who is coming off a two-touchdown performance against Carolina. Slowing Landry down could be a key to success.

"Jarvis is a killer," Joseph said Tuesday. "He's a blocker, and after the catch he turns into a running back. He's a volume guy, so every year he's going to have multiple catches. He wants the ball every play. He's going to block. He's doing dirty work, and he is very, very competitive."