The Sports Xchange

In the moments after the Broncos’ 26-23 overtime win at Cleveland on Sunday, Peyton Manning did not look like the quarterback of an undefeated team that has a 3 1/2-game lead in its division.

The Broncos were victorious, but Manning knew just how close the three interceptions he threw – including one on the third play of overtime – came to pushing the Broncos to their first loss to Cleveland in a quarter-century.

Denver’s defense saved Manning and the offense. After Barkevious Mingo grabbed the Browns’ third interception off Manning, the Browns were set up at the Denver 39-yard-line, just nine yards from range for a game-winning Trevor Coons field goal. But the defense attacked on three consecutive plays, which resulted in a collective loss of 13 yards.

By the time the flustered Browns took a delay-of-game penalty before a punt, first-and-10 had become fourth-and-28.

That gave the offense one last chance at redemption, which it seized. But it was anything but a success for Manning and the offense, which had to snap a streak of more than nine consecutive quarters without a touchdown drive just to be in position for overtime.

Manning’s teammates came to his defense. Running back Ronnie Hillman tweeted, “Ya need to get off Peyton that’s our QB bottom line.”

And there isn’t another viable option. Fourth-year backup Brock Osweiler has shown progress in preseason work, but has never started. The Broncos’ Super Bowl hopes will rise and fall with Manning, his ability to curb the miscues and coach Gary Kubiak’s ability to find an offense that brings him back to some semblance of his former production.

“I think we’re a good football team that can be a great football team if we could correct a lot of our faults and mistakes,” Kubiak said.

And that is the potentially scary notion for the rest of the AFC: What if the Broncos eventually do figure it out, whether it’s by better cohesion on offense, a trade to shore up the offensive line or tight end complements, by incorporating more of the elements from the 2012-14 offense, or some combination thereof?

“The best thing about being 6-0, is that we know that we can get so much better,” said offensive tackle Ryan Harris. “That’s what we’re going to use this bye week for.”

REPORT CARD VS. BROWNS

PASSING OFFENSE: D. At one moment, Peyton Manning delivered a perfect strike to Emmanuel Sanders up the right sideline for a 75-yard score that put the Broncos in front. The pass was ideally placed, Sanders didn’t lose stride and his speed did the rest. But three interceptions, none of which came on deep passes, nearly crushed the Broncos. Manning now has 10 interceptions this season, including seven in the last three games. Only clutch defensive play saved the Broncos.

RUSHING OFFENSE: B. It was against the league’s No. 32 rushing defense, so the 152-yard performance by C.J. Anderson and Ronnie Hillman must be taken with a grain of salt. But for the first time since the fourth quarter of Week 1, the running game got some consistent, downhill effectiveness with six consecutive carries in overtime for 27 yards to move the Broncos into range of Brandon McManus’ game-winning field-goal attempt.

PASS DEFENSE: A-minus. As usual, it was all about pressure, which led to four sacks of Josh McCown – including one that resulted in a fumble – and two interceptions. Shaquil Barrett ensured that the Broncos didn’t feel DeMarcus Ware’s absence, finishing with 1.5 sacks, three tackles for losses and nine total tackles.

RUSH DEFENSE: B. Denver never let the Browns break off any big runs, but there was enough steady production from Cleveland’s running backs to keep the Browns from falling into offensive imbalance. However, when the Broncos needed a big play against the run, they got it when Shaquil Barrett engulfed Robert Turbin for a 3-yard loss on the Browns’ first offensive snap in overtime, setting them into an unrecoverable spin.

SPECIAL TEAMS: C-plus. Brandon McManus couldn’t stay perfect forever, but made up for his miss from 51 yards with a 34-yard game-winner in overtime. But on the whole, this was a disappointing game for the Broncos’ special teams. Travis Benjamin got loose for a 20-yard kickoff return, just two of McManus’ six kickoffs ended in touchbacks, and a 15-yard penalty for fair-catch interference by Bennie Fowler cost the Broncos 15 yards.

COACHING: B-plus. Kubiak’s insistence on emphasizing the run finally paid off in overtime, when the Broncos ground down the tired Browns with six consecutive carries that pushed the Broncos into field-goal range, and his instruction to Wade Phillips to “be aggressive” after Manning’s overtime interception sent the Browns skidding backwards. But his test is about to come: can he find a way for the mistake-prone offense to find its footing by Nov. 1?