Broncos ponder whether or not NFL is officiating them differently

The Denver Broncos walked away with a fairly easy win against the Cleveland Browns on Sunday, 29-12, but the team still wasn’t happy about the officiating.

Several key calls went against the Broncos, which gave a beaten-down Browns team some hope. On three consecutive second-half drives, big penalties were instituted against Denver. P.J. Locke was called for unnecessary roughness on a third and seven to give the Browns a first and goal, they would score a touchdown a few plays later. The Browns lost their starting quarterback for the day Dorian Thompson-Robinson their next time with the ball, due to a hit from Baron Browning that the refs called was roughing. Denver got a turnover two plays later on a bad snap. The Browns last gasp was also helped along thanks to a Jonathan Cooper face mask—that drive ended on downs.

“You know, maybe,” Browning said if the Broncos are being officiated differently than other teams. “That’s a great question, who knows?

Baron Browning, asked by @Scotty_G6 about whether he thought the Broncos were being targeted by officials and their calls in the wake of Kareem Jackson’s suspensions:

“You know, maybe. That’s a great question. Who knows?” pic.twitter.com/RsncyD5nNX

— Andrew Mason (@MaseDenver) November 27, 2023

The Broncos and NFL officials have been in a battle for a few weeks now with the flash point being a second Kareem Jackson suspension due to a dirty hit. A bunch of the veteran safety’s teammates have gone to bat for him, including wearing “free KJack” shirts before the game.

“I didn’t think it was a dirty hit, but they called it, so what can I do,” Browning said of the play where DTR got injured. “We can’t control everything, but we can control the response and we got a turnover.”

The Broncos have forced 14 turnovers in their last four games, a huge factor in their five-game win streak.

“When Baron came back and saw the play on the jumbotron, we told him we would still need him on that series. Next play mentality,” Justin Simmons said. “Nobody cares if it was a flag or not at the end of the day, we’re all thinking that way and I think that’s why we’re finding success.”

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