Browns Keys to Winning in Denver

Feed the BEAST

Even in a week where he fumbled twice, Chubb was still able to churn out yards and big plays. It does not matter how good or bad a defense is against the run this year. The focus of the offense must be Chubb. Need more proof? At the time, he has faced the 49ers, Ravens, Patriots, Seahawks, and the Rams all were in the top five of the NFL in run defense. In those five games, Chubb averaged 120.2 rushing yards per at 6.07 yards per carry scoring five touchdowns. If that doesn’t say give him the damn ball, nothing does.

Please also keep in mind that Chubb has three fumbles in 326 NFL carries. In college, he took the ball 758 times with only eight fumbles. Even with all three coming in the last two weeks. Fumbling has not been an issue for Chubb in college or the pros up until this point. He will correct the problem and continue to be a force for the Browns. Now, this was all wrote to say run Nick Chubb as much as he can handle if you want to win.

NO MORE MENTAL ERRORS

At this point, the mental errors are reaching a comical level for this team. The Browns currently have 60 penalties on the season, making them the third-most penalized team in the NFL. The record for penalties in an NFL season is 158, so if they don’t clean it up, the possibility to set a new record is there. That is a record a team doesn’t want to be chasing. If they’re going to beat any team in the NFL again, this has to stop. And it isn’t the only thing.

The Browns need to stop turning the ball over. Chubb fumbling twice is way out of the norm, but it just can not continue to happen. Right now, the Browns sit at -9 in turnover differential. The offense has turned the ball over 17 times in just seven games. That averages out to 2.42 turnovers a game. The only team in the NFL with more? The NY Giants. No matter how easy the schedule, you will lose if this play continues. The Browns, for their mental health, need a clean game and a win to prove they can. Denver is as good a place as any to start.

Attack Defensively

The Browns defense has a clear advantage Sunday that they must exploit. Brandon Allen. With Flacco out with a neck injury, the young quarterback gets his first NFL start. Steve Wilks should, and likely will attack the young quarterback with blitzes from every level. Wilks must create confusion, baiting Allen into mistakes when he does drop back. The biggest key to doing all of this will be controlling the Denver running attack.

The Broncos enter the game averaging 110.00 yards per game on the season. While this is only 16th in the NFL, over the last four weeks, they increased the output to 119 per game along with four touchdowns. With a first time starter under center, the expectation would be to establish the ground attack. The Browns are the fourth-worst defense stopping the run at 143.3 per game. They will have to be better on Sunday. They need to stack the box, mix up the pressure, and dare the first time starter to beat them with his arm.

Prediction

At this point, this team is getting harder and harder to predict. The volatility of the offense makes it that way. Everything is pointing to the Browns getting a win in Denver. Let’s go with the momentum and say the Browns take this one 24-7 with the defense dominating the game.