The Browns are back to work today at FirstEnergy Stadium, as they play an underachieving Tampa Bay team. But Cleveland has underachieved massively as well this season. Cleveland has the talent to be a 7-3 team instead of where they currently are. But with the playoffs pretty much out the window, now I'm just looking at the schedule and seeing how many more the Browns can win before they go into the offseason. This could actually be one of those games, although I'm not getting my hopes up. How many of those games have we seen this season? Too many to count, and they're all starting to blend together in what's been a sad, lost season.
But the Browns still have a game to play. Their focus should be on this game, and only this game since they have little else to play for. How do they get the job done? Let's take a look at the Keys to Victory.
Run, run and run some more
I really am trying to keep my blood pressure low on this one. But boy is it hard. It is absolutely maddening seeing Nick Chubb, the best running back in the NFL being massively underutilized week after week. I know it's not easy coaching an NFL team, and there's probably a lot I will never understand as a fan when it comes to being a head coach. But how in the world does Kevin Stefanski not use him more often? I will never understand that. There's absolutely no excuse for it. Quit the cute, flashy passing stuff and RUN THE ROCK!!!
If the Browns want to win this one today, they need to try to go back to the formula that has won them most of their games under Kevin Stefanski: Ball control, chewing up the clock, and a bruising running game with Nick Chubb and Kareem Hunt. Chubb should get at least 20 carries. He only had 14 carries last week for a grand total of 20 yards. That will absolutely never, ever be good enough. Chubb has a chance to eat though, as the Buccaneers are allowing 4.5 yards per carry.
Give Brissett a chance to let it rip!
It's here. Jacoby Brissett's last game as the Browns starting quarterback before Deshaun Watson makes his debut for the team in Houston next week. In spite of the team's awful record, I think Brissett has done better than even I expected. He's a leader of men. He's given it everything he's had. Does he light people up? No. But he rarely makes mistakes and manages the game well, which is all you can ask of him for the situation he's in. He's been pressed into service and performed admirably.
I hope he ends his starts this season by picking up where he left off. Yes, the Browns lost. But he actually did kind of light the Bills up statistically, throwing for 324 yards and three touchdowns. He should obviously not force throws, but if Amari Cooper, Donovan Peoples-Jones, David Njoku or anybody else is open, take the shot.
The only thing that concerns me? Ethan Pocic, the Browns' backup center who has actually done really well in place of Nick Harris, this season's projected starter, was injured last week against the Bills. He'll be out for several weeks. Hjalte Froholdt, who is normally a guard, started at center last week for Cleveland, and he definitely struggled. Whether or not Froholdt will get another start this week at center is anybody's guess. If the Browns offensive line can hold up long enough, Brissett can get after the Buccaneers through the air. But I'm not sure who will be the anchor this week.
Get after Brady early and often
Yes, Tom Brady may be 45 years old. Yes, I believe his best days are behind him. But he's still the greatest quarterback of all time, and one heck of a leader! And he's incredibly smart at reading defenses.
I view Tom Brady as he is now, as like a veteran starting pitcher for baseball. When a star pitcher is older, they have to focus on outsmarting the guys they face and being one step ahead of everybody, rather than simply trying to blow by them with a 95 MPH fastball. Brady may be the same way today. His athletic gifts aren't what they used to be. But he can still outsmart anybody. There's nothing he hasn't seen from a defense throughout his 20-plus years in the league.
But the Browns are going to have to get after him today and disrupt his rhythm. For as great as Tom Brady is, he makes mistakes like everybody else. He's human. Myles Garrett's going to have to continue his streak of getting to the quarterback in order to make that happen. Garrett has at least one sack in four of his last five games. The Browns might need to get 3+ sacks in order to win this one today.
Plus if Cleveland gets home often enough to bring Brady down, that might also give the Browns secondary opportunities to make the play on the football. Surprisingly, the Browns have only forced three interceptions all year. I partly view that as a result of an underachieving defensive line. In a perfect world, the defensive line wreaks enough havoc, which in turn allows a secondary ample opportunities to make plays on the ball. They go hand in hand. If a defense has both of those things going for them, that means they're playing football at a high level. The Browns will have to show some of that today in order to bring home the W.
Sources: nfl.com, USA Today, Dawgs by Nature
Picture Credit: statspros.com
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