The Browns wrap up the 2022 season with the first of two back-to-back road games. Today, Cleveland does battle with the Washington Commanders at FedEx Field. The Browns may be out of the playoff hunt this season. But that doesn't mean they can't still play spoiler to a Washington team that, even though they're currently last in the NFC East, is still very much alive in the race for the Playoffs. At 7-7-1, the Commanders currently hold down the 7th and final Playoff spot in the NFC.
Allow me to paraphrase a meme, folks: "That's a nice season you have there. It would be a shame if someone were to ruin it." If the Browns put everything together today, that's exactly what would happen.
I try my best to be a decent man, and be friendly and good to others. But I'd be lying if I said there wouldn't be a smirk on my face if the Browns stole this one. So, how do they do it? Let's take a look at today's Keys to Victory!
Run the ball to set up short yardage situations
The Commanders have a fairly decent run defense. But just because that's the case doesn't mean the Browns should play intimidated or scared. At this point in the season with little left on the table to play for, Cleveland is essentially playing with house money, and has an eye on next fall. They've got nothing to lose. They should play like it. And that means playing physical by running the ball with Nick Chubb. This guy should already be a repeat NFL rushing champion by now. Several times over. If it wasn't for incompetence on the part of Hue Jackson, Freddie Kitchens and Kevin Stefanski, he would be. He's the best running back in the league, and it's not even close.
He's on his way to a fourth straight Pro Bowl, and has 1,344 yards, 4.7 yards per carry, and 12 touchdowns on the season. As I have said countless times before, he is the motor that makes this offense go. He's a supercharged V8. Pure muscle and power. Going with anyone else other than him to help power this offense is just foolishness or willful stubbornness.
If the Browns can establish the run, and set up several short yardage situations for easy conversions (like the Saints did to them last week), this allows for more opportunities to open up the playbook and get creative offensively. Normally, I hate seeing us pass the ball so much because we don't run it nearly enough. Plus I just flat out hate the "cutesie" plays that rarely go for more than anything other than negative yardage, or a turnover. But in my next Key to Victory, I go against my normal way of thinking, and I say...
If the opportunity is there, let it fly!
For as solid as Washington has been in their run for the Playoffs, their biggest weakness is one the Browns know all too well, since they have the same issues: their pass defense. Washington's pass defense is ranked 20th in the league, and has allowed 22 passing touchdowns by opponents this season.
For as much as he's struggled early, Deshaun Watson should be licking his chops right now, and be eager to get a chance to face a Commanders secondary that has certainly had their fair share of issues stopping the pass.
Watson's first four games as a Brown certainly haven't been awful. But they have left a lot to be desired. Since he took over as the team's starter in Week 13, Watson has gone 2-2, throwing two touchdowns to three interceptions, 176 yards per game, with a quarterback rating just over 69. I've seen worse. Much worse. Everyone who is a true Cleveland Browns fan has seen much worse. But to say he's been underperforming would be an understatement. This might be the perfect game for him to finally unleash what Browns fans have been waiting to see. Do I expect him to go off for like 400 yards and three touchdowns? Of course not. But he seems to have yet to really get in sync or get in a rhythm. Today might be the perfect time for him to start finding a groove. He's an uber-talented quarterback, and he has plenty of talented receivers to throw to in order to make that happen today.
Contain the three-headed monster
For as much as the Browns should try to exploit Washington's subpar pass defense, the Commanders should try to do the exact same thing to the Browns' flat out PUTRID pass defense.
Even though the Browns' secondary has played better the last several weeks, that unit still ranks 27th overall in the league. They're just not very good. No use in sugarcoating anything. Which means they'll have their hands full with Washington's trio of talented wideouts in Terry McLaurin, Curtis Samuel, and Jahan Dotson. Two of them, McLaurin and Samuel are former Buckeyes. And pretty solid ones at that! And Dotson is a former Nittany Lion.
The Browns defensive backs are certainly going to be tested today. If they can do what they did when the team won three out of four, that will be their best chance to slow down the Commanders in the receiving game. They'll have to play clean, focus on playing the ball rather than the opposing receiver, and they'll have to get up close and personal in order to have a chance. Zone coverage doesn't work when you face multiple talented receivers like this. Denzel Ward and Co. need to jam the Commanders' receivers at the line. They need to keep their heads on a swivel (constantly know where the ball is), and perhaps jump the route if Washington quarterback Carson Wentz makes a mistake. But if the Browns' DBs are routinely beat one-on-one, it'll be a long day for a secondary that's just had a long season in general.
There may not be much left to play for. But I'd be lying if I said I wasn't rooting for the Browns to win this game, no matter the circumstances. And I'm not about to change things up now. We don't experience winning anywhere near as much as we should. We deserve much better as fans on Sundays when we're so passionate about supporting these guys. But whenever a win does come in spite of a lost season, that makes the rest of the week easier to handle. I sure could use a late-season Victory Monday tomorrow! What say you, Dawg Pound? Tune in to FOX at 1 PM to watch the action!
GO BROWNS!
Sources: ESPN, nfl.com, Washington Football on FanNation, Sports Illustrated
Picture Credit: espn.com
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