Browns vs. Chargers: 4 keys to victory

Sep 27, 2015; Cleveland, OH, USA; Cleveland Browns running back Isaiah Crowell (34) gets hit out of bounds by Oakland Raiders cornerback T.J. Carrie (38) at the two yard line during the second quarter at FirstEnergy Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Scott R. Galvin-USA TODAY Sports

There is a good sign when looking at the bottom of the NFL in terms of run defense. The Chargers are only a few spots above the Browns, tied for 28th with an average of 135.7 rushing yards allowed per game.

So simple enough, the Browns just have to keep running the ball and they will have a breakout game, beat the Chargers, get to 2-2 and all will be well. Oh wait, the Browns average 86.3 rushing yards a game. My bad.

But all hope is not lost.

Not to be an apologist, but in two of the three games this season the offense has not been in a position to run the ball. They have been behind and were forced to keep throwing the ball against the Jets and the Raiders, when the running backs combined for 45 and 39 yards respectively.

Ready to be angry?

Isaiah Crowell only ran the ball ten times against the Raiders for a total of 36 yards. Duke Johnson Jr? (Not questioning the Junior is his name, but rather posing a question). Well, he only ran for a whopping 3 yards on four carries.

If anything, the Browns need to give the running backs carries early on to get some sort of flow going on offense, and to avoid obvious pass situations.

They must also avoid obvious run plays, as they seem to love to run the ball up the middle on second down almost every time they get no yards on first down. It’s easily the most infuriating thing when you can call out a play from home and it goes just as bad as you expected.

There is something else the backs must do.

Next: No fumbles