Cleveland Browns: 5 keys to the game vs. Washington

Defense wins championships. Though the Browns may not be in the mix for a championship as it stands right now, the phrase holds true for a team seeking its first victory. And for the Browns, the key is to be relentless, especially in stopping the run.

It seems that Cleveland’s greatest weakness would be in their secondary. After all, they have surrendered on average less than 100 yards on the ground the past two games and the key for Cleveland this week remains on run defense.

The Redskins will attack the Browns on the ground on Sunday with Matt Jones, Chris Thompson, and Robert Kelley. Although these are not household names and the Redskins only average 75 rushing yards per game, the Browns have struggled against these types of running backs in the past.

There is good news for Cleveland’s defense, as the Redskins’ offense is far from invincible. In fact, they convert on just 40 percent of their third down attempts and can get flustered, especially in third-and-long situations. Clearly, Cleveland’s goal on defense will be to create as many of these situations as possible, beginning by making plays on defense and increasing tackles for loss.

Likewise, Washington’s offense will undoubtedly notice their struggles in obvious passing downs, and will do everything they can to avoid them. This means that they will give Cleveland a heavy dose of a power run on first and second down, even if it is not their greatest strength to run the football. Washington’s strategy will be to stay ahead of the sticks, so to speak, so it will be in the Browns’ best interest to prevent them from doing so.

Key players for the Browns who will be leading this effort are leading tackler Christian Kirksey, fellow linebacker Demario Davis and, of course, Danny Shelton. Stopping Washington’s rushing attack to an even greater degree than the Browns stopped Miami’s running backs may end up being the difference, as the rest of the aspects of defense are fueled by this. As a result, persistent running defense becomes crucial.