Cleveland Browns: Keys to victory against Bengals

Pass protection

The Browns will want to run the ball as much as possible on Sunday, but they will need to keep a balanced offense by putting the ball in DeShone Kizer‘s hands. In order to give the rookie the best chance to succeed as possible, the offensive line will need to be on the top of their game against some very strong pass rushers.

Carlos Dunlap and Geno Atkins lead a formidable Cincinnati defensive line which will undoubtedly be after the rookie quarterback all afternoon. Especially since the Browns would like to give Kizer a chance to throw a deep ball or two in this one, keeping a clean pocket is key.

With Joe Thomas protecting the quarterback’s blind side, the Browns should be confident in their ability to buy Kizer some time. The only complication is, Kizer enjoys moving the pocket and working outside of it. This means that Cleveland’s offensive line is going to need to match the speed of a strong Cincinnati defensive line to keep some sort of pocket intact.

Protecting Kizer is the first step to slowing the game down for him, allowing him to make better decisions and cleaner throws. This will help the Browns not only in the passing game, but in their overall effort to move the ball and keep a balanced offensive attack.