Browns vs. Chargers: 3 keys to watch in Sunday’s game

The Cleveland Browns take on the Los Angeles Chargers on Sunday as the Browns continue to search for a win. Here are three stories to watch during the game.

The calendar has flipped to December, which has been a particularly cruel month for the Cleveland Browns in recent years.

Since 2010, the Browns are just 5-24 in games played in December and have gone winless three times in the month.

That is not a good sign for a team that enters Sunday’s game against the Los Angeles Chargers at 0-11 and 1-26 under head coach Hue Jackson. The one saving grace is that Jackson’s last two wins as a head coach — in 2016 against the Chargers and in 2011 against the Kansas City Chiefs – both came in December.

Of course, both of those games were played on Christmas Eve, so Jackson’s patented “December magic” may still be a few weeks away.

On a more immediate front, the Chargers come into the game in a surprise fight for the lead in the AFC West. The Chargers started the year 0-2, but has worked its way back into the division race, thanks in large part to the ongoing collapse of the Kansas City Chiefs.

The Browns have not defeated the Chargers on the road since 1991 and Sunday’s game is not going to be an easy one. Here are three areas to watch for from the StubHub Center.

The return of Josh Gordon

For the first time since Dec. 21, 2014, wide receiver Josh Gordon will appear in a regular season NFL game.

The Browns, Jackson and the players — outside of wise man Joe Thomas – have hyped up Gordon’s return to the field as much as possible over the past two weeks. Gordon has looked good running routes against air in the brief clips posted online from practice the past two weeks, but Sunday it will be a different story.

The Chargers will likely counter Gordon with cornerback Casey Hayward, who routinely makes it a habit to shut down opposing wide receivers. Hayward missed practice time this week while dealing with a calf injury and the loss of his brother in a car accident, and while he is listed as questionable for Sunday’s game he is expected to play.

Related: DPD Podcast on Josh Gordon’s return

At this point it is impossible to predict that will happen with Gordon on Sunday. There were so many times over the past three years where is seemed like he would never return to the NFL, but he is now just one day away from his latest second chance.

Gordon could finish the game with one catch for five yards, or he could set league records for most receiving yards, touchdowns and receptions in a game. Anything is possible.

Keeping DeShone Kizer clean

Reinforcements for the Browns offense may have arrived in wide receivers Josh Gordon and Corey Coleman, but that doesn’t mean that rookie quarterback DeShone Kizer will have time to be the beneficiary on Sunday.

That is because tackles Spencer Drango and Shon Coleman are going to have to deal with Los Angeles defensive ends Joey Bosa (11 sacks) and Melvin Ingram (nine sacks).

Coleman has improved each week of the season, which is to be expected in his first year as a starter, but still struggles with penalties. As for Drango, he tries hard, especially for someone playing left tackle when they are best suited to be a backup guard.

Jackson is going to have to figure out a way to slow down Bosa and Ingram or it will be a long day for Kizer.

Protect the ball

The last time the Chargers faced a rookie quarterback they picked off Buffalo Bills quarterback Nathan Peterman five times in the first half of what would turn into a 54-24 win.

DeShone Kizer is no Nathan Peterman, but he has thrown a league-high 14 interceptions, which is one of the reasons why the Browns have the most turnovers in the NFL.

On the flip side, the defense can’t seem to intercept a pass — they dropped at least three last week against the Cincinnati Bengals – or fall on a fumble, which combined with Kizer’s propensity for throwing the ball to the wrong team has the Browns sitting with a turnover ration of minus-17, the worst in the league.

Next: Is Spencer Drango tipping plays?

The Chargers come into the game with the league’s 10th-best offense and are averaging 22.5 points per game. The Browns simply cannot afford to give the Chargers more opportunities or short fields to work with if they hope to have a chance at their first win of the season.