Cleveland Browns: Studs and duds following loss to Chargers

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CLEVELAND, OH – OCTOBER 14: Melvin Gordon #28 of the Los Angeles Chargers runs the ball defended by Damarious Randall #23 of the Cleveland Browns in the second half at FirstEnergy Stadium on October 14, 2018 in Cleveland, Ohio. The Los Angeles Chargers won 38 to 14 (Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images) /

Dud: The run defense

The Browns run defense was so bad on Sunday that it was hard to point out one player that struggled, as most of the defense was terrible against the run on Sunday.

No matter who was in the backfield for the Chargers on Sunday, they were able to gash the Browns defense for big yardage. On the day, the Chargers rushed the ball 36 times for 246 yards. That comes to an average of 6.8 yards per attempt.

The Browns run defense has not been great this season, but they have not allowed an offense to run the ball down their throats like they did against the Chargers.

Los Angeles came in with the game-plan of attacking the Browns’ edge defenders, as most of their runs were coming off tackle. And the Browns defense had practically no answer for it.

Melvin Gordon rushed for 132 yards and three touchdowns on 18 carries. Backup running back Austin Ekeler rushed for 60 yards on 7 carries. But the most disappointing aspect of the Browns run defense was their inability to stop the Chargers running the end around.

Wide receivers Keenan Allen and Mike Williams combined to run the ball five times for 51 yards. The fact that the Browns could not stop the end around after the first one or two times the Chargers ran the play was not good.

There has been a lot of hype surrounding the Browns defense this season, as they have been able to force turnovers. But when the defense is not forcing turnovers, they have been giving up a lot of yards. If the Browns want to be consistent winners, they need to be able to stop the run, which is something they could not do Sunday.

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