Cleveland Browns vs. Seahawks: Can Browns get a bounce-back win?

Writer: Mike Lukas

Baker Mayfield’s 2-3 Cleveland Browns are coming off a short week after they were basically gut-punched by the highly-confident San Francisco 49ers on Monday Night Football, 31-3. As a result, the Browns’ll be angrily binge-prepping and fast-healing in advance of this upcoming Week 6 home stand battle against the NFC West co-leading Seattle Seahawks.

In Week 5 (and in front of a national audience), the football world got to witness Baker Mayfield watch helplessly as 49ers’ rookie defensive end Nick Bosa planted an imaginary revenge flag during his Niners’ triumph over the Browns. Now back at home, the Week 6 Browns are looking to make up for that unacceptable humiliation by somehow taking it out on the surging 4-1 Seattle Seahawks.

If they expect to compete with a Pete Carroll team that’s statistically outperformed them this season on all sides of the ball, Cleveland must stay true to its punishing run game starring Nick Chubb. And they need to keep quarterback Baker Mayfield better protected so he can release the football more quickly (and more accurately) than he’s been doing these first five weeks.

The Cleveland Browns should beat the Seattle Seahawks on Sunday because their defense is better against the pass. Myles Garret and company will absolutely shut down quarterback Russell Wilson and keep his touchdowns off the board for most of the game.

But the Browns will also have to get more serious about tackling against the run game and covering the gaps. Then they can slow down the Seahawks’ Chris Carson while their superior passing defense neutralizes Wilson in the backfield by putting the fear of sack in him.

And of course, the shockingly bountiful Browns’ penalties, offensive and defensive, have to stop immediately. Nothing kills football momentum quicker than backward yards do.

Cleveland has a rushing attack that can shock its opponents, and Nick Chubb must show up on Sunday against the Seahawks’ excellent run coverage if the Browns hope to steal a win. And that’s assuming Kitchens remembers to game plan Chubb as the main feature of the Browns’ offensive attack while targeting OBJ once or twice along the way.

Prediction: Browns 24, Seahawks 21