Cleveland Browns: 3 keys to victory against the Houston Texans
3 keys for the Cleveland Browns to win against Houston
The Cleveland Browns head into a Week 10 matchup where they host the Houston Texans. The Browns are coming off of their Week 9 bye and have had plenty of time to get healthy from injuries and prepare for the Texans.
Entering the season, Houston had hopes of competing in the AFC South and possibly making the playoffs. Those hopes have quickly eroded as the Texans started the season 0-4 and began to quickly sink. They have since gone 2-2.
This Texans team is far from the same team the Browns played in 2018, during Baker Mayfield’s rookie season. This offseason, the Texans traded DeAndre Hopkins, and they fired their head coach Bill O’Brien just over a month ago. Even though this team has lost some firepower, it would be a mistake to overlook them. This game is far from a guaranteed win.
The Browns are going to have to take care of business if they want this game to go into the win column. Here are 3 things the Browns will need to do if they want to defeat the Texans on Sunday.
1. Establish the running game
Head coach Kevin Stefanski loves to run the ball and it has worked so far. The Browns have averaged 150 YPG so far this season on the ground. This top-5 rushing attack has produced even though workhorse running back Nick Chubb has been injured for more than half of the season.
Cleveland designated Nick Chubb for return from the injured reserve this week. There’s a chance that he is ready to go for Sunday’s game. This would provide a huge boost to the backfield. He could bring in much-needed production to an offense that struggled last game.
Wyatt Teller has also missed significant time off of the offensive line. He was a major part of the team’s early success before he was injured. He also has a chance to return to the field on Sunday, providing the offensive line with a boost.
Houston also totes the worst rushing defense in the NFL, allowing 159.5 YPG. They have been unable to stop opposing teams from running all over them this season and that should work to the Browns advantage.
If Nick Chubb is healthy enough to play on Sunday, he should get the lion’s share of the carries from the backfield, but if not, Kareem Hunt will continue to in his role as the starting running back. Hunt has stepped up into his role nicely, while Chubb has been out. Whether or not Nick Chubb is able to return to action, the Browns should be able to exploit the Texans on the ground regardless.
A crucial part of Kevin Stefanski’s game plan should be to establish the run early and often. Making sure to run the ball most of the game and control the clock will be major aspects of this game. If the Browns are able to exploit the Texans’ terrible run defense it could create a route to an easy victory.