3 reasons the Cleveland Browns will beat the Chargers in Week 5

The Cleveland Browns will be battling the Los Angeles Chargers on Sunday and they should beat them if these things happen

The Cleveland Browns and Los Angeles Chargers take to the field on Sunday and both teams are looking to start their next stretch of games with a win. While the Chargers have beaten the Browns the last three times dating back to 2017, Cleveland has the talent this season to beat Los Angeles.

One year ago, the Browns had a big lead against L.A. that they squandered in the end. That type of loss will be all the motivation the team needs this week when they play in front of their raucous home crowd.

3 reasons the Browns will beat the Chargers

No. 3: Superior running game

The name of the game for the Browns starts with their run game featuring Nick Chubb and Kareem Hunt. Throw in quarterback Jacoby Brissett, who can tack on a big run or two and is automatic on the quarterback sneaks on fourth down and one and you have the heart and soul of the team.

The Browns are currently ranked second in the NFL in rushing yards with 749 and are averaging 5.0 yards per attempt Chubb is second in the league behind Saqoun Barkley in overall rushing yards with 459. Barkley has had a history of injury so Chubb will likely overtake Barkley soon and could run away with the NFL rushing title by season’s end.

Last year when the Browns and Chargers played their run game was outstanding. Chubb ran for 161 yards on only 21 carries for an incredible 7.7 yards per carry average. Hunt ran for 61 yards and that included two touchdowns.

They couldn’t be stopped, and that type of effort will likely be seen again in this battle. The Chargers are ranked at the bottom of the league in giving up big numbers to their opponents as they are second worst at 5.4 yards per carry. Cleveland’s offensive line is one of the best and they should be able to create big gaps for both Chubb and Hunt to get their big runs.

No. 2: Jacoby Brissett will continue to play well

The word that describes the Browns quarterback best — and the job he’s done so far — is steady. He’s been very consistent and looking more and more like he’s in command of the offense.

Brissett faltered a bit last week and threw an interception in the closing moments, but he’s also given the offense a chance each week. He’s gone 64-of-93 for 683 yards including three touchdowns plus a rushing touchdown over the last three games. Brissett just seems to make good decisions on most plays. He has missed a few open receivers and running backs coming out of the backfield on screen pass attempts but generally, he’s not making too many big mistakes.

He’ll also have an improving wide receiver room that includes Amari Cooper, Donovan Peoples-Jones, and David Bell on Sunday. Despite Cooper having a rather unusual low output game like last week, where he only caught one pass for nine yards, DPJ and Bell offset that performance with good games themselves. DPJ finished with five receptions for 71 yards and Bell had two catches for 35 yards.

Let’s not forget too about tight end David Njoku who has made a career out of playing his best games against Los Angeles. In only three games against them, Njoku has collected 18 catches for 278 yards and three touchdowns.

Brissett has a wealth of talent surrounding him and it could end up being one of the best games of his career. But, in the end, he just needs to keep being steady and giving his team a chance each week.

No. 1: Return of Myles Garrett

When your best defensive player is out, it makes things tough on the team, and for the Browns not having Myles Garrett available a week ago in Atlanta when they played the Falcons really hurt their defense. They couldn’t get to Marcus Mariota very often and that lack of pressure allowed him just enough breathing room to make a few important passes.

The Falcons also relied on their run game and punished Cleveland in the second half when they ran the ball on15 straight offensive plays. A healthy Garrett would have at least helped create some tougher spots for the Atlanta running backs to get through.

Now, Garrett has returned to practices and will play Sunday, after recovering from a very scary car accident a couple of weeks ago. He will have his eyes set on the prize this Sunday which is Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert. The gunslinger for Los Angeles is playing through a rib injury and that likely has the Browns defensive front and a player like Garrett ready to pounce on their prey.

In last year’s game, the Browns sacked Herbert only twice. Look for that number to double in this one. Maybe it’s Garrett that gets to him or one of his teammates. Whoever it is doesn’t matter as much as it is to getting defensive pressure on Herbert and making him rush causing mistakes.

Look for fireworks from both teams on Sunday and another shootout like a year ago.

Prediction: Browns 33, Chargers 30