3 areas where the Browns need to make drastic improvements against Houston
No. 1: Avoid going stagnant after opening drives
Cleveland is one of the very best teams in the NFL at scoring touchdowns on their opening drive. Through 11 games the Browns have scored six opening-drive touchdowns. While their offensive standings are decent, fifth in yards per game and eleventh in points per game, anyone that watches the Browns with regularity could tell you that the offense disappears in the middle quarters of the game.
Between the 20-yard lines, Cleveland looks efficient but always finds a way to bog down before hitting paydirt. Sometimes it’s a penalty that keeps them out of the red zone, and sometimes it’s just the failure to make a play, but the end result is the same…long stretches of going without points.
This week Kevin Stefanski has a new shiny toy to play with in Deshaun Watson. While I wouldn’t expect the Browns to show too many of their cards in his debut, the head coach does need to get Watson as many reps as possible to get him back to game speed. Long, sustained, point-scoring drives must be the focal point for this offense for the entirety of the game.
Sleepwalking on offense for 50 minutes is a recipe for disaster, even against an ailing Texans squad. The Browns need to get in a rhythm and stay there for as long as possible. Anything less than 24 points against Houston should be viewed as a failure to launch.
