The Cleveland Browns picked up five early wins in the first seven weeks of the 2026 season, and their defense was a big reason why. However, Cleveland is now 5-4, dropping its last two games, and it’s not a coincidence that the defense is dealing with a concerning struggle.
The Browns defense can’t stop the run. It’s an issue that the team was able to mask earlier in the season, but things have been unraveling in recent weeks. Cleveland gave up 141 yards on the ground to the Tennessee Titans in Week 7, 200 to the Pittsburgh Steelers in Week 8, and 160 to the New Orleans Saints in Week 9.
Those are the team’s three worst performances against the run this season, so the problem isn’t getting any better. Additionally, the Saints entered Sunday’s game as the 28th-ranked rushing unit, averaging 86 yards per game, which makes their explosive day against Cleveland especially bad.
That could mean that the Browns defense is a get-right opponent, which is a rock-bottom reputation to have.
With Cleveland facing the Houston Texans — another team that isn’t good on the ground — on Sunday, the Browns’ rush defense must show up to avoid being viewed as a joke by the NFL.
Browns’ run defense will be considered a get-right unit if they allow Texans to run over them
A get-right opponent is exactly what it sounds like: a unit that presents a struggling team the perfect opportunity to get things back on the right track. Whenever a team is reeling or in the middle of a slump, there's nothing better than seeing a bad team on the schedule that it can beat up on to get its confidence back.
Obviously, no team wants to be in the role of a get-right group, but that’s the direction Cleveland’s rush defense is headed. After nine weeks, the Browns have the 27th-ranked rush defense in the league, allowing an embarrassing 130.6 rushing yards per game.
The 3-5 Houston Texans, who Cleveland faces on Sunday, have the 29th-ranked rushing offense in the NFL, posting just 87.1 yards a game on the ground. In its eight games, Houston has only been over 100 yards on the ground three times this season and has been held under 80 yards four times.
If the Texans find a productive rushing attack on Sunday, there might not be much hope for the Browns’ rush defense. Teams will be licking their chops to face Cleveland over the second half of the season.
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