On Sunday, the Cleveland Browns lost their 10th game of the season, and a big reason why is that the defense didn’t show up.
The Browns have one of the league’s best defenses this season, but they were uncharacteristically bad in Week 14. Facing off against an abysmal Tennessee Titans team, Cleveland allowed the Titans to rush for 184 yards, at 5.3 yards a carry.
Even with this disappointing game on the Browns' résumé, they are still allowing just 107.7 rushing yards per game, which is just outside the top 10 at No. 13. The hope is that Sunday was just an off day, and Cleveland will have an immediate opportunity to prove that it was.
In Week 15, the Browns will play a Chicago Bears team that is having a lot of success on the ground, and the Cleveland defense will be tasked with slowing them down.
Browns run defense needs to be better to give Cleveland a chance against the Bears
Chicago has the second-most productive run game in the league this season, averaging 152.6 rushing yards a game. Bears head coach Ben Johnson has said the 9-4 team is winning in spite of an inconsistent passing attack, and that’s because they’ve been able to lean on their run game. That will likely be the formula for Chicago on Sunday, especially since the game time feel-like temperature at Soldier Field could be -20.
That means Cleveland’s run defense will be tested. Either the unit will be run all over for the second week in a row, or the Browns will take on the challenge and defend the run how they have most of the season. The answer to that question could ultimately decide the game. It’s hard to win if you can’t stop the run, but stopping the run would allow Cleveland to showcase the best part of its defense. Forcing Chicago to pass would give Myles Garrett and company the opportunity to get after the quarterback.
Additionally, it will likely keep the score low and give the Browns offense more opportunities with the ball. That’s exactly what Cleveland wants for its rookie quarterback and young offense.
While everyone will be watching to see how Shedeur Sanders performs in his fourth start, the Browns run defense will ultimately determine how Sunday’s game plays out.