The Cleveland Browns are in desperate need of a catalyst for its offense. Right now, the team is averaging just 143.0 passing yards per game and touting six games in a row where they have yet to crack 20 points scored. QB Deshaun Watson is struggling to find his confidence or his former arm strength while the Browns offensive line is still yet to be 100 percent healthy this season, leading to many pressures on Watson and a league high 31 sacks.
However, one part of the Browns offense looked solid even in its Week 6 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles - its run game. Despite not yet having star RB Nick Chubb back in the fold, the team was able to rely on D'Onta Foreman and Pierre Strong to provide bursts of yardage when Cleveland was struggling to get the ball downfield. This was also after first string RB Jerome Ford went down early with an injury. With all of those circumstances, they still rushed for 100 yards.
Cleveland's run game, despite doing so well in Week 6, is not its strong suit this season. But, nothing has been the strong suit for this offense - one that Pro Football Focus described as possibly being the worst offense in the NFL so far this season. That all said, let us take a look at all 32 teams' ranks in rushing yards per game through six weeks of action.
Rushing yards per game, ranked
Team | Rushing yards per game |
|---|---|
Baltimore Ravens | 205.3 |
Green Bay Packers | 167.2 |
San Francisco 49ers | 158.0 |
Detroit Lions | 157.8 |
Washington Commanders | 157.3 |
Philadelphia Eagles | 146.2 |
Arizona Cardinals | 145.2 |
Tampa Bay Buccaneers | 136.8 |
Pittsburgh Steelers | 131.5 |
Los Angeles Chargers | 127.8 |
Buffalo Bills | 123.3 |
New England Patriots | 123.2 |
New Orleans Saints | 119.5 |
Houston Texans | 118.8 |
Tennessee Titans | 118.2 |
Kansas City Chiefs | 117.8 |
Indianapolis Colts | 117.7 |
Miami Dolphins | 116.8 |
Jacksonville Jaguars | 116.5 |
Minnesota Vikings | 115.4 |
Atlanta Falcons | 113.7 |
Carolina Panthers | 111.3 |
Denver Broncos | 107.3 |
New York Giants | 105.8 |
Chicago Bears | 104.8 |
Cincinnati Bengals | 100.2 |
Los Angeles Rams | 97.4 |
Cleveland Browns | 97.2 |
Seattle Seahawks | 96.5 |
New York Jets | 87.2 |
Las Vegas Raiders | 79.5 |
Dallas Cowboys | 77.2 |
The teams within the bottom rung of this stat rely heavily on their passing game to carry their offense. The New York Jets, for example, have relied on QB Aaron Rodgers to deliver wins with his accuracy and arm - which has yet to come to fruition with a shoddy O-line. Same story with the Chicago Bears as they look to get QB Caleb Williams comfortable in his rookie season and with the Dallas Cowboys who usually would be able to rely on QB Dak Prescott to deliver big passing games.
The Browns are relying on its passing game because the team does not have its true first string running back in Chubb back yet, and up until Week 6, could not rely on Ford or Foreman to deliver big games to alleviate pressure on Watson to actually play well. After Week 6, though, the coaching staff should seriously considering dedicating most snaps to the run game as opposed to trying and failing to find success down field for Watson.
Many of the teams ranked low alongside the Browns do not have a talent in their backfield similar to that of Chubb's. Assuming he looks even somewhat back to form from his 2022 campaign, Cleveland can finally go to a reliable Plan B on offense as its season starts to slip away.
1-5 feels fairly insurmountable, but the team's comments after their last few losses signal that they are not trying to lose intentionally - not yet at least. So, if it wants a shot at a wild card spot or at least a more respectable losing record, relying on Chubb, Foreman, Strong, Ford, and Nyheim Hines moving forward may be the way to go.