3 keys to victory for the Cleveland Browns in Week 8
The Cleveland Browns look to continue their winning ways this Sunday as they head to the Pacific Northwest to take on the Seattle Seahawks.
Following late-game victories over San Francisco and Indianapolis the past two weeks, Cleveland looks to advance their overall record to 5-2 against another NFC West opponent.
The Seattle Seahawks are currently second in the NFC West and are coming off a victory over their division rival Arizona Cardinals.
Here are three keys to a Cleveland Browns victory:
3. Protect The Quarterback
Cleveland will be without quarterback Deshaun Watson, who reaggravated his shoulder injury last week, giving PJ Walker the start for the Orange and Brown.
The Seattle Seahawks have sacked opposing quarterbacks 23 times in 2023, with 18 coming in the past four weeks alone. Walker has been sacked four times in two games played this season.
He currently has an average pocket time of 2.6 seconds, which is tied for second most of any quarterback in the NFL.
If the Browns offensive line can protect Walker against the Seahawks aggressive defense long enough for plays to develop, the Browns will have no problem putting themselves into scoring position.
2. Establish The Run Early
The Seahawks and the Browns have very similar defenses when it comes to stifling the opposing team’s run offenses.
Seattle Seahawks:
- 150 Rushing Attempts
- 523 Yards Allowed (3.5 Yards Per Carry)
- 32 First Downs
- 6 Touchdowns
Cleveland Browns:
- 154 Rushing Attempts
- 563 Yards Allowed (3.7 Yards Per Carry)
- 26 First Downs
- 3 Touchdowns
Cleveland has been busy trying to establish their run game since losing Nick Chubb to a season-ending injury in week two against the Pittsburgh Steelers.
If the Cleveland Browns attack the Seahawks run defense early and often with Pierre Strong (4.9 YPC) and Kareem Hunt (3.2 YPC) as they did against the 49ers defense, they'll put themselves in a position to secure their third victory in a row.
1. Same Old Browns Defense
The Cleveland Browns currently have the best defense in the National Football League, allowing just 243 total yards per game average, 149.2 passing yards per game average, and 19.2 points per game average.
Cleveland’s elite-caliber defense also has a 27.5% third down conversion rating, making them the toughest defense to extend drives against.
The Browns have held opponents to complete just 53.8% of their passes, which is another lead lowest.
If Cleveland’s defense can continue their historic dominance of opposing offenses and keep Seattle’s playmakers like Kenneth Walker (450 rushing yards - 25 first downs - 6 touchdowns) from getting the Seahawks on the board, then everything will fall into place for a 5-2 Cleveland Browns headed into November.
More Cleveland Browns news and analysis
feed