4 Keys to Victory for the Cleveland Browns in Week 6

With the bye week in their rearview mirror, the Cleveland Browns now embark on the second quarter of their 2023 season. Hopefully, the time off served Cleveland's coaches and players well because it is straight into the fire in Week 6. They're going to face the most talented roster that they will see all season when they welcome the San Francisco 49ers to Cleveland Browns Stadium.

The 49ers enter their contest with an unblemished 5-0 record, including their 42-10 dismantling of the Dallas Cowboys last week. Kyle Shanahan has his group absolutely humming right now. Through five games, San Francisco has outscored their opponents by a staggering total of 99 points.

This is a rubber meets the road game for the Browns. Are they good enough to run with the big dogs, or are they about to get dog walked? On paper, this game is closer than many would leave you to believe. But, as we all know, the game is not played on paper. Instead, this game will be played on natural grass next to Lake Erie.

Here are four massive keys to victory for the Browns in week six

Key to Victory No. 4: Establish the run

Since the incredibly unfortunate injury to Nick Chubb, the Browns have been unable to conjure up any semblance of a consistent running game. They don't need to rebuild the wheel or run the wing-T to resurrect their ground game. In the end, it will be the arm of their quarterback that ultimately provides the Browns ceiling in this contest.

But, against a team like San Francisco, you can not let yourself become one-dimensional. The 49ers defense is immensely talented and once they smell blood in the water the rest becomes a formality. The Browns must keep them as honest as possible to give themselves a chance through the air.

The onus falls on Cleveland's offensive line this week. However, this is a challenge that this offensive line has failed to meet in the last two games. The bottom line is, this is the highest-paid offensive line in the NFL, and they need to start playing like it.

If the O-line does its job, all the Browns running backs need to do is get what is there for them. That should be enough to keep the 49ers formidable pass rush from teeing off on Deshaun Watson (or possibly P.J. Walker). The rest will be up to Watson and Kevin Stefanski.