Top 3 keys to victory for Cleveland Browns vs Rams in Week 13

2. Establish the running game early

With the starting quarterback in question, it would be wise for the Browns to establish the running game early, which will allow whoever is snapped the ball to be able to ease into the flow of the game. Despite missing Nick Chubb since Week 2 and being banged up all over the offensive line, Cleveland is still third in the NFL at rushing the football.

Jerome Ford has been mostly solid for the Browns, trying to fill in as much as he can with the massive hole left when Chubb was lost for the season. He has 628 yards on 145 attempts, with a 4.3 yards per carry average, and three touchdowns. He has shown glimpses of being a good NFL running back, and other times, not so much.

Kareem Hunt, who the Browns moved on from in the offseason, found a way back to his hometown team in the wake of the Chubb injury. The move was met with some skepticism, but Hunt has provided sparks to this offense and has scored six touchdowns on the season, including one in five straight games.

He's nowhere near who he once was, and he likely won't return to the team in 2024, but he has shown he can get short yardage to extend drives or cap them off with touchdowns. He might want the ball more, but he has to average more than 3.2 yards per carry. If he can continue to be the power back in short-yardage situations, then that's all that would be needed.

The Rams are hovering around the middle of the pack, allowing 113.3 yards per game on the ground, something the Browns should look to take advantage of. Now, there are nuances to every game, and if Cleveland finds itself down 10 or more points early on, establishing the running game will be that much harder. With that said, run the opposite way of Aaron Donald and please, I'm begging you, remove the reverse from the play sheet.