November 23, 2024
Cleveland Browns: 3 keys to victory for week nine

Cleveland Browns: 3 keys to victory for week nine

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The Browns enter week nine on the road against the Denver Broncos in a must-win game. Cleveland is entering this week on a three-game losing streak and currently sits at third place in the AFC North.

Frustration is starting to settle in for a team that’s in a slump right now. There are many questions left for them to answer as the Browns enter a much softer second half schedule as opposed to the first half. With Joe Flacco out for the season, Cleveland enters week nine facing off against 27-year-old quarterback Brandon Allen.

With that in mind, here are the team’s three keys to victory over the Broncos for week nine.

  1. Play disciplined football

Through eight weeks of the season, no team has committed more penalties than the Cleveland Browns. With 73 penalties already, that’s well on pace to beat out the 112 penalties recorded last season.

It appeared that the bye week didn’t necessarily prove to be the turning point of the season, as the team committed 13 penalties last week in Foxborough. This has been one of the team’s biggest challenges thus far and head coach Freddie Kitchens has to keep his team in check in this category.

If the team can regroup and limit the number of penalties in Denver, especially on the offensive side of the ball, it will be an advantage to Cleveland. Penalties often result in a second chance for opposing offenses and even with an inexperienced quarterback such as Brandon Allen, it’s better to correct those mistakes and not end up giving any second chances at Mile High Stadium. Can this game be the start of a second half push towards the playoffs for the Cleveland Browns?

2. Exploit Denver’s rushing attack

The best way to control the game on the offensive side of the ball is through Nick Chubb and the running attack. Denver comes into the game with a much more sound passing attack, giving the advantage towards Chubb in the backfield.

Despite the two fumbles last week, Chubb redeemed himself by rushing for 131 yards on 20 carries, the second consecutive game he’s run for 100 or more yards. His 738 rushing yards for the season rank third-most in the league. As a team, the Browns rank 27th in total rushing attempts at 158 for the season.

Continuing to lead drives downfield with Chubb leading the way has been working throughout the season. The second-year running back should be able to have another solid running game in Denver this week. With the continued success running the ball, hopefully that can open up the passing game against a sound secondary in a tough place to play.

3. The defense must take advantage of Denver’s poor offensive line and inexperienced quarterback

As previously mentioned, Brandon Allen is making his first NFL start in his fourth season in the league. It’ll be intriguing to see if Denver goes with a more run-oriented style game with Aleen under center for the first time with the Broncos. This must mean the guys up front for the Browns on the defensive line must be ready to make things difficult for Allen in the pocket.

With the Broncos having troubles on their offensive line this season, this is a prime game for guys like Myles Garrett and Olivier Vernon to really make their presence known on Allen and the Broncos.

Just a week ago, the Browns defensive line forced 21 total pressures on Tom Brady’s 39 dropbacks. This must remain a point of emphasis on a much weaker offensive line and inexperienced quarterback in mile high. Garrett enters week nine with 10 total sacks and is currently on pace to shatter the Browns record of 14 sacks in a single season set by Reggie Camp in 1984.

Michael Trivisonno

A 2020 graduate of Cleveland State University, Mike is entering his sixth year covering high school sports throughout Northeast Ohio. To follow up more with his writing, be sure to follow him on Twitter (@MichaelTriv_)

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