The Cleveland Browns are not the same team they were in Week 2, as they prep for their Week 7 rematch against the Cincinnati Bengals.
The Cleveland Browns are looking at a vastly different situation from five weeks ago as they head into their Week 7 rematch against the Cincinnati Bengals. The Browns were largely a healthy team where it mattered and absolutely gashed the Bengals defense with relative ease the entire game. Sure, the back end of the defense fell apart, which lead to a comeback of sorts from the Bengals but all in all it was a good day.
This time around, same song, different verse. Baker Mayfield is still dealing with some rib issues from a few weeks ago, as is Jarvis Landry who broke a rib and is having recurring issues with his surgically repaired hip. Both Mayfield and Landry have been abysmal since their injuries. Then you add on the injuries to Wyatt Teller and Nick Chubb and it’s pretty obvious that the Browns offense is not as deep as fans originally thought.
To beat the Bengals, the Browns are going to need to reshuffle their gameplan and execute at a rate they haven’t had to yet all year. The Bengals aren’t a great team but they can beat you if you sleep on them, or make a lot of mistakes. The Browns can’t make those types of mistakes this time around if they want to win.
The offense is going to need to be smart about how they handle the Bengals and defensively the team is going to need to come after Joe Burrow and company with some real fire and fiery. If they don’t this game is going to get out of hand and not in the way Browns fans would like to see.
Get Baker Mayfield going early
Baker Mayfield has to be established early. The team is dealing with issues trying to get the running game going without Wyatt Teller and Nick Chubb. Without those two key cogs, the Browns offense has not looked great. The passing game isn’t going to be much better off with Jarvis Landry playing on a bad hip and with a broken rib but the offense has enough pieces that Mayfield should be able to get a rhythm going early.
That’s going to be a key for keeping this offense going. Yes, Baltimore and Pittsburgh shut the Browns down but that’s more a sign of facing off with better defenses and coaches with a better grasp on the game than head coach Kevin Stefanski. People forget that this is only Stefanski’s second year in charge of an offense. Better schemes and gameplans are going to mess with him. He’s a rookie in all of this. So yes, Mayfield has looked bad at points, but then again, Stefanski has too.
Stefanski has to consider what Hue Jackson said and play Mayfield in the shotgun formation more. Let him spread the field and really utilize those pass-catching threats better. Kareem Hunt’s not moving the chains as a featured runner, so it’s not like you’re going to be hurting your offensive scheme much. Plus, if it can help Mayfield’s confidence, then when Chubb comes back you can go back to the play-action pass and running formations more while having more faith in Mayfield.
Right now the Browns need to re-adjust into more of a passing team until Chubb and Teller are back. That shift should start against the Bengals.
Keep max protection for Baker Mayfield
The pass protection for Baker Mayfield has been awful lately. The loss of Wyatt Teller really has set this offensive line back some, as it’s not just the pass protection, but at times the run blocking has also been pretty suspect as well. Teller’s MVP talk isn’t so far fetched now after seeing how this line moves without him.
The Browns won’t be facing a great defense on Sunday but if the last two weeks were any indication of what this team is like without Teller, then Kevin Stefanski is going to want to keep some tight ends and fullbacks home to help block more than usual.
Mayfield has to have time to read the field, he can’t keep getting blindsided by pass rushers. Guys aren’t getting beat up the middle like last year, nor are tackles getting battered across their faces. The pressure for the most part is coming from far outside of the tackles’ shoulders. Keeping a tight end and fullback home would help the tackles with their lateral quickness.
Mayfield is going to have to stand up and torch this defense if the Browns hope to keep up with the Bengals lowkey high-powered offense.
Pressure Joe Burrow into making mistakes
The Browns defense only works when it has turnovers to play off of. They’re not going to be the type of defense that can load up the box and stop a running back with four straight stoppages to prevent a first down. That’s not them. They’re best when teams fumble and toss interceptions. Something you can’t always guarantee will happen no matter the pressure. So what can you do to at least help ensure mistakes are made? Just hit the quarterback as many times as humanly possible. Get Joe Burrow to throw passes that have less of a chance to find their target by making him scramble and throw on the run.
Burrow is a rookie, so forcing him into mistakes is going to happen. As noted before, the Browns pass rush outside of Myles Garrett is non-existent the last few games, but the last time the Browns faced the Bengals, people actually thought Sheldon Richardson was back to his old form. He’s not, the Bengals (and subsequently Washington’s) offensive line was just that terrible.
Thankfully, we’re talking about the Bengals. So that means the Browns defensive line should actually play like they are world-beaters again. Hopefully. If the defensive line can’t get after Burrow then this is going to be a long day all around. Thankfully Joe Mixon is awful and the odds of the Bengals running on the Browns aren’t great.
Still a possibility, just not a likelihood.