Entering Week 6, the Cleveland Browns have one of the worst offenses in the NFL.
Cleveland ranks last in the league in total offensive yards per game (239.4), 30th in passing yards (142.8), 30th in points per game (15.8), and 26th in rushing yards per game (96.6).
Yet the Philadelphia Eagles – this week’s opponents – aren’t exactly setting the world on fire defensively, giving up 365.8 yards per outing to rank as the 27th-worst in the league.
The Browns have multiple options to attack this porous Philly defense, including two we’ll outline here.
Deshaun Watson Designed Runs
With Cleveland’s offensive line still missing two starters, the Browns have to come up with creative ways to move the football, especially since the team has failed to protect Deshaun Watson.
Through five weeks, Watson has been sacked 26 times, the most in the NFL by a significant margin.
If the line doesn’t improve, Watson’s a mobile quarterback, and he’s already gained 131 yards on 25 carries this season.
Allowing him to continue throwing the football 40-plus times down the field each game is futile.
Instead, allow the run-pass option plays that were implemented in the offense this offseason to work for the Browns and keep Watson from being sacked by Philadelphia.
D’Onta Foreman Power Football
For years, head coach Kevin Stefanski ran a “heavy” offense that used the power running game to set up play-action passing.
It’s time to get back to those principles.
No, veteran running back D’Onta Foreman is not star Nick Chubb, nor will he be.
Yet his ability to have the defense focus on him being a running threat will allow the Browns to set up play-action passes to wide receivers Amari Cooper and Jerry Jeudy or tight end David Njoku.
It’s not necessarily the offense that Stefanski, offensive coordinator Ken Dorsey, and Watson want to run.
But it is the one that the Browns need this week to get back into the win column.
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