Another week has gone by for the winless Cleveland Browns. Last week, the Browns loat to the Tennessee Titans in an overtime heart-breaker. Ryan Succop booted a game-winning field goal and the crowd at FirstEnergy stadium was sent home unhappy. But that was last Sunday, so let’s put it behind us. The Browns travel to London, England this Sunday to face the Minnesota Vikings. So how can Cleveland upset Case Keenum and the division-leading Vikings? These are our week eight Cleveland Browns keys to victory.
Week Eight Cleveland Browns Keys to Victory
A Smarter Gameplan
Consistently, it seems, Hue Jackson opens the game with an awful start. Either a three and out, a turnover, or a drive that just ends way too early. In week one, the Browns first offensive drive actually ended in a blocked punt for a touchdown. Since then, the improvement has been minimal, and that’s sort of putting it lightly. Needless to say, the Browns need to kickstart their offense a lot quicker than normal.
Maybe Duke Johnson should start over the incumbent Isaiah Crowell. With rookie DeShone Kizer back at quarterback, he will need some easy passes to complete and get his confidence back. Some screens to The Duke would absolutely help, given Johnson’s penchant for playmaking. Additionally, Kizer still needs to work on his turnovers. If the Browns can start faster this game, they’ll have a better chance of taking the victory in London.
Limit Case Keenum
Had I written this heading at the beginning of the season, you probably would have thought I was crazy. But truthfully, Case Keenum has looked pretty decent this season. With a touchdown-turnover ratio of about 2.5-1, Keenum has been relatively efficient in his 2017 campaign. Of course, some of that is due to his solid supporting cast, but the fact still stands. The Browns will need to slow down Case Keenum.
It goes without saying that slowing down Keenum also involves shutting down his receivers. Stefon Diggs (who will likely be healthy this week) and Adam Thielen are both very strong receivers. Additionally, Latavius Murray and Jerick McKinnon have shored up the Vikings running game in the absence of rookie Dalvin Cook. But looking beyond the supporting cast of Keenum, the Browns will need to work on getting to the Vikings quarterback himself. They’ll likely be without the services of Myles Garrett due to a concussion, so Emmanuel Ogbah and Carl Nassib will have to step up.
Solid, Mistake-Free Football
The Vikings, like many elite defenses, live for the mistakes of the opposing offense. Now, this Vikings defense isn’t the ’85 Bears or the Steel Curtain, but it’s one of the best defenses of 2017. If not the best. Kizer seems to have a penchant for redzone turnovers this season. Those, for lack of a better term, have got to go. But…how?
This is the first time since 2006 that Joe Thomas will not be lining up at left tackle for the Browns, but the running game is still important. Because for as disappointing as Crowell has been this season, if you put him on the one-yard line, he’ll likely be able to break that plane. Additionally, Duke Johnson has shown tremendous ability to make plays and has a nose for that endzone. Heck, maybe Hue Jackson could put in a fresh Matthew Dayes in to help get the football across. Either way, stop making Kizer throw in the redzone. We know that he’s just not ready for that yet. Mistake-free football, Cleveland. Mistake. Free. Football.
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