Well, the NFL’s regular season is almost here. Some cuts have already taken place, and teams are whittling down their rosters to 53. However, this doesn’t make the last preseason game any less important. This Thursday night, the Cleveland Browns will play the Chicago Bears in their last preseason game. This is the last shot for some of the players on both teams who might be on the bubble. Nevertheless, the Browns come into this one with a sterling 3-0 preseason record. Can they go undefeated in the preseason? If so, this is how it’s going to go down. These are the Cleveland Browns keys to victory for preseason week four.
Cleveland Browns Preseason Week Four Keys to Victory
Capitalize on Rookie Mistakes
When the Browns take on the Bears, rookie quarterback and Mentor, OH native Mitch Trubisky will be starting for Chicago. Although Trubisky was seen as a project quarterback in this year’s NFL Draft, the Bears must have really liked him. He’ll be starting simply because, well, he looks miles better than veteran Mike Glennon. For the Browns to really get the upper hand here, their defense will have to capitalize on any rookie mistake that Trubisky makes.
Fans can absolutely expect to see Jabrill Peppers get his plays in, along with Jason McCourty and Briean Boddy-Calhoun. Hopefully, Joe Schobert shows up and shows out like he did earlier this preseason. If the Browns have that guy stopping the run, Jordan Howard could be in for a long night. Stopping Chicago’s star running back is 1A on our Browns keys to victory list.
Eliminate Rookie Mistakes
On the offensive side for the Browns, starting quarterback DeShone Kizer will not see any playing time. Instead, Cody Kessler will be taking the reins for Cleveland. While Kessler is no longer a rookie, he and the rest of the offense will still need to really cut down on rookie mistakes. Especially with players like Jordan Leslie and Terrence Magee, the offense will need to really step up and make some plays. Kessler isn’t built with the big play factor that Kizer is, so the team around him will need to make some explosive plays.
Hard-Nosed Defense
Really, the Browns have been doing this for the entire preseason, and I applaud them for that. However, there is absolutely no reason for them to stop now. This defense needs to truly be relentless to keep Trubisky and the rest of Chicago’s squad in check. Although this defense is still very young and a bit inexperienced, you don’t need to be taught effort. Gregg Williams is a fantastic coordinator for a smash-mouth, in your face style of defense. So far, the Browns have reflected that philosophy in their defensive play. Good work thus far, yes, but they’ll need to keep it up.
To take down the Bears in Chicago this weekend, the Browns need to be relentless, all the time, on all three sides of the ball. Offense, defense, and special teams should finally start to click. Although Chicago is nowhere near the level of the Pittsburgh Steelers, they’ll be a great tune-up for this Browns squad on Thursday. All those Browns keys to victory put together, and Cleveland should be able to come away with a win.
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