The Browns have touched down in Seattle for their preseason finale against the Seahawks, another reminder that the NFL regular season is getting closer and closer.
However, before we turn our attention to roster cutdowns and, eventually, the Browns season opener against the Cowboys on Sept. 8, here are three key ways the Browns can find success against the Seahawks this Saturday.
Winning the turnover battle
It's hard to win a game when the turnover battle is lost, to paraphrase head coach Kevin Stefanski – who noted that the Browns' three turnovers against the Vikings were a disappointing takeaway from last week's game.
QB Tyler Huntley threw two interceptions and QB Dorian Thompson-Robinson threw one. Two of Cleveland's turnovers came when the offense was within field goal range, one of which was returned 91 yards to set up a Minnesota touchdown.
Thompson-Robinson's interception bounced off the hands of WR Jamari Thrash after LB Dallas Gant made a nice play on the ball.
"You tell quarterbacks 'Not all interceptions are created equal,'" Stefanski said of the tipped ball, which was intercepted by S Lewis Cine. "So, we talk about that in terms of decision making. But even when they go off their hands, you look at the accuracy and could the quarterback have been better? And then our receivers, runners, tight ends, all of our guys, if they get their hands on it, they expect to catch it."
Seattle has come away with an interception in each of their preseason games so far and has not committed a turnover on offense. Seahawks head coach Mike Macdonald's defenses are typically effective at creating turnovers, as the Ravens were tied with the Giants for the most takeaways last season with 31.
On the defensive side, the Browns have yet to come away with a fumble or interception this preseason. Making splash plays on defense could be the difference between a win and a loss Saturday evening.
Establishing the run
The Browns struggled to get the run game going last week against the Vikings, racking up just 56 rushing yards and an average of 2.3 yards per carry.
With a 33 percent success rate on rushing attempts – excluding sacks – the Browns often had to rely on the passing game to move the ball downfield, running 37 passing plays compared to 23 rushing attempts.
RB D'Onta Foreman had a strong performance, scoring his first touchdown as a Brown on a 1-yard touchdown run in the first quarter. However, he was more efficient in the pass game than in the run game, averaging over 9 yards per catch versus 1.7 yards per rushing attempt.
The Seahawks have allowed teams to run the ball at a relatively efficient rate at 3.8 yards per attempt but have not let up a rushing touchdown this preseason. They allowed the fifth-most yards per attempt last season.
The Browns posted a similar team yards per carry rate in their loss to the Packers but had a positive success rate at 52 percent. Setting up an efficient run game early in the game Saturday will help put the Browns in a position to better execute the offense.
Preventing explosive plays on defense
An explosive play is defined as any passing play that gains 20 or more yards or any running play that gains 10 or more yards. The Browns gave up six explosive plays to the Vikings, three on pass plays and three on runs.
One was particularly impactful, as QB Jaren Hall found WR Jeshaun Jones for a 71-yard touchdown. A week earlier, Packers QB Jordan Love threw a 65-yard pass to WR Dontayvion Wicks for a touchdown on a similar play.
When it comes to the run, the Browns showed significant improvement after halftime. In the first half, they allowed three explosive runs and did not allow a single run over 10 yards in the second half.
"I thought by and large it was good," Stefanski said after the game on the Browns' run defense. "They ripped off a couple downhill runs, but I think you saw certainly in the second half the guys did a nice job of staying in their gaps."
However, the Seahawks rushing attack could present a challenge when it comes to limiting explosive plays in the final preseason game. Seattle has recorded six runs over 10 yards between the first two preseason games. RB Kenny McIntosh, a second-year player out of Georgia, has been particularly effective, averaging 5.4 yards per carry so far this preseason.
If the Browns can eliminate as many explosive plays as possible on defense, they will be in a much better position to leave Seattle with a win.
