QB Deshaun Watson is back in the starting lineup. The offense has their general back and will look for an operational game Sunday against the Cardinals.
Here are three questions heading into Sunday's Week 9 matchup.
Will the Browns limit their turnovers?
Turnovers have been a consistent issue for the Browns offense, as they lead the league with 17 turnovers this season.
They have thrown 11 interceptions and lost six fumbles through seven games this season. The Browns' offensive turnovers have led to 38 opponent points this season.
"We talked about it in our team meeting on Wednesday (Nov. 1) when the guys came back," OC Alex Van Pelt said. "Just the importance of the ball. We're terrible at it right now. We just have to be hyper focused and when we're in traffic, whether it be in the pocket or with the ball in our hand down the field, as a runner, we have to make sure we're doing everything we can with our fundamentals and our techniques to take care of the ball."
The Browns are playing a Cardinals defense that is ranked 16th in the league with 10 takeaways. They cannot afford to turn the ball over against the Cardinals because it will give their struggling offense easier opportunities to score against the Browns defense.
Will the receivers be more impactful as a group?
The Browns are facing a Cardinals defense that allows 225 passing yards per game. They have also given up 12 receiving touchdowns this season. The opportunity for the receivers to have a big game as a group is here.
The Browns have struggled this season to have success in the passing game. They are 31st in total receiving yards with 1,431 and have just five receiving touchdowns. They are also 30th in receptions with 134.
"Obviously, as a receiver group, you want guys to be lighting up the scoreboard, scoring every game, but again, that's just not the way the cookie crumbles," WR Amari Cooper said. "I think we've done a lot of great things on offense."
With the entire receiver group healthy and having Watson back, the offense should hit on all cylinders Sunday. The last time the group was fully healthy was Week 3, when the group caught 21 passes for 214 yards.
Will the defense shut the Cardinals out?
The Cardinals are a 1-7 football team that struggles on the offensive side of the ball and is set to face the best defense in the NFL. The Cardinals are ranked 28th in passing yards with 1,447 passing yards. They were also 20th in points scored, with an average of 18.9 points per game.
It hasn't been announced yet if QB Clayton Tune or QB Kyler Murray will start Sunday. Tune is a rookie who has never taken a snap under center in the regular season. Murray is officially listed as questionable for Sunday's game. Murray is coming off a serious knee injury and had his worst season as a pro last season, when he threw for 14 touchdowns and seven interceptions and finished with a quarterback rating of 87.2.
Whoever is chosen to start Sunday shouldn't affect the mindset or strategy for the Browns defense. They should control the game from the start and impose their will on an offense that has been struggling.
"I've seen some going back and forth to who's going to start for them, but at the end of the day, man, I feel like they got to stop us," S Grant Delpit said. "We go into every week like that. If we come with our best self, with our best defense, with our mentality, we're trying to be the best, man and no matter who they put out there, we should take care of business in my mind."
