Three keys to Cleveland Browns victory over Detroit Lions

The Cleveland Browns are big underdogs again as they prepare for their trip to Detroit to face the Lions.

Dan Campbell’s team is one of the best in the league. Just a year ago, the Lions were on the doorstep of their first ever Super Bowl appearance. Refocused, the Lions seemed poised for another big season.

Inversely, the Browns are going through a bit of a rebuild. Despite this, Cleveland was able to pull off an improbable upset of the Green Bay Packers in Week 3. That victory proved that the Browns can still contend with top teams in the league.

Here’s what the Browns will need to do in order to escape Detroit with a victory.

Stop the run

Detroit’s run game is one of the best in the NFL. The two-headed monster of David Montgomery and Jahmyr Gibbs is enough to spark fear in any opponent.

Just this week, Lions offensive coordinator John Morton was asked about Cleveland’s ferocious run defense.

“I don’t think they’ve seen a run game like ours yet,” Morton said.

The Browns have bottled up Chase Brown, Derrick Henry and Josh Jacobs in their first three games of the season. Stopping Montgomery and Gibbs will be another major test for Cleveland’s talented defense.

Run the ball

Sounds simple, right?

Control the line of scrimmage, stop Detroit from rushing all over the field and running the ball is Cleveland’s path to victory in this game.

Veteran quarterback Joe Flacco has held the Browns back through three weeks. Rookie running back Quinshon Judkins has been the best in his class in a very small sample size. This should create a recipe for head coach Kevin Stefanski to get Judkins involved early and often.

Win the turnover battle

In Week 3’s win against the Packers, the Browns were finally able to force a turnover when safety Grant Delpit intercepted Jordan Love in the fourth quarter.

If the Browns want to have a chance at another big upset, they are going to have to force Jared Goff into bad situations.

If Flacco can play his first clean game of the season, and Cleveland’s defense is able to keep their takeaway streak alive, there’s a path to victory in this game.

However, if Flacco continues to struggle to move the ball offensively, the Browns could face another week of difficult decisions surrounding the appropriate time to insert rookie quarterback Dillon Gabriel.