Cleveland Browns: Three Dawg Bones to a “W”

With the Cincinnati AFC North contest at home in just three days, the Cleveland Browns look to build on last week’s win. The Cincinnati Bengals are coming off a great win against the Packers at home. The Bengals are 2-1 on top of the division. Here are three important keys to the win column on Sunday.

Dawg Bone #1

Set the Tone

With all the chips stacked against them a week ago, the Browns came out and surprised the nation by winning in a hostile road environment with their third string quarterback at the helm. While some Browns fans abandoned ship like Captain Francesco Schettino of the Costa Concordia Italian Cruise ship in 2012, others have held their heads high and “stay the course”.  The Browns need to prove that last week wasn’t a fluke and do it again. While Cleveland’s 6th ranked defense (yards/game) has done its job through the first three games, it’s the offense that needs a fast start against Cincinnati. Setting the tone early will only increase the chances as “The Battle of Ohio” plays out. The Cleveland fan base is still strong and will be barking loud as always.

Dawg Bone #2

Take what the Defense gives you

The Bengals are a smart defensive team. The defense is full of playmakers that can turn the game around in a hurry. Cleveland needs to keep it short and simple. Norv Turner’s play calling needs to consist of “quick hitting” plays like half back screens. The Browns will be able to take their shots deep, but only a couple of times. Brian Hoyer cannot force passes into the defense like he did in Minnesota.

Dawg Bone #3

Find the Mismatches

Bengals cornerback, Terrence Newman is 35 years old. Much like Sheldon Brown of the 2012 Browns, Newman can be attacked. It’s simple math and common sense at this point. Can the “old man” cover the Browns’ youngsters such as Josh Gordon, Travis Benjamin, and even Davone Bess? Other mismatches will be Jordan Cameron (6’5″) versus  linebackers James Harrison and Vontaze Burfict or safety, Reggie Nelson (5’11”). Cleveland would be smart to move Gordon around and see if Bengals defensive back, Leon Hall follows him.

Ryan Ruiz is the Cleveland Browns Beat Writer for The Inscriber: Digital Magazine. You can follow him on Facebook: Ryan (BrownsWriter) Ruiz and Twitter @ryanpruiz24. Ryan is also a Browns correspondent for The Sportsfix. Tune in every Friday at noon on www.thesportsfix.net.