Philadelphia Eagles versus Cleveland Browns: 4 concerns about Week 11

2. Can the Philadelphia Eagles defense slow down the Browns run game?

As stated earlier, the Eagles rank 26th overall in stopping the run, but there is a silver lining. It’s one that unfortunately doesn’t get brought up enough. Philly’s defense has given up a ton of rushing yards to non-running backs.

The Birds defense has been abused constantly by zone-read options from opposing quarterbacks and by jet sweeps run by wide receivers. Though the zone-read is available for the Browns, Baker Mayfield is, well to put things politely, slow. The third-year quarterback has only produced 66 total yards rushing this season, so Philly probably won’t have to worry about being burned by his legs.

So how can the Eagles defense slow down the Browns’ offense? This answer is simple, but the Eagles have failed to do it all year. The Birds need to stack the box and avoid overcommitting on the pass rush. If the Eagles do this early, it will force the Browns to turn to Mayfield’s arm. If the Birds can get Cleveland behind the chains, they can rely on their stellar pass rush.

Philly’s secondary has had some issues over the past few games, but they have ultimately been solid enough to be ranked in the top ten of the league’s passing defenses (thank you, Darius Slay). The Browns have their share of talented receivers, but this is one game that a Jim Schwartz-led defense can use press-man coverage and win. Advantage: Eagles