The Cleveland Browns face a difficult test this weekend. The Houston Texans might have a 3-5 record, but this roster had big expectations coming into the year. Now they seem to have recently found their groove having won three of the last four games. 

The strength of the Texans is their defense. The offense on the other hand is one that can be dealt with. And since the defense is the Browns' strength, it will be up to this unit to lead Cleveland to victory.

Here are my three keys for the Browns' defense vs. the Texans.

Keep the Texans one-dimensional

The Texans offense has struggled to run the ball this year. In fact, they are one of the worst rushing offenses in the NFL. They average just 3.6 yards per carry, which is the 3rd worst in the NFL.

The Browns' run defense hasn’t been very good in its own right. They allow the 5th most rushing yards per carry. This is the type of game where they have to buckle down and show some fight because if they can’t stop this Houston running game, then they really can’t stop anyone in the league on the ground.

Limit the big plays

While the Texans don’t run the ball well, they excel at airing it out. They rank 3rd in the NFL in passing plays of over 20 yards. This despite already having their bye week and playing one less game than a lot of teams.

The Texans have a deep wide receiver group where basically anyone can rip off these 20+ yard plays. The Browns will have to constantly be on guard for the big play and commit to taking it away. 

Don’t blitz C.J. Stroud

A lot of times it makes sense to bring the blitz. Make opposing quarterbacks uncomfortable and force them to make bad decisions. However, I wouldn’t advise that this week. 

C.J. Stroud has the 5th-best passer rating in the NFL when blitzed. He has done a good job of identifying pressure this year and finding the soft spot in coverage. You don’t want to play into his strength.