Returning from their bye week, the New Orleans Saints return to action this Sunday when they host the Cleveland Browns in the Superdome. The Saints come into the game with a disappointing 2-5 record, including an embarrassing 0-3 in their own building. Cleveland enters at a surprising 5-3. They'll be playing their third straight game on the road and are 2-3 away from home.
New Orleans enters Week 9 ranked 23rd in total offense. Most of those struggles have been due to their inability to run the ball. In Cleveland, the Saints face a defense that ranks 14th overall but have had some issues against the run. We'll take a look at that aspect of Sunday's game here.
Cleveland Browns run defense
- 126.9 yards per game (24th)
- 4.7 per carry (25th)
- 7 touchdowns (15th)
- 53 tackles for loss
Cleveland has allowed at least 125 yards on the ground five times this season and are
coming off their worst two performances of the year against the run. Two weeks ago, the surrendered 141 rushing yards to the Tennessee Titans. Last week, the Steelers ran through Cleveland for 200 yards including 143 from Jaylen Warren. The Browns have allowed three backs to have 100-yard outings with three others to gain at least 80 yards on the ground against them.
Middle linebacker Carson Schwesinger is a very good athlete (he scored a 9.86 Relative Athletic Score coming out of college), and has outstanding instincts and play anticipation. Schwesinger leads the Browns with an impressive 74 total tackles, including 3 for loss. Strongside linebacker Quincy Williams was a key offseason acquisition and has 6 tackles for loss to go along with his 55 total stops. Williams is an excellent athlete, but also has strong awareness and instincts. Rookie second round pick Emmanuel McNeil-Warren has been a strong addition as the weak side linebacker, contributing 36 stops and 2 for negative yardage.
Up front, the Browns possess a thin group but a strong starting crew. End Jared Verse, included in the blockbuster offseason Myles Garrett trade, hasn't had a major impact but is underrated as a run defender. At the other end, Isaiah McGuire has been perhaps Cleveland's most underrated defender. In the middle, tackles Maliek Collins and Mason Graham have been a stout duo with Adin Huntington providing outstanding depth.Cleveland has two safeties that make up a solid tandem. Grant Delpit and Ronnie Hickman are both versatile and physical, with each capable of creating havoc inside the tackle box.
New Orleans Saints running game
- 86 yards per game (28th)
- 3.5 per carry (30th)
- 6 touchdowns (17th)
Few offenses have had a more putrid running game than New Orleans. The Saints have run for over 100 yards in only two games this year. In the other five, they've averaged a laughable 55.8 yards per contest and have been held to under 66 yards four times. Only two teams have fewer runs of over 10 yards than the Saints 12, with quarterback Tyler Shough responsible for nearly half of that output.
Lead running back Travis Etienne remains on injured reserve with a hamstring injury. Etienne has missed the last four games, with a fifth expected on Sunday. Etienne's three-game output of 128 rushing yards is still second on the team, but even he was underperforming before the injury. Without him, New Orleans running back output has been even worse. Kendre Miller has a team-high 159 yards on the ground, averaging a lowly 2.8 per carry with a couple of costly fumbles. Veteran Alvin Kamara is a better pass catcher than runner at this stage of his career. Kamara is averaging 3 yards per carry with his 125 rushing yards. Neither Miller or Kamara have created anything on their own, with both unable to get untracked into open space.
Undrafted rookie CJ Donaldson has actually shown some short yardage consistency. Donaldson has 81 yards on only 17 runs, holding a team-best 4.8 per carry. Dealing with a shoulder injury and concussion, Donaldson's status approaching the Cleveland matchup is in doubt. Early this week, the Saints also re-signed Audric Estime off the Browns practice squad. Estime was the most reliable back for New Orleans down the stretch of last season. Don't be surprised to see him get a good amount of action this Sunday.
The pathetic state of the running game isn't all on the running backs. An awful offensive line has failed to open holes or get any push off the line of scrimmage on a weekly basis. Guards David Edwards, Cesar Ruiz, rookie Jeremiah Wright, and center Erik McCoy have been unable to open creases or cutback lanes. Tackles Taliese Fuaga and Asim Richards (in for an injured Kelvin Banks Jr.) have not set the edge for their runners. Additionally, play design and game plans from coach Kellen Moore have been awful.
It feels like something has to give here. The Browns have given up more runs of 10 or more yards (34) than anyone in the NFL. However, New Orleans is one of the league's worst teams at generating long runs. The Saints don't necessarily need to be dominant on the ground, but the utter incompetence of this running game has as a result negatively affected a good passing attack because of the lack of balance. Changing that against the Browns could mean the difference between a win and a sixth loss.
This article originally appeared on Saints Wire: Saints run game vs. Browns run defense: Something has to give
