Cleveland's Passing Attack Will Take Center Stage On Sunday

Cleveland has found a ton of success in the Joe Flacco era throwing the football. In Flacco's three starts, he has thrown for 939 yards and seven touchdowns along with five interceptions.

When the Browns and the Texans kick off on Christmas Eve, they are going to be majoring in the passing game because Houston's defense is one of the best in the NFL in stopping the run.

By "one of the best" I mean that they are the best in the NFL is holding running backs down. THey give up an average of 3.1 yards per carry which is best in the NFL.

They are led up front by a defensive line that will be one of the best in the league in the next couple of years.

Their future is bright with third overall pick Will Anderson having a solid start to his career. He has five sacks on the season but will be sidelined for Sunday's game with an ankle injury,

They are anchored in the middle by Sheldon Rankins and Maliek Collins. Combined this duo of defensive tackles has 12 sacks and 51 total tackles.

On the edges on Sunday, they will be led by Jonathan Greenard who is leading the team with 14 sacks. His 14 sacks are good for fourth most in all of the NFL. He is a force to be reckoned with and has been unlocked by the Demeco Ryans defense.

Their linebacking group is average at best. The combination of Jake Hansen, Denzel Perryman and Christian Harris are stout against the run but struggle mightily in coverage. Attacking this group in the passing game is going to be a huge priority for Cleveland.

The backend of this defense leads the NFL in playing zone coverage. They major in playing quarters, a two-high safety defense that tries to protect against the big play.

Three weeks ago they gave up over 300 yards to Zach Wilson and the Jets in the rain. Opponents average 258 yards throwing against them per game. Cleveland will try and take advantage of this secondary with their rejuvenated passing attack.

Cleveland may look balanced early, but then adjust very quickly. No matter what the Cleveland offensive line looks like they will struggle to run the football. Don't expect Kevin Stefanski and the Browns to try and force the run. They will abandon it early and try to get the entire passing game unlocked.

It will start with Amari Cooper and David Njoku and then the rest of the crew will chip in. Elijah Moore could have a chance to put up some numbers along with Cedric Tillman. Regardless of who produces, don't be surprised if Flacco is over 40 passing attempts again.

Cleveland has a great chance on Sunday to get after a banged-up Texans team and get to ten wins on the season.