Three Key Stats For The Browns To Beat The Colts

Whether the Cleveland Browns have Deshaun Watson under center come Sunday or not, the Indianapolis Colts are not a team to be taken lightly.

The "rebuilding" franchise, is off to a 3-3 start to the season and three of their last four games have come down to a single possession. They are a scrappy team, despite losing rookie quarterback Anthony Richardson for the season with, ironically, a shoulder injury of his own.

Cleveland Browns Week 7 Injury Report

Fortunately, the Browns have a dominant defense on their side, and as they proved in that 19-17 upset win over the San Francisco 49ers, that unit gives them a chance in every single game.

Here are three key Colts stats that should help the Browns leave Indianapolis with a win.

1) It's All About The Run

Given the absence of Anthony Richardson, the Colts have found refuge in their run game, which is top-10 in terms of total yards for the season (1,866). For most of 2023, Zack Moss has been the backfield headliner, but with Jonathan Taylor back in the fold in recent weeks Indy has a legitimate two-headed monster of a running back room.

The Colts have rushed for 125-plus yards in four games this season and in those games, they're 3-1. To take it a step further, In games they've been held under three yards per carry on average, Indianapolis is 0-2.

On the flip side, the Browns defense is yielding the third least amount of rushing yards per game (79). Cleveland's trend of shutting down an opponent's run game will have to continue in Week 7.

2) Mid Minshew

NFL fans may remember the joys of Minshew Mania in 2019 and 2020. The Washington State product burst onto the scene and started winning some games for Jacksonville, contributing plenty of meme-able moments along the way. What a time to be alive!

Objectively, that was a fun couple years believing the rugged, mustached man could be a regular starter in the NFL. By now though, the novelty has worn off and fans recognize that Minshew is a journeyman backup.

For his career, Minshew is 1-12 in games where he throws an interception. Additionally, he has a 6-14 record in games where he attempts 30 or more passes. The key here for Cleveland, in lieu of the first key stat is: make Minshew have to beat you. The more Minshew throws, the more likely it is the Browns force him into a mistake, and the more he throws, the more likely Indianapolis is to lose.

3) Cashing In

A final key stat ahead of Sunday's matchup, centers around the the Colts red zone defense. Through six games, Indy is allowing opponents to score touchdowns on nearly 58-percent of their red zone trips, a figure that ranks just outside the bottom third of the league.

One of the worst possible outcomes for Cleveland would be settling for field goals and allowing the Colts to hang around in this game. To avoid that, the Browns need to be cashing in when they get into the red.