2020 Preview: Las Vegas Raiders at Cleveland Browns

As we take our pre-season tour looking ahead at all of the Las Vegas opponents in 2020, we land today in Cleveland to look at the Browns.

While the 2020 football season is still months away, it's never too early to start previewing the season. In this series, I'll preview every game in the Raiders' regular-season and look into each opponent. In Week 8, the Raiders are traveling to the Rust Belt to play the Cleveland Browns.

Keep on Grinding

The Cleveland Browns, much like the Raiders, are on a rebuild. Everyone remembers the horrendous 0-16 season the Browns had in 2017. Then quarterback Baker Mayfield, their 2018 first-round pick, came to the rescue, improving the Browns to a more reasonable 7-8-1. Last season? 6-10.

So, this season's goal? I'd say 8-8 for the Browns.

Mayfield's options include five-time Pro Bowler Jarvis Landry and three-time Pro Bowler Odell Beckham Jr. Behind him is running back Nick Chubb, who last season averaged 5.0 yards per carry and rushed for slightly under 1,500 yards, good for second in the league.

But the problem for the Browns is their defense.

Don't Waste the Opportunity

While the Browns are rebuilding their defense, the Raiders can use their opponents' weakness to win this matchup.

The Browns picked up safety Grant Delpit in the second-round and linebacker Jacob Phillips in the third-round to support their struggling defense.

Therefore, the best bet for the Raiders is to play both short and long routes to isolate the weakness in the Browns defense. Of course, at this point in the season, plenty of film will be available at Coach Jon Gruden's disposal.

As for the Las Vegas defense, it's all about pressuring Mayfield. He's still young, and Mayfield has been struggling with a collapsing offensive line since he arrived in Cleveland. First-round pick Jedrick Wills Jr. will add to Mayfield's protection.

In other words, the Raiders will need to step up their defensive line.

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