Cleveland Browns Rushing Attack Has Team Set for Success

After months of speculation on who would drive the Cleveland Browns offense, we finally have an answer. Yes, quarterback Brian Hoyer will be a part of it, but moving forward things will be dictated by the running game. It was the key to their 31-10 victory over the Pittsburgh Steelers on Sunday.

Offensive coordinator Kyle Shanahan has remained fairly consistent throughout the season with his play-calling. In total he has called 150 passing plays and 165 running plays. On Sunday, he put the game on the shoulders, or legs, of the running backs. It paid off.

Ben Tate and Isaiah Crowell combined for 155 yards on 35 attempts, giving them a 4.4 yards-per-carry average. Hoyer only had to throw the ball 17 times because the Pittsburgh defense had to focus so hard on the run game. The success on the ground opened up the passing game.

In the second quarter alone, the Browns had passing plays of 51 yards, 42 yards and 24 yards. After the game, Hoyer joked that the last time he threw just 17 passes in a game was high school.

“You could tell they were trying to stop the run, especially in our no-huddle looks,” Hoyer told the media after the game. “The safeties were down, and that’s where we got a lot of our big passing plays was off of play action in the no-huddle game.”

The Browns entered the game against the Steelers as the fourth-best rushing attack in the NFL, and it is no fluke. Tate is averaging 4.6 yards per carry on the season, which is exactly where you want your workhorse back to be.

Crowell, the change-of-pace back, has a gaudy 5.4 yards per carry average on the year. We have not even mentioned second-round draft pick Terrance West, who entered the game as the Browns' leading rusher. Head coach Mike Pettine decided West would sit inactive on Sunday.

To make a long story short, the Browns have plenty of depth at the running back position.

It is not just the backs, however. The offensive line has quickly gelled into one of the best units in the NFL. Even after Pro Bowl center Alex Mack was carted off the field on Sunday, the offense continued to dominate the line of scrimmage.

In the offseason, the Browns signed utility lineman Paul McQuistan from Seattle, and he paid instant dividends once he saw the field. The Mack injury forced guard John Greco to move to center, and McQuistan entered at guard. They did not miss a beat.

“That’s what great teams are made of: every guy on the team being ready to play,” Hoyer said after the victory. “You might be inactive one week and the next week, you have to step up and be ready to play.”

Over the past six quarters of football, the Browns have outscored their opponents 51-10. While they have done plenty of damage through the air it has been the ground attack that set up Hoyer and the receiver’s success.

The key to Shanahan’s offense is establishing the run and then using a defense's inability to stop it against them in the passing game. They have to keep defenses off balance.

“They did a good job of mixing it up,” said Pittsburgh defensive lineman Lawrence Timmons after the game. “Mixing in the run and the pass and mixing it up real well keeping us guessing.”

It was not just Sunday, though. They have been doing this all season long. Except for the win in Week 2 against the New Orleans Saints, the Browns have had more passing attempts than rushing attempts just once. That was last week when they threw the ball 37 times and ran it 36.

They already have eight rushing touchdowns on the season after scoring just five times on the ground in all of 2013. The commitment to the run has been just as much because of attitude as it has been having the talent to execute.

Next week will be a real test, as Mack’s injury looks to be serious. The line will now have to continue its momentum with a new face in the mix. The fact that the line rushed so well already against the Steelers on Sunday is a good sign.

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More on #Browns star center Alex Mack: He broke his ankle, I’m told. The fear is he’s out for the season.

— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) October 12, 2014"

The Browns have become a physically punishing team that irritates opposing defensive lines to no end. Not one week has passed without a player from the other sideline getting into a dust-up with a Browns offensive lineman. That is how they like it.

It starts with an attitude if you want to successfully control the running game. The Browns have it. They have the attitude that they will fight and scrap for every yard the entire game.

“We fight,” said tight end Jordan Cameron after the game. “That’s our trademark I would say.”

Finally, the Browns have an identity they can be proud of.

All quotes and observations were obtained first hand unless otherwise noted.