Raiders vs. Browns: Breaking Down Cleveland's Game Plan

For the second week in a row the Cleveland Browns will face a team that has yet to win a game. This time the Browns will desperately try to avoid the embarrassment they felt against the Jacksonville Jaguars. The game plan for the Browns against the Oakland Raiders this week is simple: Protect home field and bounce back from the lowest point of their season.

To be very realistic: The Raiders are a bad football team. They have the 25th-ranked defense and the 31st-ranked offense. Oakland is averaging just 15.3 points per game. That would be even more of a reason for optimism if the Jaguars didn’t have the 32nd-ranked offense in the league.

They put up 24 points on the Browns.

This time, the Browns will be playing at home, and it is much easier to defeat a winless team in your own house. Once again they will be facing a rookie quarterback in Derek Carr. He is 29th in quarterback rating but does have eight touchdowns to five interceptions.

The Browns will need to force him into making bad passes. Last week they intercepted Blake Bortles twice, but the offense let down its end of the bargain.

If you look at the numbers the Raiders have a pretty good pass defense. They are ranked 11th in the NFL in yards allowed per game. But when you consider the fact they have been playing from behind every week then you know teams spend a good portion of the second half running the ball. They rank 29th against the run.

The Browns will need to take advantage that weakness this week, and that is going to take some tweaks to their game plan. Last week John Greco and Paul McQuistan were abused. There could be changes coming to the lineup.

“We do have some options,” said head coach Mike Pettine to the media on Wednesday. “We didn’t want to just, before we stepped on the field, commit to a lineup. It’s on the table. We could still be as we were last week.”

If Cleveland once again re-establishes the run game then the passing lanes will re-emerge as well. Dominating the line of scrimmage should be its top priority on both sides of the ball this week.

Let’s take a look at the players who will be executing the game plans for each side and find out who has the advantage.

The Competitive Edge

Quarterback

After one bad week I cannot knock Brian Hoyer down far enough to be even with a rookie. Despite the fact he played his worst game of his career he still is having a very solid season. He was 16-of-41 and threw an interception along with about a dozen other poor passes.

His offensive line was struggling last week, but he needs to play better. A few more games like that and there might be another rookie playing: Johnny Manziel.

Edge: Cleveland

Running Back

I am going to call Week 7 an aberration and believe the Browns still have one of the most talented backfields in the NFL. Rookie Terrance West needs to stop dancing and start getting the yards that are in front of him. Tate rushed for just 36 yards last week and should have a big bounce-back game at home.

Edge: Cleveland

Receivers

Marcio Jose Sanchez/Associated Press

The Raiders have had some interesting names step up this season. Veteran James Jones has led the way, but youngster Andre Holmes has emerged as Carr’s favorite deep threat. He has 18 catches for 303 yards and three touchdowns. He will draw the attention on Joe Haden quite a bit on Sunday.

Edge: Push

Tight End

The Jaguars did a fantastic job of taking Jordan Cameron out of the game plan last week. He caught just one pass for five yards and was a complete non-factor. The Browns offense is better when he is running in space off the play-action pass. When the running game struggles so does he.

Edge: Cleveland

Offensive Line

It was very tough for me to give the Browns offensive line the nod in this category because of how downright terrible it was last week. Greco and McQuistan put on a clinic on how not to block. Jacksonville knew they were the weak link and pressured the middle all day. The Raiders will do the same until the Browns can prove they can stop it.

Edge: Cleveland

Defensive Line

The Raiders have one of the oldest defensive lines in the NFL, but they are crafty. The Browns have plenty of young talent, but none of it has played up to its potential this year. The Browns are also riddled with injures on the line and just trying to stay afloat until the entire group gets healthy.

Edge: Push

Linebackers

The Raiders are currently running out a very young but talented linebacking corps which is led by 2013 No. 1 pick Khalil Mack. He has 37 tackles and looks to be settling in as a pro. The Browns linebackers have been abused all season against the run and haven’t done much better against the pass. Karlos Dansby has been the lone bright spot.

Edge: Push

Defensive Backs

The Raiders secondary, like the defensive line, is also very long in the tooth. It can be beat on deep balls but is very good on short-to-intermediate routes. Safety Usama Young used to play for the Browns and has a long track record of giving up big plays. Joe Haden and Buster Skrine have played much better the last two weeks, and rookie Justin Gilbert doesn’t look completely lost anymore.

Edge: Cleveland

Special Teams

This is the one part of the game where the Raiders have a distinct advantage. Sebastian Janikowski still has one of the biggest legs in the league, and both their return units are very solid. Their punting average is not good but still respectable. The Browns find a different way to struggle in special teams every week.

Edge: Oakland

Browns Offense vs. Raiders Defense

The Browns' game plan begins and ends with the run game. Entering Week 7 they had run the ball on 52 percent of their plays, which was the most in the NFL. Because the Jaguars stopped the run so well they had to abandon it and have Hoyer throw 41 times.

That will always be the recipe for a loss.

Early in the game the Browns need to dominate the line of scrimmage and set the tone. If they can get Tate and Isaiah Crowell, who I expect to get the bulk of the secondary carries this week, going early then the pass game will follow suit.

They cannot have Hoyer throwing too many times into the experienced secondary of the Raiders. They have just three interceptions on the season because most teams beat them over the top. Hoyer’s arm is not strong enough to consistently test the boundaries of the defense, so Cleveland needs the play action to loosen things up.

If the line can keep Hoyer clean and get some push in the running game then the Browns should have no problem moving the ball.

Browns Defense vs. Raiders Offense

Anytime you face a team that scores just over two touchdowns a game you have to score early and often. The Browns need to come out of the gates with the throttle wide open. They have been able to do that at home much better than on the road.

Last week the Browns allowed the Jaguars to hang around for far too long, and then they had the confidence to win the game late. If the Browns take away the will of the Raiders in the first half then it will be smooth sailing to their fourth win of the season.

Derek Carr has actually played pretty well since winning the job and even better over the last three games. In that stretch he has four touchdowns and just two interceptions.

“This is a kid that can legitimately make all the throws,” Pettine said to the media on Wednesday. “You could tell he’s got a firm grasp of what they’re doing. He knows where to go with the football. He knows how to get it out on time. That’s evidenced by he’s only been sacked, I think, four times.”

Carr has elite arm strength and can hurt you downfield. The Browns secondary needs to continue to get better because the Raiders pose some dangerous threats in the passing game.

Special Teams

The Browns need to find some consistency in special teams because they continue to hurt them week in and week out. Last week Jordan Poyer let a punt return bounce off his facemask, and that set up the score which put the game out of reach.

The Raiders have one of the strongest legs in NFL history kicking for them. It allows them to put points on the board from much farther out than other teams.

The Browns need to take advantage of their poor punt average. It can set them up for good field position. First, they have to actually catch the punts, though.

What They’re Saying

Raiders interim coach Tony Sparano on whether he will bring back the Wildcat offense: “Any time I show up any place, I guess there’s that rumor going around. That’s, I guess, what they are: rumors.”

Browns quarterback Brian Hoyer on whether the coaching staff's discussing putting in Johnny Manziel bothered him: “No, nothing was brought to my attention. It’s out of my control.”

Browns’ Wednesday Injury Report

Did not participate: offensive lineman Joe Thomas (rest), defensive lineman Billy Winn (quad), wide receiver Rodney Smith (hamstring), defensive lineman Phil Taylor (knee)

Limited: cornerback K’Waun Williams (head), defensive lineman Ahtyba Rubin (ankle)

Full Participation: linebacker Barkevious Mingo (shoulder), defensive lineman Desmond Bryant (wrist)

This Week’s Game Stats and Facts

Tashaun Gipson is tied for the NFL lead with four interceptions this season.

Brian Hoyer is leading the NFL with an average of 13.58 yards per completion this season.

After finishing 2013 with a minus-eight turnover margin (tied for 25th in the NFL), the Browns own a plus-three ratio this year, eighth in the league.

Raiders Interim head coach Tony Sparano held his first two NFL coaching jobs with the Cleveland Browns.

All quotes and observations obtained firsthand unless otherwise noted. Game stats and facts are courtesy of the Browns' communications department.