Cleveland Browns vs. St. Louis Rams: What's the Game Plan for St. Louis?

The St. Louis Rams (2-3) will host the Cleveland Browns (2-4) at the Edward Jones Dome in St. Louis. It's a game that could set the tone for the remainder of the 2015 season, so St. Louis must implement a solid game plan this Sunday. 

Despite Cleveland's losing record, the Browns are not a team to be taken lightly. Three of Cleveland's four losses have been determined by a touchdown or less. The Browns are no longer a doormat for opponents to trample over—they're a competitive football team. 

Even so, St. Louis should be favored in this game. Not only do the Rams have the home-field advantage, but St. Louis has the benefit of being battle-tested after facing a number of tough opponents early in the season—Seattle Seahawks, Pittsburgh Steelers, Arizona Cardinals, Green Bay Packers. 

However, we've seen this situation play out in the past. The Rams will defeat the tough teams, like the Seahawks and Cardinals, only to fall short against mediocre opponents, as we saw in Week 2 against the Washington Redskins. 

This week will provide an opportunity for the Rams to break that habit. As long as St. Louis shows up motivated with a reliable game plan, there shouldn't be any issues. 

Here's what to expect:

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Offensive Game Plan

The offense has been holding back St. Louis all season long, but this game is an opportunity to get things back on track. 

The Browns have been utterly incapable of stopping the run this season. Cleveland ranks dead-last in the NFL when it comes to run defense, allowing 149.8 rushing yards per game on average. 

That number isn't just an anomaly inflated by one or two bad games. The Browns have been consistently awful at stopping the run on a weekly basis. They surrendered 154 rushing yards to the New York Jets, 166 to Tennessee, 155 yards to Oakland, 181 to Baltimore, 91 to San Diego and 152 to Denver. 

Adding to the humiliation is the fact that Cleveland's opponents don't even possess dangerous rushing offenses. Outside of New York, the rushing attacks Cleveland has faced have been mediocre. 

Tennessee ranks 16th in rushing yards per game, Oakland is 27th, San Diego is 29th, Baltimore is 14th and Denver is 30th. The Jets are the only exception, as they currently rank No. 1 in the NFL with 146 rushing yards per game. 

Three of Cleveland's previous opponents rank in the bottom 10 in rushing offense, and only New York ranks in the top 10. Even so, the Browns have still managed to field the worst run defense in the league.

To compare, the Rams rank 12th in the NFL in rushing (113.8 yards per game), and most of that production has stemmed from the emergence of Todd Gurley over the last two games.

With that said, St. Louis' game plan on offense should be obvious. The Rams must run Gurley and Tre Mason until the Browns prove they can stop them—which probably won't happen. If the offensive line produces the same high-level run blocking we witnessed against Arizona and Green Bay, we could see season-high numbers for Gurley and maybe even his first NFL touchdown.

This game is also an opportunity to get Tavon Austin the ball. The Rams must be careful about overusing Gurley, so expect Austin to see a number of carries to help supplement the ground game. He's a dangerous weapon in the open field, so the more opportunities St. Louis can create for him the better.

As for the passing game, the Rams must approach with caution.

The Browns can't stop the run, but Cleveland's pass defense has been acceptable. In fact, Pro Football Focus' grade for Cleveland's pass defense is a 3.6—the ninth-best grade in the NFL. 

After Nick Foles' debacle in Green Bay two weeks ago—where he completed just 36.7 percent of his passes and coughed up four picks—the Rams must tread lightly against Cleveland's tough pass defense. Until Foles gets his confidence back, the Rams must rely on the run. 

Cleveland's pass rush is pretty mild with only 10 sacks this season—tied for the fourth-lowest total in the league—so that should give the Rams the opportunity to take a few shots downfield. However, in this contest, the aerial game's primary role will be supplementing the ground game. 

If the Rams take few risks through the air and get Gurley going, the offense should be productive enough to secure the win. 

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Defensive Game Plan

The Browns can't stop the run on defense, but they can't seem to run the ball offensively either. 

Cleveland ranks just 25th in the league in rushing yards. The team has averaged just 91.8 total rushing yards per game this season. 

None of the Cleveland running backs have hit 75 rushing yards in a game this season. Isaiah Crowell's best performance in 2015 was a 72-yard game against Tennessee in Week 2. He's been held under 50 yards in four of six games this year and has just 272 total yards on the ground—less than Gurley's rushing-yards total in just two starts (305). 

The Cleveland rushing attack is not a major threat, but it's important for the Rams to contain the run game and force the Browns to remain one-dimensional. 

The real challenge for St. Louis is stopping the Cleveland aerial attack. 

The Browns rank ninth in the NFL in passing yards per game (272.3), and the deep ball has been their primary weapon. Cleveland ranks No. 1 in the NFL with eight completions of 40 or more yards. The Browns also rank 11th in passes of 20 or more yards with 21. 

Quarterback Josh McCown's play in 2015 has been nothing short of impressive. He's on pace for over 4,200 yards, 24 touchdowns and less than 10 picks. McCown's comeback has not been widely publicized, but he's been a weapon for Cleveland. 

However, it's receiver Travis Benjamin who's really turning heads. With 528 yards and four touchdowns, the former fourth-round pick from 2012 is having a Pro Bowl worthy campaign. He ranks eighth in the NFL in receiving yards and ranks first in receptions of over 40 yards (four). 

For the St. Louis defense, the game plan must involve stopping McCown and Benjamin. 

McCown struggled against Denver's relentless pass rush in Week 6, so the Rams must utilize the same blueprint and rattle McCown. Expect plenty of blitzes, as sacking McCown is essential. 

As for Benjamin, the St. Louis secondary must take a conservative approach to prevent back-breaking plays. The corners will play with sizable cushions, and the safeties will position themselves deep to prevent the long ball. 

If the Rams can knock McCown and Benjamin out of sync, the Brown will have a tough time pulling ahead. 

Key Matchups

Janoris Jenkins vs. Travis Benjamin

Jim Thomas of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch recently published a piece discussing Janoris Jenkins and the hesitation by opposing quarterbacks to throw his way. Thomas points out that during St. Louis' game in Green Bay, Aaron Rodgers threw 29 passes but did not attempt a single pass in Jenkins' area. 

Jenkins has been St. Louis' top cornerback this season, so it only makes sense that the Rams will stick him against Benjamin. Jenkins has apparently matured as a player and is taking fewer gambles in coverage. He's been an asset this season. 

Benjamin will be a great challenge, but Jenkins has seen it all this year. He has already seen Antonio Brown, Jimmy Graham, Randall Cobb and Larry Fitzgerald; so he's perfectly capable of stepping up against Benjamin. 

The battle between Jenkins and Benjamin will be decisive. If Jenkins comes out on top, the Rams will be in good shape. 

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Aaron Donald vs. Alex Mack

As mentioned in my game preview, the battle between Rams defensive end Robert Quinn and Cleveland left tackle Joe Thomas will be an exciting matchup, as it's a chance to see two great players go at it. 

However, the fight between Quinn and Thomas will not be the only exciting battle in the trenches. Watching Aaron Donald face off with Cleveland center Alex Mack will also be fun to watch. 

Mack is one of Pro Football Focus' top 10 centers this year with a 1.1 overall grade. He's been one of the top centers in football since entering the league in 2009. 

Meanwhile, Donald is ranked No. 1 among defensive tackles by Pro Football Focus, with a grade of 23.9. He has been St. Louis' most valuable asset this season and is likely an early Defensive Player of the Year candidate. 

Watching these two square off will make for an exciting afternoon. 

Joe Haden vs. Tavon Austin

Gurley has stepped up in recent weeks, but before his arrival, Austin was the only offensive weapon in St. Louis worth mentioning. Austin leads the team with five touchdowns in as many games, and he's been one of the few bright spots on that side of the ball. 

As St. Louis' most electric weapon, it's likely Austin will have to face off against Cleveland cornerback Joe Haden. 

Haden has been one of the best corners in the league for several years now, so it'll be difficult for Austin to make a major difference in the passing game. 

Luckily for St. Louis, Austin is a multipurpose tool. Even if he's shut down in the passing game, he can still thrive on the ground and on special teams. 

Steven Gerwel is the longest-tenured Rams Featured Columnist at Bleacher Report and serves as the Rams' 2015 game-day correspondent. You can find more of Gerwel's work by visiting his writer profile or by following him on Twitter.