Jeremy Fowler, senior NFL national reporter 9y

Browns need improved rushing defense in worst way

The Cleveland Browns' matador approach to rushing defense is not sustainable for winning football over 16 games, something defensive coordinator Jim O’Neil acknowledges.

The Browns are last in the league with 155 yards allowed per game, but at least they have been consistent -- consistently allowing big gains for opponents. The Browns’ best rushing defense effort was 127 yards allowed in Week 1 against Pittsburgh. That number would be good enough for a 25th ranking among NFL teams' current season averages.

Two NFL rushing defenses have failed to record sub-100-yard games -- Green Bay and Cleveland. Only one of those teams has elite quarterback play to mask defensive problems.

The league average is 112.2 rushing yards allowed per game.

"I’m confident we can get it fixed," O’Neil said. "We understand it’s an issue."

To be sure, the Browns have been without two starting linemen, Phil Taylor and Ahtyba Rubin, for a few weeks. Rubin could be back for the Oakland game. Considering Buffalo’s defense gave up nearly 130 yards per game last season, perhaps coach Mike Pettine’s 3-4 scheme sometimes concedes rushing yards in exchange for red-zone or deep passing stops, depending on the gameplan that week. Pettine takes over a new defense for the second time in two years. Adjustments take time.

The Browns faced top-five rushers (Pittsburgh’s Le'Veon Bell, Baltimore’s Justin Forsett) in three of their six games; No other opponent had a top-40 rusher.

Jacksonville’s Denard Robinson looked like 2009 Maurice Jones-Drew against the Browns last week. Before Robinson's 127 yards, no Jacksonville back had compiled more than that in five total games. At this rate, the Browns’ old friend Trent Richardson will get 100 in Week 14.

Despite all that, the Browns played well enough to win Sunday and held Jacksonville to 10 points for most of the game.

O’Neil wants better math on the field -- defensive linemen taking up two blockers to give linebackers a free lane to stop the rusher.

If there was ever a week to get that done, Oakland week is it. The Raiders’ 69.3 rushing yards per game is last in the league by a 13-yard margin. And the Browns’ secondary has had a good two weeks. Reading the tea leaves in recent weeks, I get the sense the Browns know they have suffered up front because of the injuries and there haven’t been as many free lanes for Karlos Dansby and the linebackers to attack early in the play.

"I’m not saying what we’ve done and what we’ve put on tape is acceptable," O’Neil said. "We want it to be better than where it has been. I’m not going to sit up here and say our game plan is for them to allow them to rush for 130 yards."

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