Vaughn McClure, ESPN Staff Writer 9y

W2W4: Falcons vs. Browns

Here are a few things to watch for as the 4-6 Atlanta Falcons try to make it a three-game winning streak Sunday when they host the 6-4 Cleveland Browns at the Georgia Dome:

Four-wide open: The Falcons had success at the end of last week's win over the Carolina Panthers with their four-wide receiver look, as Matt Ryan noted after the game. A few missed games by Harry Douglas kept the Falcons from using their "10 personnel" as much as they wanted. Then back-to-back matchups against solid defensive fronts in Detroit and Tampa Bay discouraged offensive coordinator Dirk Koetter from using the alignment. Well, Douglas is back healthy, and the Browns are missing a key piece up front in Phil Taylor. Not to mention they only have one really solid cornerback in Joe Haden, and Haden's not a fast guy. So expect the Falcons to take advantage with the four-wide setup. "That's been going really good for us because we're creating so many bad matchups," Roddy White said. "Our four-wide package is tough to cover." Not to mention the Browns like to play man-to-man coverage, which should make Julio Jones, Devin Hester, Douglas and White salivate. "I'm hoping they come out and do that and play us man to man so those guys can get into the slot and do their thing," White said. Added Jones, "A lot of teams only have two good corners, if that. It's mismatches. That four-wide, it's pretty hard to handle."

On the run: It's no secret the Falcons have to try and run the ball against a Browns' defense that surrenders 142.1 rushing yards per game. On the flipside, the Falcons have to be able to stop a formidable Browns' rushing attack. Yes, Cleveland dumped what appeared to be a quality back in Ben Tate, but the decision was made, in part, because of the emergence rookie running backs Terrance West and Isaiah Crowell. They have combined for 766 yards and eight touchdowns on 190 carries. "I think they're fairly similar in terms of their run styles," Falcons coach Mike Smith said. "This is a team that runs zone-blocking schemes, and it's more of a one-cut. They do put some fluff around it in terms of formations and stuff, but they're really a team that is going to run the one-cut zone running game." The Falcons have improved their run defense as of late and have tweaked the lineup to help the cause, inserting Malliciah Goodman as a starter up front to help stop the run. Run-stuffers Paul Soliai and Tyson Jackson are off to a good start in the second half of the season.

In a corner: Plenty of eyes will be on the likely matchup between Falcons cornerback Desmond Trufant and reinstated Browns receiver Josh Gordon as Gordon plays his first game of the season. But how Robert McClain fares as the starting cornerback opposite Trufant will be worth monitoring, too. McClain steps in for Robert Alford, who is expected to be sidelined the next three games with a broken wrist. Defensive coordinator Mike Nolan said the Browns will be the fastest group of receivers his defense will face up to this point with Gordon, Miles Austin, Andrew Hawkins, Taylor Gabriel and Travis Benjamin. And McClain would be the first to say speed isn't his greatest asset, so he'll have to compensate. "Just have to play good, fundamentally sound football," McClain said. "You can kind of tell a pace of a receiver whenever he wants to go up top. I just have to play smart, play disciplined the entire game. I can't get lazy on any of my coverages or have bad eyes on any of my coverages, which I had last week when I had bad eyes and relaxed on a [touchdown] play. I'm not slow, so I'm not saying I'm going to get ran by. Just going out there and executing our game plan will help us win."

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