The Cleveland Browns are 1-2 and looking to get back to .500 with a showdown against the 1-2 Las Vegas Raiders. Following a frustrating loss to the New York Giants, the Browns have a chance to take advantage of a glaring weakness the Raiders have — their run defense.
Vegas has struggled to stop the rush, giving up 458 yards in three games. Their best performance was in Week 3 when they held the Carolina Panthers to 131 yards. That's good news for Cleveland, who needs a spark on offense. It's even better news for Jerome Ford, who hasn't had the best start to the season.
Ford had just 44 yards on 12 carries against the Dallas Cowboys in Week 1 and 37 yards on 10 rushing attempts in Week 3 against New York. In between those games, he went off with 64 yards on seven rushing attempts against the Jaguars.
That's proof that the speedy back can make the most of his opportunities when there are holes. And with the Raiders struggling on the ground, this is the perfect game to get Ford rolling.
Doing so not only helps the Browns in this one, but could do wonders for Deshaun Watson and the passing game.
Watson is once again off to a rough start, and part of the issue has been the pass rush getting into his face. The best way to slow down the pressure is to force the defense to worry just as much about the run as they do the pass. That's why Ford will be a key piece of the puzzle this weekend.
