The Cleveland Browns came into the season feeling that their offense under new coach Todd Monken would have some growing pains, but that ultimately, they would be powered by the running game. But powered would be a strong word for this rushing attack at this point, with 131 yards on the ground total, and just 2.9 yards per carry. The Browns rank 31st in the NFL in both of those categories, as defenses have had little trouble bottling up last year’s star rookie, Quinshon Judkins.
The Browns have tried to establish the run game, but fell behind in the first half of both of their games this season, meaning they largely gave up on the run as the games went on. Their 45 rushing attempts are 25th in the league.
Quinshon Judkins Due for a Big Week 3?
But there is hope, at least for Week 3. That’s because the incoming Panthers are rated as the worst running defense in the NFL, and the Browns could potentially exploit that.
That’s the thought from ESPN insider Jeremy Fowler, who foresees a big game for Judkins.
Writing in a post on the site this week, Fowler noted: “Don’t be surprised if Quinshon Judkins bounces back as early as this week. Judkins has been disappointing thus far, held to 54 yards on 24 carries and zero scores. But this week the Browns get Carolina, which has allowed a league-worst 448 rushing yards through two weeks. Judkins has too much ability to be bottled up for long.”
Blame to Go Around for Browns Running Struggles
For Browns coach Todd Monken, responsibility for the struggles on the ground do not all fall on Quinshon Judkins. The offensive line, while good in pass protection, has not developed the cohesion needed to hold up in run-blocking. And Monken put some blame on coaches, too.
The coach said: “It’s usually pretty simple. We can scheme it better and we can execute better, and that’s just the way it is. We could call it better. It’s all the above. When you’re not running it to a certain standard, then you got to scheme it better, got to coach it better, got to execute it better. And I was proud of our guys because we had to pivot. They were pressuring off the edge, and we went to getting the ball out of our hands, and you got to be able to win in a number of ways.
“It’s not sustainable to not be able to run the football, it’s absolutely not sustainable. But I do think in order to be elite on offense, you’re going to need to be able to run it when you need to run it, which at times we did, sometimes we didn’t.”
Browns Struggling Star Predicted for ‘Bounce Back’ In Week 3