BEREA, Ohio -- If the Cleveland Browns want to truly get their running game going, Sunday's game will give them a chance to do that.
The Cincinnati Bengals have twice given up more than 150 yards rushing in a game and rank No. 25 in the NFL in run defense.
The Browns talked all offseason about committing to the run and Isaiah Crowell, but they have yet to give Crowell 20 carries in a game. In the Browns three losses, he’s had 12,10 and 17 carries. Crowell, who has admitted that upcoming free agency is on his mind, has not responded when given the ball, averaging 2.9 yards per carry with no touchdowns. That led running game coordinator Kirby Brown to say the running game has to "inspire" Hue Jackson to call more runs.
And that is all well and good, but if the Browns truly want to commit to the run, they need to do it.
In the Bengals' opener, Baltimore ran for 157 yards and threw just 17 passes. In Week 2, Houston ran for 168 yards -- 49 on a scramble for a touchdown by quarterback Deshaun Watson. In Week 3, the Packers ran for just 64 yards, but with Aaron Rodgers, the Packers are not much of a running team.
All told, the Bengals are giving up just under 130 yards per game rushing.
The Browns have been a team that has been quick to abandon the run. There have been other circumstances, like falling behind on the road against both Baltimore and Indianapolis.
But through three games, the Browns have called a pass on 66 percent of their offensive calls, the fourth-highest percentage in the league. The Browns are doing that with a rookie quarterback, while the three teams ahead of them (and one behind) have veterans -- Eli Manning with the Giants, Carson Palmer with the Cardinals, Rodgers in Green Bay and Philip Rivers with the Chargers.
Joe Thomas pointed out that 61 of the Browns’ 78 plays in Indianapolis were pass plays.
The overall numbers show the skew toward the pass. The Browns rank No. 24 in the league in yards rushing per game with 87 and their 22.3 carries ranks No. 24. But they are 15th in yards per carry.
The per play result is average, and the commitment ranks in the bottom quarter of the NFL.
Three factors seem relevant here.
The Browns are starting a rookie quarterback and putting the entire offense on his shoulders. They preached taking care of one of the youngest players in the league, but with a two-to-one run-pass ratio they are putting him at risk more than need be.
They are skewing toward the pass with a receiving group that on paper looked like a question mark. And they've performed like that so far. The receivers dropped eight passes in Indianapolis and have not played well, given the extra emphasis on the pass. That only makes the rookie quarterback’s job that much tougher.
There isn’t a player in the league who would deny the bromide that the more a team runs, the better it runs. So conceivably a bigger commitment to the run would help Crowell and Duke Johnson.
Through three games, Crowell has turned into a fantasy question mark. But it's not like he's lost his ability in one offseason; Crowell is the same back who averaged almost five yards per carry in 2016.
Making the run game work is in the hands of the Browns and Jackson. They simply have to commit to the run.
Crowell probably wonders the same thing most fantasy owners do: Why haven’t the Browns truly committed to winning games the way they said they would during the offseason?