The Cleveland Browns have a tough task this weekend. After losing two games in a row and dropping out of the playoff standings, they will now host one of the most dangerous defenses in the NFL: the Houston Texans. This will be a difficult game.

Specifically, this game will be hard for the offense to move the ball. Not only is this Texans defense full of playmakers, but the Browns offense has struggled all season long. This is definitely not the type of team that you want to find your footing against.

But this is a no-excuses league. The Browns will have to find a way to move the ball and win this game. To do that, they will have to follow my Browns' three keys on offense vs. the Texans.

Don’t let the Texans' edge rushers pin their ears back

Avoiding 3rd and long is always important. However, it’s even more important when you are going against the defense that has the most sacks in the NFL. That’s exactly what the Browns will face with Houston, despite the Texans only playing 8 games this year.

A big part of that is defensive end Will Anderson Jr., who leads the NFL with 9.5 sacks. In addition to him, edge rushers Danielle Hunter and Jadeveon Clowney have 4.0 and 3.5 sacks, respectively. This group of pass rushers will eat any offensive line alive if you let them dial in on the quarterback.

Go big or go home

If you want to hurt this Texans defense, then it will be with big plays through the air. They have allowed the 3rd most passes of 20+ yards this season, and they allow the 11th most yards per pass attempt on average. 

As I said before, if these Texans pass rushers know you are throwing, then it will be a big problem for the quarterback. So it will be important for the Browns to take their shots on downs that aren’t obvious passing downs. When it’s something like 2nd and 4 or 3rd and 2, then this offense has to take a few deep shots.

Commit to the run

Attacking the Texans' run defense isn’t necessarily a recipe for success. They are tied for 9th in fewest rushing yards allowed per carry and have only allowed 4 splash run plays of over 20 yards.

However, this all goes back to neutralizing the Texans' pass rush. The Browns have allowed the most sacks in the NFL by a wide margin. I don’t care if it’s with draw plays or designed wide receiver runs, but this offense has to protect whoever the quarterback is by taking the ball out of his hands.