BREAKING NEWS: 3 major players that could lead the Browns to a win over the Bears but regrettably…

On defense, the Bears are in a four-man front that gives up 4.4 yards per carry. At this point in the season, there are very few schemes or techniques that an NFL team is not prepared for. Winning in December and January comes down to effort and attention detail.

 Chase and replace on zone read

In the Browns’ 29-12 loss to the Denver, Russell Wilson had 11 carries for 33 yards. Though the yards were not overly impressive, the he had some keys runs on zone read. The NFL is a copycat league and the Bears will look to exploit the Browns’ inability account for the quarterback in the read run game.

Fields is an elite athlete who had 58 yards rushing last week against the Lions. A lot of his rushing success was on zone read, in which the Lions would get sucked inside with no one accounting for Fields.

Jim Schwartz’s aggressive defense will look to dictate what happens with the “chase and replace” technique from his defensive ends and a second-level defender. On zone read, the defensive end will “chase” the running back, forcing Fields to keep the football and be tackled by the second-level defender, who is “replacing” the end on the outside and setting the edge.

Below is a look at how Chicago had success with zone read against Lions. D’Onta Foreman will line up in the pistol and run inside zone to the left. Fields reads Derrick Barnes to determine whether or not to give the ball to Foreman. As the play develops, both Barnes and strong safety Ifeatu Melifonwu, get sucked inside, leaving the outside open for an easy 11-yard run for Fields.

The blue line in the photo below indicates how the Browns will most likely play this zone read. The defensive end would “chase” Foreman, forcing Fields to keep the football and be tackled by the “replacing” strong safety on the outside. Look for Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah to use his athletic ability and speed to be the “chase” guy on Fields.

2. Run at the shade technique

For the first time in weeks, the Browns offensive line will predominantly see a four-man front. This even front means the Browns’ zone run scheme will focus on Joel Bitonio and Wyatt Teller and not on the fourth- and fifth-string tackles.

Not only are the Bears in a four-man front, but they will adjust to a shade on the shoulder of the center, creating even better angles for the zone run. Look for the Browns to run the football behind Teller, allowing the athletic Bitonio to get to the backside linebacker.

Below is an exact look at how the Browns will run inside zone at the Bears’ four-man front. The zone will be run to the left, directly at shade tackle Andrew Billings, because of the huge gap between him and Yannick Ngakoue. The Lions’ center and left guard are responsible for Billings and the No. 1 linebacker, T.J. Edwards. The Lions’ right guard and right tackle are responsible for Justin Jones and and the No. 2 linebacker, Tremaine Edmunds.

On this play, because of the shade alignment, the Lions do not even have to double team to gain an advantage. The offensive guards get an immediate run at the linebackers, creating a massive hole for David Montgomery. This play results in a 13-yard run for Detroit.

 Attack the offensive guards

When the Bears have the football, the Browns must attack the offensive guards in the pass game. Both Treven Jenkins and Nate Davis struggle with lateral movement in a small area. Look for both Myles Garrett and Za’Darius Smith to move inside on passing downs to use their speed and explosion to beat the slower guards.