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Ben Tate Will Be X-Factor For Cleveland Browns In Week 6

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By @Paul_Jackiewicz

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This week’s matchup between the Cleveland Browns and the Pittsburgh Steelers will be a big one given the fact of how tight the race for the AFC North title is through the first five weeks of the season. I think the X-factor for Cleveland will be running back Ben Tate, who just came back from a knee injury and had a big game against the Titans last week.

After almost making a comeback during their Week 1 matchup against Pittsburgh and the fact that the Steelers haven’t been playing consistent winning football this season, you have to believe the Browns have a chance at grabbing their third win of the season this Sunday.

Even though the Steelers have the 11th ranked run defense in the NFL,  they gave up 100 yards on the ground to rookie Terrance West who took over for Tate when he went down during their Week 1 matchup. Prior to Tate getting injured he had some nice runs to the outside and ended up with six carries for 41 yards, which is an average of 6.8 yards per carry.

Below is a run that Tate broke off for 25 yards on a sweep play.

Ben Tate Browns

As you can see below, the Browns’ offensive line owned the Steelers on this play by sealing the edge and springing Tate down the field.

Ben Tate Browns

Photo by Paul Jackiewicz

Ben Tate Browns

Photo by Paul Jackiewicz

As good as Browns quarterback Brian Hoyer has been at times this season,  the only way I see Cleveland beating the Steelers is if Tate has a big game. One thing that might help is that Pittsburgh cornerback Ike Taylor and rookie linebacker Ryan Shazier are still out due to injuries that they suffered a couple of weeks ago.

At the end of the day, Tate has always been an effective running back; the problem is that he’s always had a hard time staying healthy. If he can stay on the field this week, the Steelers will likely be in trouble.

Paul Jackiewicz is an NFL writer for www.RantSports.com. Follow him on Twitter @Paul_Jackiewicz, “Like” him on Facebook or add him to your network on Google.

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