The Browns host the Dolphins on Oct. 19 in Week 7, playing their first game at Huntington Bank Field since Week 3 on Sept. 21 against the Packers.
Cleveland enters the week coming off a Week 6 loss against the Steelers, looking to get back on track in front of the Dawg Pound. Both Cleveland and Miami are 1-5 and are looking to get their second win of the year nearing the midway point of the season.
"We have to play our best, so we're going to focus on our preparation, focus on how we work this week to go play our best on Sunday," head coach Kevin Stefanski said.
As the Browns make their return to Huntington Bank Field, here are three keys to the game.
Slow down the Dolphins' defense
The Dolphins have recorded a sack in every game this season, totaling 12 in six games. LB Bradley Chubb leads Miami with four sacks, while LB Tyrel Dodson is in second with two.
In Week 6 against the Chargers, while the Dolphins didn't have the same efficiency as previous weeks, sacking QB Justin Herbert once, they hit him seven times. Slowing down the Dolphins rush is critical for the Browns' offense, especially a week after QB Dillon Gabriel was sacked six times and hit 16 more.
The Dolphins have blitzed opposing quarterbacks 65 times, tied for the third-most in the NFL, making sure the opponent has to find a quick outlet and potentially make a mistake. Gabriel has not turned the ball over in his first two starts, but against a blitz-heavy Dolphins team that blitzes on 32 percent of dropbacks, he will have to be aware of Miami's defensive setup.
"They're an aggressive defense," offensive coordinator Tommy Rees said. "They pressure a good chunk of time. They do a good job in their different packages on third down. Then they have personnel that can win one-on-one situations. So, every week you go against teams and there's a reason why those guys are drafted so high. It's that important. So, every week we have to have a plan to help our guys and to make sure that we can neutralize some of the rush patterns that we see."
Cover TE Darren Waller
TE Darren Waller retired in 2023 after his eighth season in the NFL but came out of retirement for the 2025 season with the Dolphins. Waller has 10 receptions for 117 yards and four touchdowns, playing three games since his return to football in Week 4. He has become a dependable target for QB Tua Tagovailoa and someone defenses have to account for.
The Browns allowed 62 yards to Steelers TE Darnell Washington in Week 6, the most receiving yards they've given up to a tight end this season. Before that, no tight end had eclipsed 40 yards against Cleveland. Waller has recorded more than 40 receiving yards once this season, recording 78 yards and a touchdown on five targets against the Panthers in Week 5.
"He's a great player for them," Stefanski said. "You can see the element that he has added to their offense from in the red zone with his size, and he can run. He has always been a player who can get down the field. A lot of these tight ends that are so big can cover ground and can separate vertically as much as horizontally, and he's certainly one of those guys."
Limit red zone touchdowns
With big bodies like Waller alongside shifty players like RB De'Von Achane and WR Jaylen Waddle, the Browns stopping Miami's offensive momentum once they get into the red zone is key.
The Browns rank among the best NFL defenses in yards allowed this season but are last in the league in red zone defense, allowing a touchdown on 80 percent of drives that get inside the 20-yard line. The Dolphins' red zone offense has been one of the best in the NFL. Seventy-five percent of Miami's red zone drives have ended in the end zone, the second-best rate in the league.
"We just have to keep grinding, we have to play physical down there, we have to take the run away and get back on the right side of that," defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz said. "Having a chance to hold them to field goals or force long field goals is paramount to keeping the score down, and that's what we're trying to do."
The Browns and Dolphins have combined for seven one-possession games this season, meaning the difference between a field goal and a touchdown can change the outcome of the game. Turning Miami touchdowns into field goals will be crucial to helping the Browns get their second win.
"We have to be better in the red zone and find a way to make a flip and not let guys inside the end zone once they do get in the red zone," CB Denzel Ward said. "Just have to execute and find a way to keep guys out the best we can."
