BEREA, Ohio — The offense carried the Cleveland Browns in the early part of the season, but now, with the run offense stuck in the mud without any traction, it is up to the defense to carry the load.

The home game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Sunday will be the Browns’ third without Pro Bowl center Alex Mack, who is on injured reserve recovering from a broken leg.

The Browns rushed for 69 yards on 30 carries against the Jaguars and 39 yards on 25 carries against Oakland. They averaged 145 yards a game in the first five games but in the last two totaled 108 yards on 55 carries – a meager 1.96 yards per carry average.

“We talk about how you can’t replace a Pro Bowl player like Alex, but also I think teams know that that’s what we’re going to try to do,” quarterback Brian Hoyer said. “There’s a little bit of both in that.

“The one thing that we do have going for us is we take shots down the field. If you want to do that (load up against the run), then it’s pick your poison because we’ve shown that we can hit those throws downfield and get big plays. For me, it’s like how I played (last Sunday), just take what the defense gives me, be patient, and good things will come.”

John Greco started at center and Paul McQuistan at right guard in Jacksonville. Nick McDonald started at center and Greco at right guard against the Raiders. It was McDonald’s first NFL game in two years.

“I thought it was a good start, solid,” head coach Mike Pettine said. “Wasn’t great, but I think for us moving forward that’s the right move.”

The Browns have won three of their last four games in a turnaround that began on Oct. 5 at halftime in Tennessee. The Browns were down, 28-10, and outscored the Titans, 19-0, in the second half.

The Browns beat the Steelers, 31-10. They gave up three touchdowns in a 24-6 loss in Jacksonville, but the score is deceiving because the offense turned the ball over twice inside the Cleveland 10-yard line in the final minutes. They did not allow the Raiders a touchdown until only seven seconds remained.

“We’ve had ups and downs that we wish weren’t there,” linebacker Paul Kruger said. “We want to be more consistent as a team, and I feel like we’ve grown in different ways each week.

“It’s time to put it all together and have a similar showing each week because that’s really what we’re capable of. I feel that we really do have a really good understanding on how good we can be.”

The Buccaneers, like the Jaguars and Raiders, have struggled offensively. The bigger test for the Browns defense will come a week from Thursday when they face the Bengals in Cincinnati.

SERIES HISTORY: Ninth regular =-season meeting. Browns lead series, 5-3. There is a clear delineation of before and after in the Browns-Buccaneers series. The Browns were 5-0 against the Bucs from 1976-1995. They have met three times in the expansion era that began in 1999 and the Buccaneers won each time.

MEDICAL WATCH: TE Jordan Cameron (concussion) did not practice Wednesday. He was injured in the first half of the game against the Raiders last Sunday. … DE Phil Taylor (knee) did not practice and is unlikely to play against Tampa Bay. He is recovering from surgery performed on Oct. 6. … LT Joe Thomas was rested as is the normal procedure for him on Wednesdays. … WR Rodney Smith (hamstring) did not practice.

GAME PLAN: The Browns have averaged less than two yards per carry over the past two games (55 rushes for 108 yards) but they can still be expected to run the ball 25 to 30 times or more against the Buccaneers because the threat to run sets up play-action.

Isaiah Crowell will likely be more involved in the offense than he was last week when he had only one carry. If the score is close in the fourth quarter, though, the Browns will lean on veteran Ben Tate because Crowell has had some ball security issues.

MATCHUPS TO WATCH:

Browns CB Buster Skrine vs. Buccaneers WR Mike Evans. Evans, 6-feet-5, has an eight-inch advantage on Skrine. For that reason the Browns will likely put Justin Gilbert on Evans and Skrine in the slot in nickel situations. Evans has 25 catches for 336 yards and two touchdowns. Whoever is on him has to resist the temptation to grab his jersey.

BROWNS RG John Greco vs. Buccaneers DT Gerald McCoy: McCoy leads the Buccaneers with five sacks. The Browns are comfortable with Greco back at his natural position of right guard for the second week in a row. Center Nick McDonald will have to be alert for McCoy trying to rush over his spot. This will be McDonald’s second start with the Browns as the replacement for injured Alex Mack.