BEREA, Ohio — Is a win in the forecast for the Cleveland Browns on Sunday?

It may depend on the actual weather forecast when they host the Miami Dolphins at 1 p.m., with both teams at 1-5 and searching for their second win of the year.

But off the shores of Lake Erie, at this time of year, anything is possible. As of Friday afternoon, the forecast calls for a high temperature of 71 degrees and a low of 51. There’s a 90% chance of rain, and a chance of winds reaching up to 35 mph.

“We’ve played in these games, we’ve played in the cold, we’ve played in the wind, rain, you name it,” head coach Kevin Stefanski said. “So, it does affect the football game – it affects both teams equally, it affects certain aspects of the game equally. So, like I said to you guys, and I’ve told the team, we don’t control the weather, we just deal with it.”

And the Browns’ best method for dealing with it? Lean on the run against the league’s worst rushing defense.

Miami is giving up an average of 168.5 yards per game. The Browns are looking to get right after a 23-9 loss to the Steelers in which they had only 65 rushing yards on 17 carries.

Rookie back Quinshon Judkins managed just 12 carries and 36 yards as Cleveland trailed and got away from running the ball — but it’s undeniable that Judkins has been off to an impressive start after missing the Week 1 game against the Bengals and all of training camp due to his legal case over a now-dropped domestic battery charge.

Judkins leads the ground attack with 383 rushing yards and two touchdowns on 84 carries.

The rookie has encountered bad weather before, getting some snow games in at Ohio State and some SEC rain games while at Ole Miss before that.

“I think, for myself, any rain, sleet, snow, just be ready to go, it don’t matter,” said Judkins.

On the other side, Cleveland will need to account for Dolphins RB De’Von Achane, who has run for 390 yards and three touchdowns on 76 carries.

But typically, the Dolphins don’t let weather dictate their game plan. They will still use a lot of motion and misdirection, as well as lean heavily on the pass, and that includes getting Achane involved as a receiver. He’s also got 29 catches for 195 yards and two touchdowns this season.

“It won’t change what they’re trying to do,” Myles Garrett said. “I mean, they’re an offense that likes to stay on time. They want to run the ball, they want to get on the edge, they want to get out to the guys on perimeter and get those quick passes over the middle.

“Their schemes should stay very much the same. And now, if we can get them away from that, it’ll play into our favor and then we’ll have the elements working with us as well. So we have to knock out the run.”

The other key to this game will be first-year kicker Andre Szmyt performing well in the typical Cleveland elements.

While Szmyt played most of his college games at Syracuse indoors, he grew up outside of Chicago and previously spent time on the Bears practice squad.

It’s experience that will come in handy considering the mild weather that the area has experienced in the week leading up to this game.

“It’s nothing new,” Szmyt said. “I mean, people always ask like, ‘Oh, how do you prepare for it?’ But it goes back to kicking it in the past. Like, yeah, OK, maybe I can’t replicate it this week, but I’m used to those conditions. I’ve done it before. So you just remember what you do there. And I think pregame is going to be a huge tell of how you’re gonna play the ball and what you’re gonna do.”

After missing a PAT and a 36-yard field goal in Week 1 against the Bengals, Szmyt has rebounded nicely.

He’s been a perfect 7-for-7 the rest of the way on extra points, and the only additional field goal he’s missed was a 56-yarder against the Lions in Week 4.

For a team that has only been able to score an average of 13.7 points per game, they really can use every point they can get right now, even against a struggling Dolphins team.

And if the Browns want to change their outlook, they’ll need to prove they can weather more than just the storm off Lake Erie.

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