Tag: Cleveland Browns vs. Tennessee Titans

Uniform Matchup: Browns will wear their third uniform combination so far vs. Titans

Brown jerseys for Cleveland in this weeks matchup

Though it won’t be much different than the first game the Cleveland Browns will be wearing their third different uniform combination in as many weeks Sunday. They will go with a classic look as they wear their brown jerseys and white pants as they take on the Tennessee Titans in this Week 3 crucial matchup.

The team will look to get their second victory at home and second overall after the loss to Pittsburgh last week. It will be no easy task as the Titans are coming off a big win against the Chargers in overtime last week. The Browns will face another strong defensive line unit, especially from the interior with Jeffrey Simmons on the other side.

The biggest question for the team will be if Deshaun Watson and the passing offense can finally put it together, especially with the loss of Nick Chubb. It is the biggest mystery surrounding the team as they face a struggling passing defense with a chance to gain some momentum and confidence.

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3 Bold predictions as the Browns look to rebound vs. Titans

Can the Browns get back on track as they return to Cleveland?

The Cleveland Browns missed out on a golden opportunity to get a leg up in the division when they lost to Pittsburgh on Monday night. But the AFC is still wide open as Deshaun Watson and the offense (with the help of Kareem Hunt) will look to get on the same page Sunday against the Tennessee Titans. Watson talked on Thursday about how he believes it is just a matter of when not if they will figure it out.

They will face a Tennessee secondary that struggled in the first two weeks against the past and presents a good opportunity for Watson and the Browns. But the Titans’ defensive line is pretty good and the matchup of center Ethan Pocic and guard Wyatt Teller against Jeffery Simmons is going to be a scary one for Cleveland.

But another week where the Browns’ defense should be able to win the battle in the trenches. Ryan Tannehill at times can hold onto the ball a little too long with a slower delivery. Here are three bold predictions that I believe will come true as the Browns look for win number two.

Titans DL Teair Tart suspended for stomping on Browns G Wyatt Teller

Tart intentionally stepped on Teller during a play on Sunday

Savvy viewers of the Browns’ Week 13 win over the Tennessee Titans captured a foul incident that escaped notice by the officials on the field. Those incriminating video posts sent to the NFL via social media worked.

The league announced on Monday that Titans defensive lineman Teair Tart has been suspended for one game for purposely stomping on Browns right guard Wyatt Teller as the guard laid on the ground and Tart ran past. Tart will miss Tennessee’s Week 14 matchup with the Jacksonville Jaguars as a result of the suspension.

Teller was not hurt on the play by the deliberate cleating to the back of his leg. The officials on the field did not see the infraction and no flag was thrown.

Watch: The Browns perfect the ‘Hollywood’ Higgins red carpet TD celebration

The Browns nailed the choreography perfectly

Rashard Higgins has been doing the red carpet stroll as his touchdown celebration for years. The Browns wide receiver goes by the nickname “Hollywood”, or “Wood” to teammates and friends, after all. But he’s never had a better-choreographed edition of the elaborate TD celebration than the one he and his Browns mates rolled out on Sunday in Tennessee.

Everyone got in the right places and positions to make this one epic. What makes this one the best is Baker Mayfield’s slide into the celebration as an extra paparazzi. It’s pure brilliance.

From the photojournalist who captured it in person, Asa Johnson:

Here’s hoping Hollywood gets to strut a few more times.

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Snap count notes: Browns went big on defense in win over the Titans

Stefanski’s fingerprints were all over the snap counts on both sides of the ball

The Cleveland Browns held Derrick Henry, the NFL’s leading rusher, to just 60 yards on the ground in Sunday’s 41-35 win over the Tennessee Titans. They did so by going big on defense.

Faced with injury issues in the secondary, Cleveland DC Joe Woods opted to roll with extra defensive linemen instead of playing deeper reserves at safety. It’s reflected in the snap counts.

The starting foursome on the defensive line all played more than safety Karl Joseph, who started in place of injured Ronnie Harrison but was on the field for just 42 of the 72 defensive snaps. Reserve DE Adrian Clayborn played 40 snaps, just two fewer than Joseph. That’s behind starters Olivier Vernon (72), Sheldon Richardson (54), Myles Garrett (52) and Larry Ogunjobi (43). Rookie DT Jordan Elliott also played 23 and Vincent Taylor saw 13 reps.

B.J. Goodson played the most of any linebacker with 54 snaps, equating to 75 percent. Malcolm Smith was next at 36. No. 3 safety Sheldrick Redwine played 29.

The offense was more on course with what’s been the norm under Kevin Stefanski and Alex Van Pelt, though it’s worth noting No. 3 WR Donovan Peoples-Jones (41) out-repped No. 2 TE Harrison Bryant (39). Credit Stefanski’s smart aerial assault gameplan against the Titans defense for that peculiarity.

Running backs Nick Chubb and Kareem Hunt has almost an even split. Chubb played 36 of the 72 snaps, with Hunt one behind at 35. D’Ernest Johnson played two.

Ja’Marcus Bradley saw action on 11 offensive plays in his call-up duty as the No. 4 wide receiver.

Kendall Lamm played exactly one snap on offense. The reserve offensive tackle caught a touchdown pass in his one play. That’s efficiency.

It doesn’t happen often that the two teams run the exact same amount of plays, either.

Browns vs. Titans recap: Score, stats, stars of the game and more

Keys to the Cleveland win, stars of the game, what’s next for the Browns and more

The Cleveland Browns are 9-3 after a convincing, nerve-racking, exciting 41-35 win over the Tennessee Titans in Week 13.

It was a tale of two halves, with the Browns surging out to the best first half in franchise history. Then the Titans reminded everyone why they entered the game at 8-3 and nearly pulled off the improbable comeback.

The win means the Browns solidified their grasp on the top Wild Card spot in the AFC. Only Pittsburgh and Kansas City have more wins than the 9-3 team from Cleveland, which finally got a signature win over a good team.

 

Instant reaction: Kevin Stefanski drives the Browns to a huge win over the Titans

Stefanski deserves credit for a fantastic path to victory

The most impressive Cleveland Browns victory of the season, and one of the best in a very long time, came at the absolute right time for the team. Triumphing over the Tennessee Titans in Nashville, 41-35, elevates the Browns to 9-3 and gives the team a big pelt on the wall.

So many things happened in this game, it’s hard to sort them all out. But nearly all of the positives point directly to Stefanski having his Browns team ready to play with a fantastic, thorough game plan to attack the Titans weaknesses.

Correctly anticipating the Titans would focus on stopping the run, Stefanski dialed up an aerial attack. Given Tennessee’s dismal pass rush and soft coverage, it was a stroke of brilliance. And Baker Mayfield executed it almost perfectly in the first half.

Mayfield was sharp and the offense fired on all cylinders. And it was no ordinary 4-cylinder sedan, either; this was a souped-up muscle car breathing gasoline in all eight cylinders.

That was the plan from Stefanski. Find the Titans’ weakness. Expose the wound. Keep pouring salt on it. Repeat.

The Browns, as they are wont to do, made it a little uncomfortable in the second half. Tennessee raced out to two easy touchdowns and pearls were being clutched everywhere in Browns fandom. But not Stefanski.

The rookie coach persevered and stuck to his guns. While he downshifted a gear or two, he never took his foot away from the gas pedal. There was no sense of panic, no overcorrections, no crashing and burning that we’ve seen from many models of Browns teams over the years.

Like his young team, Stefanski is still learning how to win. It showed in the uneasiness down the stretch, but the coach kept both hands on the wheel. The rookie coach thoroughly outmaneuvered celebrated counterpart Mike Vrabel in this one. Thank Stefanski for the win.

Breaking down Baker Mayfield’s record-setting 1st half vs. the Titans

Mayfield and the Browns posted several first-half records in Tennessee

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Baker Mayfield has heard the criticism. He is acutely aware of the missed throws and blown opportunities that have pockmarked an otherwise solid season for the Browns quarterback.

He had no such problems in Tennessee against the Titans in the first half of Sunday’s game. In fact, Mayfield had one of the best halves of football in Cleveland Browns history.

Mayfield’s line at halftime:

20 completions on 25 attempts, 290 yards, 4 TDs, 0 INTs, QB Rating of 154.6

Now factor in that one of those incompletions was a perfect throw that should have been a touchdown but rookie wideout Donovan Peoples-Jones dropped it. Two others were intentional throwaways to avoid negative plays. Peoples-Jones redeemed himself with a 75-yard catch-and-run that was perfectly executed, too.

Oh yeah, Mayfield also caught a pass from Jarvis Landry.

The Browns scored on each of their first six offensive possessions. They’ve never topped scoring on the first five possessions in the expansion era.

In the process, Mayfield became the first Browns quarterback since Otto Graham to throw four touchdowns in the first half of a game. It’s been almost 70 years since the Hall of Famer pulled that off.

The 38 points the Browns scored before halftime are a franchise record. So are the 344 net yards of offense.

Expert picks ride the Titans over the Browns

Very few national pundits predict the Browns to win in Tennessee

The Browns and Titans are both 8-3 entering Sunday’s matchup. Each team has won three of its last four, with Cleveland capturing three in a row. Both teams have outstanding rushing offenses and quarterbacks who can get hot on play-action and outside the pocket.

Yet the Titans are favored by 5.5 points at many outlets, and most experts seem to agree with the bookmakers that Tennessee will prevail over the Browns.

ESPN has nine pundits make weekly picks. Eight of those nine chose the Titans. Only Dan Graziano rolled with the Browns.

At CBS Sports, the prognosticators use the point spread. With the Browns getting six points on their line, four of their eight experts chose Cleveland.

NFL.com’s Gregg Rosenthal sees the Titans winning 34-30. Pro Football Talk’s Mike Florio also sees Tennessee running out to a 34-20 win. The Sporting News’ Vinnie Iyer has the Titans winning 24-20.

All three analysts at Athlon Sports also predict the home team to win. The seven-person panel at USA TODAY was almost unanimous as well, with six of the seven rolling with the Titans.

4 Final bold predictions for Browns vs. Titans

On Chubb vs. Henry, Baker Mayfield, Corey Davis and more

Gameday is here. The Cleveland Browns get their first shot in several weeks at proving they’re a viable AFC contender by facing the Tennessee Titans. Both teams are 8-3 and have won three of their last four games.

The Titans are favored to win, and rightly so. They’re coming off impressive wins over the Colts and Ravens, while the Browns struggled with the Jaguars and Texans and weren’t convincing in beating the Eagles. Those teams have combined for the same amount of wins Cleveland has on the season.

Yet the Browns have a fair chance to seize the win in Tennessee. Will they?

Here are four final predictions for Sunday’s game.