The Cleveland Browns need to play the Tennessee Titans, New York Football Giants, Miami Dolphins, and Las Vegas Raiders every game. Even then, we’ve seen that wins don’t always come (see: Week 9 and Week 14).
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Unfortunately, unlike college football, NFL clubs don’t make their own schedule. And mixed into the madness of each season are some very good teams that must be faced. That is the reality of the league.
Now, the Titans are not one of those very good teams. They were ranked before kickoff as the very worst roster in the league by most. They picked first overall in last April’s NFL draft and are headed for another first overall spot, it seems.
Cleveland isn’t going to the playoffs once again. In fact, they were trying to stop the bleeding with the possibility that they would possess back-to-back seasons with double-digit losses. That is what this team is playing for right now. Don’t hit the 10-loss threshold, and play for your job going into next season. Play for pride. Play for your city. Winning the final five games of the season to use that momentum going into next year.
Tennessee’s only win had been a come-from-behind effort against another lowly team in the Arizona Cardinals. They are at or near the bottom in every offensive and defensive category. They fired their head coach weeks ago.
The game featured two rookie quarterbacks. In the end, Cleveland could not defeat a team that had won a single game all season, losing to the Titans 31-29 with the help of two failed two-point conversions.
So who played well for the Browns? Who didn’t?
BROWNIES
TE Harold Fannin – Fannin was kinda quiet in the first half, but made up for it in the final two quarters. Had a nice grab in the first quarter that gained 17 yards over the short middle. Facing a third-and-20 with 7:58 left before halftime, QB Shedeur Sanders hit Fannin, who then bullied his way for 17 yards short of the sticks.
One of the best passing plays of the game occurred in the third quarter as Fannin beat S Amani Hooker for a 35-yard gain into Tennessee territory. The 17-yard catch and run put the Browns in business in the fourth quarter at the Titans’ 29. His touchdown catch was a beautiful throw and an excellent catch at the high point. Led all Cleveland pass catchers with 11 targets, eight receptions for 114 yards, one touchdown, and a 14.3 yards per catch average.
LB Carson Schwesinger – This kid is everywhere. The first play of the game is a kickoff, and Schwesinger is down to make the tackle. Nailed RB Tyjae Spears for just a three-yard gain in the second quarter when it appeared he would be in for a long run. Schwesinger went off the field in the second quarter with a foot injury, but later returned on the next series, played hurt, and then made the tackle on the first two plays. Nice pass breakup for WR Van Jefferson with just over four minutes before the half. Stuffed RB Tony Pollard with 3:44 left in the game for no gain, which forced a third-and-long. Led all Browns’ defenders with 13 tackles.
LB Devin Bush – Great effort and a superb interception and runback in the first quarter. He had dropped in coverage and was playing the short field when he undercut the throw meant for WR Elic Ayomanor, and suddenly the talented linebacker was gone. The play before Ayomanor had the ball, and Bush’s hit dislodged it. Filled the gap and took down Spears as the second quarter was approaching. Nailed Pollard on a second-and-10 in the final period for a two-yard gain. Finished with nine tackles and two batted passes.
FROWNIES
The play that lost the game – The Browns were fighting back. The entire stadium had already gotten out of their seats and was headed for the parking lots when the Titans scored a field goal after the blocked punt to make 31-17 with 6:17 remaining. In just five plays, Cleveland scored on the Shedeur Sanders scramble. The score was now 31-23 with the PAT left up next. A successful PAT would make it a seven-point game. But what is this? A two-point attempt? What? Why? The score is Cleveland down eight points. Kick the ball and make it a seven-point deficit, right? For whatever reason, from whomever, the Browns went for two and were unsuccessful. What a stupid, stupid, assessment of how points are tabulated.
The other play that lost the game – Okay, nobody actually expected the Browns to come back, but they did. The defense did its job and stopped Tennessee, who then punted with 2:53 left in the game. With 1:03 left on the clock, Sanders had a great drive and seven plays later, Sanders hit Fannin for a touchdown. Run out the field goal team and kick the extra point? Oh, wait, now down by two instead of down by one. The new math, right? Another two-point attempt. In the huddle, did anyone see Sanders or anyone else down on their knee drawing in the dirt? That is what this play looked like. After yet another failed two-point attempt, every garbage dumpster at the stadium burst into flames at the same time.
P Corey Bojorquez – Two horrible kicks set up the Titans very nicely. This was not our punting hero in this game. With 7:05 left in the first quarter, Bojo’s punt went 39 yards to Cleveland’s 46. Then, with just six minutes before the half, he hit a 34-yarder that was downed at the 15. A 27-yard punt? Yep, happened in the third quarter. Yikes. Another 39-yarder in the third quarter. The punt block was not his fault. Finished with six kicks for 222 yards and a 37.0 average yards per kick. Bad, bad game for a talented kicker.
CB Denzel Ward – Tennessee’s first touchdown was a short crossing route to WR Ayomanor for 14 yards. When he made his break to the left, he had a rounded route to which Ward never made any attempt to shadow him. Just go where the receiver went, and watch him catch a touchdown was the strategy. No head bob, no shoulder juke, no flailing arms, no attempt to fool anyone by the receiver. No defense.
Then the Titans’ second touchdown was when RB Tony Pollard broke free. Ward had three chances to tackle Pollard, including one where he reached out to grab his shoulder pads. You stop a runner’s legs by grabbing the shoulder pads? Is that something new?
RT KT Leveston – Can’t pass block worth a crap. His man, Jihad Ward: 4 tackles, 4 QB hits, 2 missed sacks.
LT Cam Robinson – Can’t pass block worth a crap. The great Jeffrey Simmons: 7 tackles, 1.5 sacks, 2 tackles for loss, 1 batted pass, 3 QB hits, 3 missed sacks.
Special teams – Right off, KR Chimere Dike ran it back 41 yards, and if not for the tackling ability of Schwesinger, he could have tacked on another 10 yards. On the blocked punt, Bojo could have just handed it to backup LB James Williams. He came off the right corner, and nobody touched him. Browns KR Gage Larvadain had just 4.0 yards per return on punt returns and muffed one fair catch. Bojorquez had a terrible day.
Milk Bones – You know you’re old when prescriptions replace subscriptions
QB Shedeur Sanders – The Browns had a difficult time running the ball, so Sanders had to throw it 42 times and connected on 23 for an 8.7 yards per completion average. The interception was completely inexperienced in how to handle the pocket crumbling around you. It was a bad decision in that three defenders were around the receiver. Nice decision to tuck the ball and run for that scramble for a touchdown.
Exceptional toss to TE David Njoku in the corner of the end zone, where only he could bring it in. Great read on the third-and-five in the second quarter that got a first down to Jerome Ford for nine yards. Used Fannin well and got several good gains in both halves. Finished with 364 yards with three TD passes against the one pick, was sacked twice, ran three times for 29 yards with another score, and had a QB rating of 97.7.
DE Myles Garrett – The Tennessee offensive line ranked dead last in allowing sacks, so it seemed that Garrett would break this season’s sack record easily. No sir. The Titans set a tight end on his side who would chip him, then pass him off to LT Dan Moore. The Titans also used quite a few double teams with LG Peter Skoronski. The strategy worked well, as Garrett only got a sack and had a very quiet first half. Garrett had a nice tackle with 6:53 left in the game on a third-and-six for a loss of yardage by Spears that forced a field goal.
WR Jerry Jeudy – Glad to see him have a decent game, as he has been the invisible man in most games. Good speed got him some separation from CB Darrell Baker for the 60-yard touchdown in the second quarter. Finished with five targets, three receptions for 76 yards, a 25.3 yards per catch average, and a single score.
