The Tennessee Titans are looking to extend their winning streak over the Cleveland Browns to two games in Week 7. Last season, one of the Titans' three wins came in Cleveland, when Tennessee narrowly came out on top in a thrilling 31-29 brawl.
However, this Browns team looks a little different. Last year's squad finished 5-12, and at the bottom of their division. This season, Cleveland sits in a three-way tie at the top of the AFC North, boasting a 4-2 record.
It'll be no easy feat for the Titans to win again. If Robert Saleh is to put another notch in his victory column, here are three pivotal matchups that Tennessee needs to go their way.
Titans' d-line vs. Browns' o-line
The Titans' defensive line are coming hot off their best performance of the season in Week 6. Tennessee leveled six sacks against the Indianapolis Colts and Daniel Jones, with DT Jeffery Simmons forcing a fumble in the process.
Tennessee had three total takeaways on the day. With Deshaun Watson's mobility posing a threat in the pocket and his multiple receiving options working to get open downfield, the Titans' d-line will be once again tasked with limiting an offense with high-scoring potential.
PFF has the Browns' o-line slotted in at 26th in the NFL. Per TeamRankings, Deshaun Watson taking 24 sacks through six games poses him as the most-sacked QB in the NFL this season.
Saleh's defense appears to have an advantage here, and the Titans will need to make the most of it to pull off the victory.
Cam Ward vs. Browns' secondary
The worse Cam Ward looks, the more crucial his matchups become. The Titans beat the Colts on the back of those aforementioned three takeaways last Sunday. Even if that unit buckles down again, we shouldn't expect numbers like those to be repeated.
As a result, it may take Ward meeting them in the middle for Tennessee to come out on top. With star CB Denzel Ward and Pro-Bowl S Grant Delpit holding down the Browns' secondary, it'll be no easy feat for the second-year QB.
Where the previous matchup appeared favorable for Tennessee, Cleveland looks to have the upper hand in shutting down an inconsistent Ward before he even gets started.
Ward doesn't have to play flashy to play well. Running back something like his 222-yard, one-touchdown outing against the Baltimore Ravens in Week 4 would be the epitome of "good enough" if Tennessee's defense shows out again.
The Titans need Ward to limit his mistakes in Week 7. A few deep completions or a first-half score certainly wouldn't hurt along the way.
Amani Hooker vs. Denzel Boston
S Amani Hooker just posted a career-high 13 tackles, as well as one interception, vs. the Colts. In the absence of CB Alontae Taylor, Hooker more than took it upon himself to handle Indy's functional WR1, in Josh Downs.
Facing off against rising rookie WR Denzel Boston in Week 7, the same efficiency will be expected of Hooker if Taylor can't go. Circling back to PFF, Hooker is graded at 81.1 overall, which situates him all the way up at number seven among 98 players at his position.
Boston already has three scores on 17 receptions this season. He's quickly emerged as a primary target for Watson, running efficient routes and even emerging as an early possibility for Offensive Rookie of the Year. The tape doesn't lie.
It's shaping up to be rookie vs. veteran with Hooker and Boston in Week 7. Lock Boston up, and Watson could be forced into making the same mistakes that Jones did with the Colts. That's a path to victory.
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