Can the Tennessee Titans win twice in a row?
That’s no small feat for an organization that hasn’t won consecutive games since 2022.
But Tennessee’s 26-20 win over the Indianapolis Colts in NFL Week 6 quieted the storm after an 0-5 start. Now, the Titans (1-5) can prove it wasn’t a fluke when it hosts the Cleveland Browns (4-2) at Nissan Stadium on Oct. 25 (noon CT, CBS).
The Browns are 1.5-point favorites. They lost last year's meeting 31-29 after Tennessee running back Tony Pollard rushed for a career-high 161 yards and two touchdowns.
Questions remain for quarterback Cam Ward and the Titans' offense, who were bailed out by the defense and special teams against the Colts. Ward’s 11 completions and 102 yards passing against the Colts were career lows, and Tennessee still ranks last in the NFL in yards per game (236.3) and tied for last in points per game (14.0).
Here’s our scouting report for the Titans’ game against the Browns.
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One Cleveland Browns stat to know
Other than the Baltimore Ravens’ opening touchdown drive last week, the Browns surrendered three points and 169 yards of total offense to finish a 13-10 victory.
Cleveland hasn’t been atop the AFC North this late in the season since 2014.
Where Tennessee Titans have edge vs. Browns
Tennessee spent offseason resources beefing up its pass rush for coach Robert Saleh’s defensive scheme. The results finally surfaced with six sacks and 25 pressures against the Colts.
Doing that again could hamper quarterback Deshaun Watson and the Browns, who have surrendered a league-high 24 sacks in six games. Cleveland left tackle Spencer Fano and right guard Austin Barber are both rookies.
Titans eighth-year veteran Jeffery Simmons is arguably the NFL’s best defensive tackle. He has a team-high four sacks and 26 hurries.
Where Cleveland Browns have edge vs. Titans
Tennessee’s passing offense is the NFL’s worst at 153.5 yards per game, and the Browns rank eighth in passing defense at 205.2 yards per game.
Pro Bowl cornerback Denzel Ward anchors a Cleveland secondary that ranks sixth in coverage grade at 71.1, according to Pro Football Focus. Cornerback Myles Harden has five passes defended this season.
The Titans likely won’t win another game with a blocked punt return and four second-half field goals like they did against the Colts. If the Browns limit Cam Ward’s explosive plays downfield — they had six pass breakups against the Ravens — then Tennessee will struggle to score.
Cam Ward has developed a go-to target in rookie receiver Carnell Tate, which is good. But receivers beyond Tate (44 targets) and Wan’Dale Robinson (37) aren’t that involved. Running back Tyjae Spears has more targets (17) than receiver Calvin Ridley (five).
Elic Ayomanor has shown flashes of playmaking, but he’s averaging two targets the past four games and had a bad drop against the Colts.
Score prediction: Browns 21, Titans 10
Ward’s limitations are clear through six games, giving Cleveland’s secondary a near-perfect blueprint.
If nothing pops for Tennessee’s offense, the scoring woes will continue.
Tyler Palmateer covers the Tennessee Titans for The Tennessean. Have a story idea for Tyler? Reach him at tpalmateer@tennessean.com and on the X platform, @tpalmateer83.
This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Titans scouting report vs Cleveland Browns, matchups, prediction NFL Week 7