There's hope in the air in Nashville right now. The Tennessee Titans are coming off their first win of the season. With healthy playmakers and more momentum than they've had all year, today's matchup with the Cleveland Browns presents a window for Tennessee to get back on track.
"Back on track" for a 1-5 team may simply mean winning another game. But if the Titans do so, it will be the first time they've won back-to-back contests since 2022. You have to take that, no matter the context.
As for what to expect from Week 7, we've got three things to look out for as the Titans host the Browns, starting with a positive note on one of the team's brightest spots.
Expect: Carnell Tate to stay hot
This may be an easy one, but Tate's continued emergence as an elite WR despite the offense around him is impossible to ignore.
The rookie pass-catcher caught six of his seven targets last week vs. the Colts, including one touchdown, on his way to 70 total yards. Per Mike Herndon, he's had the most productive first six games of any receiver in Titans history.
Even at Cam Ward's worst - last week certainly qualified - he's finding ways to get Tate involved. Duds are growing few and far between for Tate, and no matter how things go against the Browns, it's safe to say that Tate will have more than his fair share of opportunities to run away on the stat sheet.
Expect: Titans' secondary to play a huge role
Deshaun Watson throws the ball a lot, regardless of how many passes he's completing. The Browns' offense has struggled in the past two weeks (we'll touch on that trend), but that isn't for a lack of trying. This puts the Titans' secondary in an especially important spot.
Watson has thrown for 1,174 yards this season, notching seven touchdowns to just two picks. He's attemtping an average of 29 passes per game, with a season-high 33 attempts coming twice in a row against the Pittsburgh Steelers and New York Jets in Weeks 5 and 6, respectively.
Seven of Cleveland's 10 touchdowns have come through the air this season. You get the picture. The Titans are facing a pass-first team coming off a week in which Saleh's secondary secured two interceptions. Something has to give.
No matter which way it gives, fingers will be pointed at the likes of S Amani Hooker, CB Cor'Dale Flott, and others.
Expect: Browns' offense to bounce back
On the whole, Cleveland's offense shouldn't be expected to struggle mightily for the third week in a row. It's uncharacteristic for this 4-2 group to score 13 or less points two weeks straight. Prior to that drought, the Browns scored 20+ points for three weeks straight.
This is an offense that, while inconsistent, has been better than the Titans' own offense and has exhibited the ability to explode against good defenses - their 27 points in a win over the aforementioned Steelers is perhaps the greatest example.
However, the Colts scored 20 points in their loss to the Titans last week. We can have a good defensive showing from Tennessee and a relative bounce back from Cleveland's offense at the same time. Relative is the key word there.
In fact, that's what most of us here at Titans On SI expect. Let's hope the line is drawn in the same way today, and that Tennessee's defense can make up for a scoring unit that simply hasn't proven their ability to win that Titans games up to now.
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