The Cleveland Browns went into Nashville and rocked the Tennessee Titans to improve to 5-2 and maintained first place in the AFC North. The Browns once again relied upon a game-winning field goal against the lowly Titans, but the numbers tell a different story. The offense got plenty right in the road win, but there were also some aspects of the game that they got wrong. 

Pass Offense, Right

Deshaun Watson had his first 300-yard game in his career with the Browns. Receivers were open and the ball was placed in a position to allow them to run after the catch. KC Concepcion shined in that role, amassing 129 receiving yards by juking, spinning, and breaking tackles. Watson got Harold Fannin Jr. involved and he made an incredible play to put them into field goal range at the end of the game. He had 91 receiving yards and he has to be a contributor on offense for the unit to play up to its potential. 

The Browns welcomed the return of Dylan Sampson and utilized his speed on screen passes to gain crucial first downs. Watson threw an interception early in the game, but otherwise he protected the football and was only sacked one time. 

Run Defense, Wrong

The defense got eaten alive last season against the Titans’ running game, resulting in a loss. The defensive line has a new play style this season with more depth, but they again lacked to control the line of scrimmage. Tony Pollard averaged over five yards per rush on his way to 129 rushing yards. He started the game with a 36-yard rushing touchdown for an early lead. 

The Browns have been feast or famine in stopping the run this season as they also had a lot of tackles for loss. When they were not hitting Pollard in the backfield, there were holes big enough for him to get to the secondary. The rushing defense’s potential was on full display during a goal line stand by getting a turnover on downs at the one yard line. 

Grant Delpit and Emmanuel McNeil-Warren have been fantastic at playing near the line of scrimmage and helping the defensive line get pressure. But when they are not there, the holes have to be covered up. 

Run Offense, Right

The offense finally got their top-two running backs in the huddle for the first time this season and the attack looked greatly improved. Quinshon Judkins averaged 5.6 yards per rush on his way to a season best 96 yards. Sampson also had six carriers for over 7 yards per rush. The offense converted five-third downs in part to solid rushes on first and second downs. 

Todd Monken even used Concepcion to rush the football, and he had a long run, setting up the offense. The successful rushing attack opened up the pass game as the Titans could not blitz Watson as often. 

Penalties, Wrong

The Browns dominated in every statistic, except they lost the penalty battle. They had eight penalties for 48 yards. The yards were not much, but the timing was critical. The defense forced the Titans to punt late in the game on a critical drive, and they were relying on their place kicker to boot the ball. The special teams unit came out with 12 men on the field and a penalty was called, resulting in a first down for the Titans. 

Two-Minute Drill, Right

At both the end of the first and second halves, the offense found a way to score. At the end of the first half, the Browns marched down and Monken kept calling plays with time dwindling. He got the ball out quick and to the sidelines, and the Browns kicked an easy field goal to close out the half. 

The offense got the ball back with around a minute left in the game and they got chunk plays to cruise down the field. They used the clock masterfully and the offense methodically got a chip-shot field goal to win the game. All five of their wins have come in game-winning fashion.