Retour
A matchup with the Cleveland Browns doesn't mean what it used to. Todd Monken has come in as a first-year head coach and turned the franchise around, leading the Browns to a 4-2 record and the top spot in the AFC North. On the southern end of the conference, Robert Saleh and the Tennessee Titans are 1-5.
Not every rebuild is the same, and it's necessary to point out that Saleh came into one of the worst ongoing catastrophes in the NFL. Don't believe me? One streak tells the entire story - one streak that Saleh and the Titans have a chance to break in Week 7.
The Titans haven't won back-to-back football games since November of 2022. That's coming up on four years without two straight victories. That's an embarrassing figure that stretches back into the Mike Vrabel era, signifying that this franchise was long out of order before his departure.
Saleh may be 1-5, but putting a stopper in that negative history in year one is the best possible way he can set himself apart.
Nabbing a divisional win last week already went a long way for Saleh. Brian Callahan, in a season that saw him be let go six games in, failed to lead the Titans to a victory in the AFC South. Sure, that issue continued after he left, but it was Callahan's product.
Saleh has taken that product and ensured that the issue didn't become a streak with a win over the Indianapolis Colts in Week 6. Breaking one that stretches over three head coaches feels like the next step.
In the Browns, Tennessee will be tasked with stopping a surprisingly efficient, youth-fueled offense to do just that. If Saleh's defense can replicate their winning performance last week, we'd be in for another box checked.
The Browns haven't broken 13 points in two weeks, but the same offense hung 27 points on the Pittsburgh Steelers in a shot-for-shot win prior to that drought. Even scoring only 13, Cleveland took down the Baltimore Ravens last Sunday at home.
This is a well-rounded group with a high ceiling. But it's also a group that relies on rookies Denzel Boston and KC Concepcion to make plays. The Titans shut down an objectively better offense (ESPN metrics have the Colts' offense seven spots ahead of Cleveland) last week in Indy, and they'll have to apply the same pressure to find a win this week,
If Saleh's defensive line can come up with another six sacks, I can't imagine the result isn't close to, if not exactly the same. 2-5 isn't all that exciting, but back-to-back wins, as well as what would be the first home win of the season, is.
A rebuilding team takes what they can get, even if the rebuild is going on a half-decade now.