+9
There was little the Cleveland Browns could do correctly in the third quarter against the Tennessee Titans.
After a three-and-out drive, quarterback Colt McCoy threw an interception on the team’s second possession of the quarter. It was returned by defensive back Jordan Babineaux 100 yards for a touchdown.
The score helped put the Titans up 31-6 at the end of the third quarter. Tennessee scored on a 39-yard field goal by Rod Bironas earlier in the quarter.
Browns running back Peyton Hillis was on the sidelines through the most of the quarter with second-year running back Montario Hardesty getting more playing time. When Hillis ws given the ball, he has been productive.
The Browns have the ball and are driving. A 25-point difference may be too much make up, however.
Tennessee has only thrown the ball 12 times, but veteran quarterback Matt Hasselbeck is making them count.
In an effort to stop Chris Johnson and the Tennessee Titans’ running game, the Browns have stacked the box leaving the defensive backs in single coverage. The result is a 21-6 lead for the Titans at halftime. Hasselbeck has completed eight of 12 passes for 194 yards and three touchdowns.
Hasselbeck has completed a 12-yard touchdown to tight end Craig Stevens, an 80-yard touchdown to tight end Jared Cook and a four-yard touchdown to wide receiver Damian Williams.
For much of the second quarter the Browns failed to move the ball. The team failed to convert a 4th-and-1 on a quick toss run to undrafted rookie Armond Smith. Running back Peyton Hillis was lined up at fullback on the play.
Hillis has only eight carries in the first half for 37 yards. After missing last week because of an illness, Hillis has split time today with backup Montario Hardesty, who has six carries for 20 yards.
Browns quarterback Colt McCoy is 13 of 20 passing for 137 yards. He's completed passes to nine different receivers.
The Titans will get the ball to start the second half.
For the first time this season, the Browns and Titans scored points in the first quarter. The Titans just happened to score more of them, leading 7-3 after a quarter.
Titans quarterback Matt Hasselbeck threw a 12-yard touchdown pass to tight end Craig Stevens with Browns safety T.J. Ward in coverage. It was Tennessee’s second drive of the game, and highlighted by a 25-yard running play by Chris Johnson on the first play of the drive.
Browns kicker Phil Dawson made a 48-yard field goal in the wind to give Cleveland an early 3-0 lead in the previous possession.
The Browns are driving, though, in their third possession of the game. Running back Montario Hardesty is playing this series in place of starter Peyton Hillis.
The Cleveland Browns have announced that special teams ace Josh Cribbs and offensive tackle Tony Pashos are active for today’s game against the Tennessee Titans.
Cribbs was limited in practice this week with a lingering groin injury. Despite the injury, Cribbs caught a 31-yard touchdown pass against the Miami Dolphins last week, his first of the season.
Pashos is expected to start at right tackle after missing the first three games of the season with an ankle injury. As Nate Ulrich of the Akron Beacon Journal points out, this is Pashos' first game since Oct. 17, 2010.
Inactive for the Browns today is quarterback Thaddeus Lewis, wide receiver Carlton Mitchell, safety Eric Hagg, offensive linemen Steve Vallos and Oniel Cousins and tight end Jordan Cameron.
Having spent more than a couple of years living in Tennessee -- dead in the heart of Vols' country and quite a way from Nashville, but even so, in an area that paid attention to the Titans when they weren't following the Falcons or the Panthers -- I thought it might be good to look at the preview for today's game from the perspective of 'The Tennessean' in Nashville.
Jim Wyatt, one of the paper's writers, gives a slight edge to the Browns (as do the odds-makers) and sees the biggest intangible as the home crowd at Cleveland Browns Stadium.
Wyatt compiles this look at some numbers for today:
Two of three writers take the Titans to win today, one by a score of 24-17, and another by a score of 20-16, while John Glennon picks the Browns to prevail 17-13.
Hope you're right John!
The website is worth a look, and I am inclined from this point forward to give you a link to the "enemy camp's" preview every week, so we can all step outside the bubble of Browns' fandom to see how others truly see the games to come.
Go Browns!
Tennessee Titans starting outside linebacker Gerald McRath is inactive for today’s game against the Cleveland Browns.
Also inactive for the Titans today is quarterback Rusty Smith, defensive lineman Malcolm Sheppard and Zach Clayton,, cornerback Chris Hawkins, offensive linemen Byron Stingily and Kevin Matthews.
McRath missed the entire week of practice after suffering a knee injury against the Denver Broncos last week.
Coming into today’s game Titans safety Chris Hope is being considered probable to play. Hope missed the past two games due to a dislocated shoulder.
As the Browns get ready to face the Tennessee Titans on Sunday at Cleveland Browns Stadium, there are four players who are listed as "questionable" for the Browns who are definitely causes of concern.
As outlined in this story on Brownsgab.com, wide receiver Josh Cribbs, wide receiver Mohamed Massaquoi, left tackle Joe Thomas and cornerback Sheldon Brown are all questionable for tomorrow's contest.
Cribbs has groin issues while Massaquoi has trouble with an ankle. Thomas (who has started every game in his four-year career) has been hampered by a knee this week, and Brown (who has a streak of 147 straight games in jeopardy) is also hampered by groin issues.
Also questionable for Cleveland are linebacker Titus Brown (ankle) and defensive back Eric Hagg (knee).
The good news on the report is that Peyton Hillis should be ready to go after missing last week's game against Miami with strep throat. Linebacker Chris Gocong and wide receiver Carlton Mitchell should also be good to go.
Also, offensive lineman Tony Pashos will be looking to make his first start of the season on Sunday.
For Tennessee, safety Chris Hope is probable with a shoulder, and linebacker Gerald McRath (knee) is doubtful.
Oddsmakers expect the game Sunday between the Cleveland Browns and Tennessee Titans to be the lowest scoring game of the week.
According to OddsShark.com the point total is at an over/under of 38 on BetOnline and topBet. In Week 3, eight of the 16 NFL games finished at 37 points or less.
The Browns are listed as a two-point favorite over the visiting Titans. Both teams have gotten off to strong starts at 2-1. The Titans beat the Broncos 17-14 on Sunday, despite getting just 21 yards rushing on 13 carries from star running back Chris Johnson.
Tennessee's seventh-rated passing game took a hit when top wide receiver Kenny Britt was lost for the season with a torn ACL and MCL.
Tennessee is averaging 19 points per game on the season and Cleveland is averaging 20.3. On defense, Tennessee leads the league in fewest yards allowed and is second in points allowed.
The game airs at 1 p.m. EST on CBS and DirecTV channel 705.
Two teams with matching 2-1 records will collide this Sunday at Cleveland Browns Stadium at 1:00 p.m. when the Browns take on the AFC South's Tennessee Titans.
As the Browns are tied for first place in the North, so are the Titans tied for the top spot in the South with the Houston Texans, a game up on the Jacksonville Jaguars and two games ahead of the Indianapolis Colts.
After losing their opener to the Jaguars 16-14, Tennessee has come back to beat the Baltimore Ravens 26-13 and the Denver Broncos 17-14, with both of the wins coming in Nashville.
The Titans rank 19th in the NFL with their 19 points per game, while Tennessee is 17th with 352 yards per contest. The Titans are last in the league in rushing at 51.7 yards per game on the ground, while their 300 yards a game passing is good for seventh place.
Tennessee sends out quarterback Matt Hasselbeck, who has completed nearly 70% of his passes this season, going 78-of-112 for 932 yards. Hasselbeck has fired five TD passes and has been picked twice.
Chris Johnson is the leading rusher, but has yet to accumulate 100 yards on the ground, carrying 46 times for 98 yards, an average of only 2.1 yards per rush.
Nate Washington leads in receptions with 21 for 258 yards and a TD, but second-leading receiver Kenny Britt is out for the season after hauling in 17 passes and three TDs through the first three contests. Britt tore the ACL in his right knee in Sunday's win over the Broncos and requires surgery.
The Titans have signed former St. Louis Ram Donnie Avery to try to fill the void left by Britt's absence.
Tennessee plays every team in the North this season. Besides their already-played game vs. the Ravens and this week's contest against the Browns, the Titans travel to Pittsburgh next Sunday, then host the Bengals on November 6 in Nashville.
The Browns last met the Titans in 2008, when Tennessee won at home 28-9. In the all-time series, which includes the years that the Titans were the Houston Oilers, Cleveland leads 33-28.
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Tennessee Titans dominate Cleveland Browns, win 31-13
Little went right for the Cleveland Browns against the Tennessee Titans in a 31-13 loss on Sunday.
Browns quarterback Colt McCoy was 40 of 61 for 350 yards passing, but that was part of the problem. The Browns trailed much of the game forcing McCoy to throw the ball so much. As a result, running back Peyton Hillis only had 10 carries for 46 yards.
Veteran quarterback Matt Hasselbeck put the Titans ahead 21-6 at halftime with three touchdown passes. When the Browns tried to move the ball in the third quarter, it led to the play that put the game out of hand. The Browns were driving deep in Titans territory and McCoy threw an interception that was returned 100 yards for a touchdown.
The stat line shows that McCoy only had one interception, but he should had more as the Titans dropped three bad passes by the Browns quarterback. The Titans weren’t the only ones dropping passes in the game.
Cleveland gave second-year running back Montario Hardesty almost an equal amount of playing time with Hillis and he dropped four easy catches.
The Titans ran the ball with Chris Johnson much of the second half to run the clock down. On the game, Johnson finished with 23 carries for 101 yards.
The 40 completions by McCoy are a new Browns record.
Stay tuned to SB Nation Cleveland more thoughts and analysis on the game.
Oct 02 3:16p by Dan Kadar