The Cleveland Browns enter Sunday’s Week 7 trip to the Tennessee Titans at 4-2 and atop the AFC North, but Locked On Browns host Doug Durocher argued that status does not give them license to treat a 1-5 opponent as an easy out. Cleveland opens a three-game road stretch in Nashville on Oct. 25 before visits to the Pittsburgh Steelers and New Orleans Saints.
Durocher rejected the idea that Tennessee could be a trap game, saying the Browns have not done enough to look past anyone. His standard was simple: “This is a game the Browns should win.” A victory would move Cleveland to 5-2, while a loss would undercut the progress it made by beating the Baltimore Ravens 13-10 in Week 6.
The most obvious reason for caution is Tennessee Titans running back Tony Pollard. Pollard ran for 161 yards and two touchdowns in the Titans’ 31-29 win at Cleveland last December, a performance that made the Browns’ run defense the deciding issue in the rematch. Durocher also pointed to Tennessee’s ability to produce momentum plays after the Titans erased a 13-point halftime deficit to beat the Indianapolis Colts 26-20 last week.
Tennessee Titans defensive tackle Jeffery Simmons presents the central problem for Cleveland’s rebuilt interior offensive line. Simmons has four sacks and six tackles for loss through six games, and the Browns have spent the week preparing for his movement across the front. Tennessee rookie wide receiver Carnell Tate has also emerged as a steady option, with 29 catches for 344 yards and one touchdown through six games.
The Titans’ win over Indianapolis also came with a blocked-punt touchdown, a 58-yard punt return and four field goals. Those plays give Cleveland another reason to avoid the sluggish starts Durocher referenced, particularly before a road run that includes a division game in Pittsburgh and a trip to New Orleans.
Cleveland does not need a statement win in Nashville. It needs to protect the football, win the special teams battle and leave Tennessee in first place in the AFC North.
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