The Browns take on the Tennessee Titans in their season opener this Sunday. Considering Tennessee stole its franchise from Houston, the Browns are taking it upon themselves to enact revenge several decades later.*
*Tennessee may or may not have stolen its franchise from Houston.
You may be wondering why the Browns will beat the Titans and it really boils down to one thing – because Stone Cold said so. Really, though, the Browns are the favorites and it’s warranted. Here we will take a look at three (of the many) reasons the Browns will emerge as the victors come Sunday:
Taylor Lewan’s suspension creates chaos
The Titans received some bad news when starting tackle Taylor Lewan was suspended for the first four games by the NFL for violating the substance abuse policy. Lewan is the anchor of that offensive line and his loss hurts. Meanwhile, the Browns retooled their defensive line and turned it into a terrifying monster. The group could be one of, if not the best DL groups in the league. Myles Garrett would often draw double teams last year, but if that happens this year, that opens up holes for newcomers Sheldon Richardson and Olivier Vernon to exploit.
The Titans are in a no-win situation here and the loss of Lewan could be devastating. If Titans head coach Mike Vrabel wants to protect his QB, you could see a lot of run plays from the Titans, especially on passing downs. With little time to throw, Cleveland should have very few issues with the Titans offense.
Nick Chubb is going to have a strong debut
The main focus on Cleveland’s new offense has been the addition of Odell Beckham Jr. The idea of an up and coming QB like Baker Mayfield getting an elite receiver is the stuff OCs dream about. Aside from Beckham, the Browns have a litany of weapons for Mayfield to throw the ball to. The addition of Todd Monken to help orchestrate the attack should have everyone fearing this upcoming air raid.
Believe it or not, these storylines have appeared to overshadow second-year running back Nick Chubb. Chubb is a quiet guy, so it really seems to be more of his M.O. to stay out of the spotlight. That changes when the game begins and as we all witnessed last year, Chubb is potentially an elite RB.
With all of this focus on the passing attack, you should expect Chubb to get some good work in. I would expect 10-15 carries and he should be getting a lot of yards if the Titans respect the passing attack as they should. Expect Chubb to find the end zone and don’t be surprised to see him to break the back of that defense if the Browns are put in short-yardage situations.
David Njoku shows up big in the red zone
It’s Year 3 for David Njoku and that’s when TEs really start to put everything together. We saw last year that his size and athleticism was tough to handle in the red zone. You should expect more of the same, especially for this game.
The Browns are going to want to test out their players and see what they’ve got. This is exactly what Njoku will do down in the red zone. If the Titans decide to cheat on it, then you can expect a RB to be open in the middle of the field or on a swing route.
Even if Njoku doesn’t put up stats in the red zone, his presence will matter and we will see how Mayfield tries to pick apart the defense when he gets down there. It’s an embarrassment of riches for the Browns offense and we will get to really see some tendencies and how the rest of the season could play out on Sunday.
Despite the Browns having all of the positive press, the hype, and being favored, they’re taking on a team led by Mike Vrabel. The best way to stop an offense is to not let them get on the field. Vrabel’s gameplan should be to chew up clock and see if they can outlast an aggressive offense while wearing down the Cleveland defense.
I don’t see it working out for them, but the Browns aren’t going to put up a ton of points in the debut.
Prediction: Browns 24, Titans 14
