Browns vs. Titans: Behind enemy lines for Week 13 game

The Tennessee Titans and Cleveland Browns will meet at Nissan Stadium on Sunday in Week 13 in what is an important game for both teams.

Like the Titans, the Browns sport an 8-3 record and have been on a roll of late. Cleveland has won its last three games and four of five overall, with its most recent victory coming against the Jacksonville Jaguars.

Another thing these teams have in common is their offensive approaches. The Browns also sport a run-first offense similar to the Titans’, except it’s spearheaded by the best running back duo in the NFL — Nick Chubb and Kareem Hunt.

The Browns sit in second place in the AFC North behind the Pittsburgh Steelers, but own the No. 5 seed in what is a crowded AFC playoff picture.

Should the Titans relinquish their AFC South lead down the stretch, these two teams could be jockeying for wild-card seeding against one another. If it comes down to a tiebreaker, the winner of this game would have the edge.

In the interest of getting a more in-depth look at the Titans’ Week 13 opponent, we met up with Jeff Risdon of Browns Wire to get a bit more information about the team he covers.

Aside from Jarvis Landry, which Browns receiver has stepped up in OBJ's absence?

(AP Photo/Gary McCullough)

Risdon: KhaDarel Hodge doesn’t get a lot of volume but he makes the most of it. He’s a bigger target and he’s reliable. All nine of his receptions have resulted in first downs. Hodge is also a phenomenal blocker. The Browns use tight ends quite a bit. Rookie Harrison Bryant is coming off a bad game (one dropped TD, one lost fumble) but he’s been a very impressive receiver otherwise.

Has Baker Mayfield taken a step forward this season after a rough 2019 campaign?

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Risdon: He really has. It’s rare to see Mayfield force a throw or make a panicked read, and those were the primary problems in 2019. The decisions he’s making in the passing game are almost always the correct ones. That’s major progress. He also hasn’t thrown an interception since Week 7. All that is not to say Mayfield is great. He still misses some easy throws and when he misses it’s almost always too high. In each of the last two games, he’s botched would-be TD throws that your local high school’s JV QB can make.

Would you say former Titan and current Browns RT Jack Conklin has been worth the money?

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Risdon: To fully answer it, you’ve got to understand the context of where the Browns were at tackle. Chris Hubbard was the starter for the prior two seasons at right tackle and he was miserable – a bottom-five starter in the league in both seasons. And he was the better of the Browns’ tackle tandem with Greg Robinson on the other side. So even being average would represent a major upgrade. And Conklin has been better than average. He’s a good fit in the outside zone and his willingness to mix it up and play through the whistle has been a welcome addition too.

The Titans are sizable favorites for this game. Are the Browns not getting enough respect in general?

Ken Blaze-USA TODAY Sports

Risdon: There is some truth in that. From a Cleveland perspective, it seems like the Titans are worthy of the respect and a bad matchup for the Browns so I understand the line being what it is. The Browns barely beat the Jaguars with Mike Glennon playing quarterback for Jacksonville and some random guys off the street in the secondary. That doesn’t exactly engender confidence against a team like the Titans.

Name one under-the-radar player on each side of the ball who could make a major impact.

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Risdon: He’s probably on the radar now after Pro Football Focus keeps championing his play, but right guard Wyatt Teller has been a dominant presence in the run game. He’s a snowplow and he’s been great at engaging at the second level and sealing open creases for Kareem Hunt and Nick Chubb. On defense, Terrance Mitchell is playing pretty well at cornerback. He’ll be the No. 1 corner with Denzel Ward unfortunately out and that’s punching above his weight class, but Mitchell has held his own against quality receivers all season.

Who wins?

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Risdon: I said it on a radio show the other day: the Titans are probably the worst possible matchup for the Browns in terms of what Tennessee does well attacking where the Browns struggle, even more than Pittsburgh. Memories of last year’s blowout linger. The Browns are talented enough to keep it competitive, and Nick Chubb’s big-play ability on the ground is a dynamic I think will work against Tennessee. But the Titans will win unless they give it away to the Browns. Titans 30, Browns 24

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