Tennessee’s 2015 NFL campaign is off to a rousing start after it destroyed Tampa Bay by 28 points in its opening match on Sunday. The Titans will look to build on that huge victory when they take on the Cleveland Browns in an intriguing matchup this coming Sunday.
Who will emerge victorious in this Week 2 clash? Read on below for a preview of this much-anticipated NFL showdown and while you’re at it, you can check out our previews of Green Bay vs. Seattle and New England vs. Buffalo.
[sc:Football ]Tennessee Titans vs. Cleveland Browns Preview
Where: FirstEnergy Stadium, Cleveland, Ohio
When: Sunday, September 20, 1:00 PM ET
Line: Tennessee Titans (+2) at Cleveland Browns (-2); total: 41.5 – view all NFL lines
TV Broadcast: CBS
Betting on the Tennessee Titans
How about that for a start? Tennessee’s season is off to a flyer after the Titans hammered the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, 42-14, in their opening game on Sunday. It was an incredible victory for the Titans who easily surpassed their highest scoring total of 28 points from last season.
[sc:NFL240banner ]Marcus Mariota dazzled in his professional debut, completing 13 of 16 passes for 209 yards and four touchdowns against the Bucs. Mariota became the first quarterback to throw four touchdown passes in the first half in his first NFL game. He joined Hall of Famer Fran Tarkenton as the only players to throw four or more touchdown passes in their very first NFL appearance. Tarkenton did it for Minnesota against Chicago back on September 17, 1961.
Mariota finished the game with a perfect 158.3 quarterback rating. He is the first player in NFL history to throw two touchdown passes in the first quarter of his NFL debut, according to the Elias Sports Bureau. He totally outperformed Buccaneers quarterback Jameis Winston in a battle of Heisman Trophy winners. Winston completed just 16 of 33 passes for 210 yards and two touchdowns and was sacked four times by the Titans.
Mariota will look to build on that solid start this coming Sunday when he and the rest of the Titans travel to Cleveland to face the winless Browns. That being said, Mariota will have his work cut out for him against a Cleveland defense that allowed just 179 passing yards in the Browns’ season-opening loss to the New York Jets. That’s the fifth-best mark in the NFL thus far this campaign.
The Titans are 3-7 SU and 3-6-1 ATS in their last 10 road games.
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Betting on the Cleveland Browns
The Cleveland Browns’ Week 1 woes continued on Sunday with a gut-wrenching 31-10 loss to the New York Jets. The Browns simply had no answer for Jets’ running back Chris Ivory who ran for 91 yards and two scores. With the loss, the Browns are now 1-16 in Week 1 games since their expansion return back in 1999. The Browns have now lost their last 11 season-openers.
They will look to get their season back on track when they host the Tennessee Titans in a critical Week 2 clash at FirstEnergy Stadium this coming Sunday. It will be interesting to find out, though, which Browns’ quarterback will start in this game against the Titans. Josh McCown suffered a concussion late in the first quarter against the Jets and is a major doubt for Cleveland’s Week 2 clash with Tennessee.
That being the case, the onus is on Johnny Manziel to deliver a big-time performance for the Browns this coming Sunday. He completed 13 of 24 passes for 182 yards against the Jets, including a 54-yard touchdown to Travis Benjamin. Manziel also led the Browns with 35 yards rushing on five carries. He will need to do a much better job, though, of protecting the football if they are to record their first win against Tennessee.
He committed three costly turnovers in the second half that helped seal the Browns’ fate against the Jets. He was picked off by Marcus Williams on a pass intended for Brian Hartline on his opening drive of the third quarter and went on to fumble twice as well. His three miscues were among the five giveaways by the Browns, who lost the turnover battle to New York, 5-1.
The Browns are 4-6 SU and ATS in their last 10 home games.
Writer’s Prediction
Cleveland (-2) wins, 21-17.
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