After three closely-fought games, the Cleveland Browns had Week 4 off on bye, which allowed Ben Tate to rest his injured knee in time for a possible appearance this week. In the meantime, the Tennessee Titans are coming off a disappointing 41-17 blowout loss against the Indianapolis Colts.
Looking for more football action? Check out our Monday Night Football preview between the defending Super Bowl champion Seattle Seahawks and the Washington Redskins or our complete picks and predictions for Week 5 of the 2014 NFL season.
[sc:Football ]Cleveland Browns vs. Tennessee Titans Preview
Where: LP Field, Tennessee
When: Sunday, October 5, 1:00 PM ET
Line: Cleveland Browns (+1) at Tennessee Titans (-1); total 44.5 – view all NFL lines
Betting on the Cleveland Browns
With veteran running back Ben Tate looking likely to return from a knee sprain, the Browns have the enviable problem of three men who are running well in their backfield. It’s a problem they’re happy to have.
[sc:NFL240banner ]If the Browns have Tate back as the starter, it’ll mean either Terrance West or Isaiah Crowell will see less touches against Tennessee. West, a third round draft pick, has played exceptionally well for the Browns. He leads the team with 204 rushing yards and two touchdowns. Meanwhile, undrafted rookie addition Crowell has been a pleasant surprise, averaging 5.2 yards per carry with three touchdowns.
Any of the three running backs looks capable of finding running space against Tennessee’s run defense, which has allowed 127 yards per game.
The Browns will need a solid performance on the ground to help pace an offense that could struggle to throw the ball against the league’s eighth-best pass defense (225.8 yards per game). Cleveland quarterback Brian Hoyer is averaging 238.67 yards and a touchdown per game, and perhaps more importantly has yet to throw a pick.
All that said, the Browns issue this season hasn’t been offense, it’s that their defense can’t get stops, allowing 26.7 points and 425.7 total yards per game (third-worst in the league).
The Cleveland Browns are 2-0-1 ATS this season. They are 3-9 straight up following a loss since 2013.
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Betting on the Tennessee Titans
The Tennessee Titans didn’t have too much going for them in the past two weeks as they were outscored 74-24 by Cincinnati and Indianapolis combined. They are now in quite a slump with identical 0-3 straight up and ATS records in their last three games.
The Titans are bottom in third down efficiency, converting at a 26 percent clip. Yet, they may have an upswing on their third down conversions against the Browns’ defense which allows 40.5 percent conversions on third down.
Tight end Delanie Walker has been the most impressive Titan to date this season. He leads the team with 22 receptions for 317 yards and three scores. Walker would be having an even better season if not for inconsistent play of his quarterbacks.
Starting quarterback Jake Locker is questionable to start with a right wrist injury. Even if he does against Cleveland, he didn’t inspire much confidence in his last game. He completed only 50 percent of his passes for 185 yards and two interceptions against Cincinnati on September 21. Meanwhile, backup QB Charlie Whitehurst threw an interception and fumbled against Indianapolis last week, but he did manage to throw a touchdown pass to Walker.
With the Tennessee’s passing game struggling, their running game will be a big key against the Browns. The Titans rank fifth in the NFL with 5.03 yards per rush, but they’ve stayed away from running the ball with only 95 rush attempts thus far in the season (20th in the league).
If the Titans utilize their running game often and early in the game, their pair of running backs Shonn Greene (154 yards and a touchdown on 33 carries) and Bishop Sankey (123 yards and a touchdown on 24 carries) could exploit Cleveland’s defense which allows 153.7 rushing yards per game.
On the other side of the ball, the Titans have a decent pass rush with at least two sacks per game. Leading Tennessee in that regard is defensive end Jurrell Casey who twice beat the Cowboys’ talented offensive line for a pair of sacks against Tony Romo. He’ll be going up against a Browns O-line which has allowed 1.33 sacks per game so far in the season.
The total has gone under in three of the Titans’ four games this season.
Writer’s Prediction
The Browns (+1) win as their rushing offense will be too much for Tennessee. However, their defensive lapses ensure the Titans will be in the game until the end.
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