Titans at Browns 9/8/19 – NFL Pick
The Titans are heading into this game to face the Browns in the Dog Pound, but will the Titans have a good chance of showing up? Well, that really comes into if the Titans team from the preseason wins shows up or if the team from the losses shows up. However, what else can hurt the Titans is if the Browns offense is able to pick up where it was at last year. The Browns have really turned into an upstart team with some great plays, but also the defense has stepped up their game to match the tempo the offense has brought to the field lately.
Tennessee Titans Preview
The Titans are coming into the game with a decent quarterback in Marcus Mariota. However, Mariota is a quarterback who has been fairly disappointing at times in his career. Last season he completed 68.9% of his passes, but ended up getting only 2,528 yards and 11 touchdowns, but also threw 8 picks. The Titans do have Delanie Walker at the tight end position and he could find himself being in the right place at the right time as an outlet. Derrick Henry is who will end up running the ball most of the time for the Titans and he had a 1,000 yard season last year and actually managed to pick up 4.9 yards a carry. He also found the end zone 12 times.
The Titans defense is more of a base 3-, but the team seems to do decent with that as long as Kenny Vaccaro stays healthy. Vaccaro is the strong safety for the Titans and he has really stepped up his game and became one of the leading stars for the defense. DaQuan Jones is the fireplug that has to middle at the nose guard position. However, Jones has the size to occupy at least one blocker at 6’4” and 322 pounds he could definitely become a force. The downside is he does not really rush the quarterback that well as he only 6 sacks in his career.
Cleveland Browns Preview
The Cleveland Browns looked really good as the season closed out last year and what could be very scary for the AFC North is the Browns added even more weapons to their lineup. The Browns have a healthy Baker Mayfield on the field this season. Last year he ended up completing 63.8% of the passes he threw for 3,725 yards and 27 touchdowns, but he did throw 14 picks. Nick Chubb was the leading running back for the Browns and is back healthy this season as well. Last year Chubb ended up getting 192 carries and only fell 4 yard short of a thousand yard rushing season, but still averaged 5.2 yards a game. One of the major threats for the Browns is the addition of Odell Beckham Jr. who has been a very impressive receiver in his career.
If the Browns have a weakness it has to be the defense. The Browns typically play a 4-3 defense and while the team does not have any big names, they tend to play as a team which helps them lock down some of the closer wins. Now, one player the Browns will come to rely on is Denzel Ward who is one of the better cornerbacks on the roster as a lock down corner, which is a plus for the Browns as the Titans offense is not that good of a passing team. Joe Schobert is the middle linebacker for the Browns and he will have a lot of responsibility as well, but last season he definitely lived up to the hype with 103 tackles and 3 sacks.
Titans vs Browns Line: Cleveland Browns -5.5 (ML -260) O/U 45.5
My FREE NFL Pick: Cleveland Browns -5.5
The Browns are playing in the dog pound, but also are a team that has a lot to prove. The Browns were able to play decent last year with Chubb and Mayfield both healthy and added even more offensive weapons to help the team this year. Now, what can hurt the Browns is the fact that the passing attack may end up slowed down some in this game. However, I personally do not see that being an issue as the Browns do have a decent back in Chubb. Look for the Browns to come into this game and have a better defensive showing in the game, but also have a better showing on the offensive side of the ball as the Cleveland Browns win and cover the spread. Final Score, Cleveland Browns win 24-10.
