tribtoday
NASHVILLE, Tenn. — When safety Amani Hooker tried to recall the last time the Tennessee Titans won two games in a row, he struggled to pinpoint the exact moment. The answer stretches back to November 2022, when the franchise defeated Denver and then won at Green Bay just four days later. Since that fleeting streak, the Titans have managed only 13 victories against 51 losses while cycling through multiple head coaches and general managers.
Now, after securing a 26-20 road win at Indianapolis last week, Tennessee (1-5) returns home to face the surprisingly formidable Cleveland Browns (4-2) on Sunday. The opportunity to finally string together consecutive victories is not lost on the players.
"It's definitely a huge opportunity," Hooker said. "I know guys got that feeling in the locker room of what it feels like because it's a contagious feeling that you want to do again, and we plan on doing that this week."
Both franchises overhauled their coaching staffs during the offseason, creating parallel storylines. Robert Saleh earned his first win with a Tennessee roster that has relied heavily on youth—players in their first or second seasons have combined for 36 starts. Cleveland's Todd Monken has leaned on 45 such players, the second-highest total in the NFL behind only Miami (53). Despite that inexperience, Monken has the Browns tied atop the AFC North thanks to a tiebreaker and a 13-10 victory over Baltimore last week.
Monken brushed aside any suggestion that the Titans might draw motivation from their recent history of struggles. Having experienced the challenges of instilling a culture and developing young talent as a new staff, he understands the process. Instead, Monken pointed to Saleh's success last week—a win powered by six sacks, a blocked punt returned for a touchdown, and a significant punt return.
"I just look at the players and the coaches and they've got a tremendous coaching staff, not only at the coordinator level, but on down and a really good young roster that's just going to continue to get better," Monken said.
The Browns' biggest advantage under Monken has been the resurgence of quarterback Deshaun Watson, who is performing closer to the level Cleveland envisioned when it traded for him in 2022. Watson has thrown for 1,174 yards with seven touchdowns and just two interceptions, adding four game-winning drives this season.
Saleh, meanwhile, is developing rookie quarterback Cam Ward, the No. 1 overall pick in the 2025 draft. Tennessee's offense ranks last in the NFL in yards per game and passing yards per game, and is tied for 31st at 14 points per contest. That inefficiency has forced the Titans to lean on a defense anchored by All-Pro defensive tackle Jeffery Simmons. Watson, who has been sacked an NFL-high 24 times, remembers well the challenge of facing Simmons during his time with Houston.
"He's a very, very game-wrecker and he makes that defense go," Watson said. "So we definitely got to make sure we watch out for him and just make sure that we control him as much as possible and get the ball up."
Key Analysis
The matchup between Ward and Cleveland's defensive front looms large. Ward has been sacked only 10 times this season but has thrown for just 998 yards with four touchdowns and four interceptions. The Browns rank second in the NFL with 19 sacks, generated by 11 different players. Meanwhile, Watson enters with 69 consecutive pass attempts without an interception over three games, and Cleveland's defense has not allowed a 300-yard passer in 51 straight games—the NFL's longest active streak. The Titans' defense, which produced three takeaways, six sacks, and a blocked punt last week, will need a similar disruptive effort to contain Watson and keep the game within reach.
- Need to know: Cleveland (4-2) at Tennessee (1-5), Sunday, 1 p.m. EDT, CBS. Latest odds: Browns by 1½. Against the spread: Browns 4-2, Titans 3-3.
- Last game: Browns beat Ravens 13-10; Titans beat Colts 26-20.
- Last meeting: Titans beat Browns 31-29 on Dec. 7, 2025, in Cleveland. Series record: Browns lead 37-33.
- Stats and stuff: Browns LB Quincy Williams has forced three fumbles, tied for the NFL lead entering Week 7. Browns WR Denzel Boston leads all NFL rookies with 345 receiving yards, while Titans WR Carnell Tate ranks second with 344 and leads rookies with 29 receptions. The Titans scored 26 second-half points last week, their most in a game this season and most in a second half since scoring 28 against Cleveland on Dec. 6, 2020. Tennessee did not allow a sack last week, its second such game this season.
Originally reported by tribtoday.