The Tennessee Titans Embarrassed at Home in Week 7
The Titans followed up their Week 6 win in the most Titans way possible, losing to a young Cleveland Browns offensive unit.
A Fast Start
It seemed that everything that could go right was happening in the first quarter of the Titans-Browns game this past Sunday. Some impressive rushing from Tony Pollard, combined with an interception from Cor’Dale Flott, put the Titans up 14–0 in the first quarter. It was at that point Titans fans across the state experienced something they don’t often get the luxury of feeling: hope.
The stadium may have been a majority of Cleveland Browns fans, but those who were there were on their feet and cheering for a team they hadn’t seen score that many points in the first quarter since the last time the Titans played the Browns on December 7, 2025.
The Turning Point
That’s when everything went bad.
The Titans were set to go up 21–0 in the first half of Sunday’s game, but after three failed attempts at a goal line touchdown, the Titans turned the ball over to the Browns, who then marched down the field and scored their first touchdown of the game, making it 14–7.
Looking at each phase, there weren’t many positives after the first quarter.
Offense
Offensively, Cam Ward threw some solid passes that weren’t caught, but he also missed receivers that were wide open, including a seam pass to Bellinger that would have been for six in the end zone.
The one bright spot for the entire team in this Week 7 loss was none other than running back Tony Pollard, who had 100+ rushing yards and three touchdowns on the day.
While Carnell Tate did make some impressive catches, we also experienced another costly fumble from the rookie at one of the worst moments it could’ve happened in the game.
We finally saw Gunnar Helm get open for a couple of catches, but other than that, the receiving corps didn’t have much of a spark to show.
Defense
One of the biggest letdowns in Sunday’s loss was the overall defensive play for the entire game. The Titans came out strong and made multiple scores, but then what should be a top-five run defense on paper allowed Judkins to run all over them, as well as having a young wide receiver in KC Concepcion absolutely shredding the secondary.
Special Teams
There wasn’t much at all from the special teams in Week 7. Nothing negative really happened, and there weren’t any big returns or blocked punts like in Week 6. I guess fans could have seen a worse performance, so there’s nothing to really complain about there.
The Final Drive
At the end of the day, the offense did just enough to keep the Titans in the game, but with less than a minute left in the game, the defense allowed the Cleveland Browns to move the chains down the field and secure a field goal with three seconds left. While I’m not a fan of the amount of RPOs and screens that were called by Brian Daboll on Sunday, the defense completely let this team down.
Where’s the Pass Rush?
Sure, the Titans have an All-Pro in Jeffery Simmons, but the amount of investment that was made on the defensive side of the ball during the offseason should warrant the Titans being able to bring pressure on the quarterback. During Sunday’s game, the Titans had one sack for no loss of yards. Yes, the secondary may be struggling with the lack of depth and experience on the roster, but I feel like the Titans should own the box against any team in the NFL and be able to stop the run.