Cleveland Browns have a lot to learn after narrow win over Titans

The Cleveland Browns beat the Titans but showed there’s a lot left to learn.

Last season in Week 1, the Cleveland Browns were a team that was picked to be a contender only to be humbled 43-13 by the eventual AFC runner-up Tennessee Titans. This time around in Week 13 of 2020, in the Music City, Cleveland enacted revenge and made a statement with a narrow 41-35 win that moved them to 9-3 on the season.

Despite a Titans’ second-half comeback, Baker Mayfield‘s four touchdown passes in the first half was the first time that’s happened in Cleveland since Hall of Famer Otto Graham. And 38 first-half points, a Browns record, managed to be enough. Though the running game was still as top-notch as it was, a large portion of credit must be placed on the shoulder of rookie head coach Kevin Stefanski.

Defensively, to contain an elite running back the likes of Derrick Henry while forcing Tennessee to depend largely on the pass is a far cry from what the Browns of the past have done as they are used to playing from behind.

Largely this season, the Browns have been criticized for their schedule, but they have made the most of what they have. Thus, they are 9-3 for the first time since 1994 and have clinched a winning record for the first time in more than a decade.

The Cleveland Browns stumbled in the second half but deserve their credit.

What happened in the second half with the Titans resurgence is usually a cause for concern but inspired football is part of the game. More importantly, that comeback attempt teaches the Browns a lesson that the foot must never be taken off the gas. This is a young team and this game should serve as a note.

Furthermore, Stefanski is still a rookie and this game is a reminder that nothing is certain. With the way Tennessee came back, it is fair to give coach Mike Vrabel his credit as the Titans are likely to still make a case for the postseason. Meanwhile in Cleveland, they know that they let up and that kind of effort is enough to derail even the strongest teams in the postseason.

The Browns did enough good in the first half to avoid a meltdown and they should still be considered a contender for postseason success. Whether or not they make a run is up to them. One factor remains clear, what happened in the second half on Sunday cannot occur again if they wish to prove this season isn’t a residue of favorable scheduling.