Most good teams develop a signature style. Some bury opponents early, while others wear them down and pull away late. The Browns have built theirs around tight games that come down to the final minutes, and that style has carried them to the top of the AFC North. One national analyst expects more of the same this weekend.
Pete Prisco of CBS Sports picked the Browns to beat the Tennessee Titans 17-16 on Sunday.
“The Browns are 4-2 after beating Baltimore last week, while the Titans beat the Colts last week. Neither team is doing much on offense, which suggests this will be a low-scoring game. I think the Browns have a better defense, which will be the difference. They win it again on a late field goal,” Prisco wrote.
The prediction fits everything the Browns have done this season. All 4 of their wins came by 4 points or fewer, and Andre Szmyt decided 2 of them with field goals in the final seconds: a 56-yarder with 10 seconds left against the Pittsburgh Steelers and a 37-yarder as time expired against the Baltimore Ravens.
Prisco’s point about the offenses is backed up by the numbers. The Browns have scored 106 points in 6 games, an average of less than 18 per game. Tennessee has been even worse, with just 84 points, and it has been held to 10 or fewer 3 times.
The Titans finally won on Sunday, beating the Indianapolis Colts 26-20. Even then, Cam Ward threw for just 102 yards, and the Colts helped with 3 turnovers. Tony Pollard has been the focus of Tennessee’s offense, but he is averaging only 4.0 yards per carry.
That should play into Cleveland’s hands. Mike Rutenberg’s defense ranks 2nd in the NFL with 19 sacks, and it has gone 51 straight games without allowing a 300-yard passer. It held Baltimore scoreless over the final 3 quarters last week despite missing several key players.
Health is the biggest variable. Carson Schwesinger and Grant Delpit did not practice Wednesday, and Mason Graham and Quinshon Judkins were limited. Center Elgton Jenkins also missed practice with a knee injury, which could leave Deshaun Watson behind another reshuffled line.
The setting is another factor. The Browns are 3-0 at home but 1-2 on the road, and Sunday begins a 2-week road trip that ends in Pittsburgh. Oddsmakers still have them as 1.5-point favorites, a rare spot for a team that entered the season with some of the lowest expectations in the league.
If Prisco is right, Watson will get another chance to add to his NFL-leading total of 4 game-winning drives. Browns fans would welcome a more comfortable afternoon, but this team has made a habit of winning the hard way, and few people expect that to change on Sunday.
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