Baker Mayfield the former number one pick puts the offence on his shoulders and throws for four touchdowns in the first half to put the Browns out of reach and up to 9-3 on the season. The Titans had eight first downs in the first half. The Browns had two and a half times that with 21.
A lot of questions were surrounding Baker Mayfield before the game began with some stating the third-year quarterback solely relied on his running backs to win games. Mayfield silenced those critics today with a final stat sheet of 334 yards, four touchdowns, and only eight incompletions.
The Browns almost threw it away in the fourth quarter with a fumble by Mayfield giving the Titans fourteen points in 55 seconds. The Browns, however, keep their perfect record of one-score games and improve it to six wins and zero losses.
All Browns as Tennessee stutter.
A false start penalty and a sloppy dropped pass costs Baker Mayfield and the Browns six points as they lead the opening drive of 66 yards and eight plays. Browns settle for a field goal instead.
The Titans take over and go down the field with Ryan Tannehill having the biggest play to his receiver Corey Davis for 18 yards. The Browns do well to stuff Henry at fourth and one to force a turn over on downs.
The Browns have a drive of four rushing attempts and five passing for 59 yards to build on their lead to make it 10-0 early. A memorable drive for sure with a contested touchdown and a trick play with Jarvis Landry playing quarterback firing a ball to Mayfield. Landry secured his second touchdown on the season as Mayfield fired a bolt to the veteran wide receiver in the RedZone.
The Titans lose the football as the unthinkable happens Derrick Henry fumbles the ball. Browns defensive end Sheldon Richardson forcing the fumble and the Browns take advantage of the turnover moving onto the one-yard line as the quarter ends.
End of first Quarter Cleveland Browns 10-0 Tennessee Titans
Mayfield shows his class.
With the first play of the second quarter, Mayfield throws a one-yard touchdown to an extra offensive lineman Kendall Lamm. Moving the Browns ahead by three scores.
The Titans fire straight back with a four-play drive of 74 yards to throw a touchdown to Corey Davis, third touchdown of the season for Davis. But that is the last they achieve in the second quarter.
Mayfield then says anything you can do I can do better with a 75-yard throw to Donavon Peoples-Jones to add another notch in Brown's camp. All of this happened within two minutes of the second quarter.
Titans go three and out and the Browns get the ball back.
Mayfield once again proves he can lead an offence and puts together an elven play and 90-yard drive for Mayfield to throw his fourth touchdown of the day to Rashard Higgins. Higgins is Mayfield's eleventh receiving target of the game so far.
The Titans lose a yard and punt again. So Mayfield gets his orders and throws thirty yards in two plays to two different receivers. Mayfield keeps on throwing and occasionally handing it off to his running backs, as Nick Chubb caps off the tremendous nine-play drive by diving into the endzone to extend the lead further. This is the most points in the first half of a game in Brown's franchise history.
Half time Cleveland Browns 38-7 Tennessee Titans
The Titans score 14 points, but it is too little too late.
The Titans start the third quarter with a three-play minute eight-second drive to score a touchdown to Mycole Pruitt. The two-point conversion was a failure.
The Browns punt for the first time all game as a holding penalty takes Mayfield to a third and eighteen.
The Titans come straight back down the field with a six-play drive concluding in a fumble on the goal line and Pruitt picking up the loose ball and scoring his second touchdown of the quarter. Tannehill runs in for the two points. Fourteen points in six minutes for Tennessee.
The Browns finally get moving as Chubb gets free and runs for 29 yards the longest run by any running back today, but the Browns cannot convert on third down, it is only the third time they have failed to do so. A field goal is settled for.
The Titans have a long penalty-filled drive of eleven plays and five minutes. As the Browns had a turnover and fourth down overturned by penalties. The downside for Tennessee is the drive took almost all of the time out of the third quarter. The plus side for the Browns is that Titans receiver Adam Humpries cannot secure the ball and the Browns pick it up and see out the quarter with possession of the football.
Third-quarter Cleveland Browns 41-21 Tennessee Titans
The Browns almost choke
Following the interception, the Browns cannot do anything and punt it back to the Titans who receive a weekly Myles Garrett sack and punt again.
The Browns penalties starting to pile up as it hits eleven on the day sets up a first and twenty Kareem Hunt finds a way to get through as the Browns showcase the double backfield talent they possess. Chubb and Hunt take all of the carries on the possession which enables the clock to wind right down. The Browns only go 24 yards but take six minutes to do so.
Leaving the Titans five minutes of garbage time. Which gives the Titans one drive and a touchdown for Jeremy McNichols. The Browns get the ball back and need a first down to win the game but on fourth and one Mayfield fumbles the ball and allows Kenny Vaccaro to pick and run the ball 53 yards. Tannehill throws a touchdown on his fifth attempt, and Cameron Batson secures a garbage-time touchdown fourteen points in 55 seconds. The onside kick goes to the Browns and leaves the final score 41-35. The Browns almost threw it away.
The Titans have a solid chance at a bounce-back game by playing the Jacksonville Jaguars.
Whereas the Browns have to face the Baltimore Ravens but with the knowledge that a victory means a playoff place.