Browns 41, Titans 35: What We Learned

Derrick Henry and A.J. Brown are not perfect, and things in the NFL tend to balance out before long.

Their records and several notable statistics suggested that the Tennessee Titans and Cleveland Browns were evenly matched.

Yet it was a one-sided affair much of the time when they squared off Sunday at Nissan Stadium.

Cleveland (9-3) scored on its opening possession, never trailed and sent the Titans to a 41-35 loss that was not nearly as competitive as the final score suggests. The defeat dropped Tennessee (8-4) into a first-place tie in the AFC South, although it holds a tiebreaker advantage over Indianapolis based on a better division record.

Much is to be determined over the four remaining games on the schedule.

Yet here is what we learned about the Titans from this loss to the Browns:

• What goes around, comes around: Call it NFL karma. One week after the Titans jumped out to a 21-point halftime lead and cruised to a victory over the Colts, they trailed Cleveland by 31 at halftime (38-7) and had to endure a second half with no real opportunity to win, regardless of how close the score ultimately got.

Cleveland got a field goal in its first possession – only because wide receiver Donovan Peoples-Jones dropped what would have been a touchdown reception – and then scored touchdowns each of the next five times it got the ball.

Tennessee pointed to the fact that it scored touchdowns on four of its six second-half drives as a positive, but the reality of their situation was clear throughout.

“I do think that we're going to fight and we're going to compete,” coach Mike Vrabel said. “There are no moral victories. The charge is just to try to recreate leaving the locker room and how we played in the second half as opposed to how we approached and played the start of that game.”

• Derrick Henry is human: The NFL’s rushing leader at the start of the week managed just 60 yards on a season-low 15 carries. It was not his stat line that was revealing, though. Just when it seemed Henry could do no wrong, he came up small in some notable moments.

Nearly seven minutes into the contest, Henry was stopped on fourth-and-1, which ended the Titans’ first possession (Vrabel’s challenge of the spot did not produce a reversal). The next time the offense got the ball, Henry lost a fumble – his first fumble since last December. Plus, when the Titans got going and scored on their opening drive of the second half, Henry was stuffed for no gain on a two-point conversion attempt during which it appeared as if he had room to run.

It was hardly the type of stuff that has put his name in the MVP conversation recently.

“I just know I have to be better,” Henry said. “I pride myself being a leader on this team, and definitely this one stung. Felt like I didn't do my job the way I needed to. Have to be better.”

• Arthur Smith’s creativity can get the best of him: One play before Henry was stopped on fourth-and-1, the Titans attempted a pass to rookie offensive lineman Aaron Brewer on third-and-1. Brewer, who reported as eligible on the play, ended up one-on-one against Cleveland linebacker B.J. Goodson, and Ryan Tannehill’s pass hit him in the hands. Brewer failed to make the catch – and did not look particularly deft in his attempt.

In the third quarter, on first-and-10 from the Cleveland 28, the Titans offensive coordinator put wide receiver Cameron Batson in the Wildcat formation. Batson fumbled the snap but recovered for no gain, which took 30 seconds off the clock before the next play at a time whe the Titans were trying to go quickly.

Trick plays tend to work better on days when things are going well, such as when Cleveland got a 12-yard completion with a reverse-pass from wide receiver Jarvis Landry to quarterback Baker Mayfield in the first quarter and a 1-yard touchdown pass to 310-pound tackle Kendall Lamm on the opening play of the second quarter.

“I can’t give you words for what happened, like the Kendall Lamm, thing,” Landry said. “We have been practicing it, but we had no idea that it was going to get called (Sunday).”

Smith can be forgiven for the first because things had not gone south at that point, but when he ran Batson on for the Wildcat, it was no time to get cute.

• A.J. Brown is human: The second-year wide receiver had accumulated his share of highlights in recent weeks. This one included several moments that he would rather not re-live.

Brown fumbled twice. The first time came as he ran after the catch – one of his specialties – and tied desperately to reach the end zone as the final seconds of the first half ticked off. He made it 19 yards before he was stripped at the Browns’ 29 and Cleveland recovered at the 21.

Things actually worked out OK on the second. He lost the handle at the 1-yard line as he was about to score. Fortunately for him (and the Titans), tight end MyCole Pruitt gathered up the loose ball and scored the touchdown, Pruitt’s second score in fewer than five minutes.

Brown also dropped a deep, second-down pass early in the fourth quarter. On the next play, Tannehill was sacked, which forced the only Tennessee punt of the second half.

“Obviously some plays I think he would like to have back,” Tannehill said. “He's made huge plays for us the past two years and he's going to continue to make big plays for us. Obviously just have to couple things to clean up. We believe in A.J., and A.J. is going to continue to make plays for us.

• You can’t plan when memories are made: Batson and running back Jeremy McNichols scored the first touchdowns of their respective careers, which means each has a lifelong memory that will be associated with an otherwise disappointing day.

McNichols, in his 16th career game, scored on a 1-yard run with 1:23 to play. That cut the Titans’ deficit to 13 points (41-28). Batson, in his 19th career contest, capped the scoring with an 8-yard reception 55 seconds later (the Titans used all three timeouts and forced a Browns punt in between).

"Man, (Tannehill) delivered the ball, (and) it had to go to the end zone," Batson said. "God blessed me with the ability to get my feet down and make the play. I appreciate Him.

"... Obviously, we didn’t like the way we played the first half, but I’m proud of the way the guys fought and came back – tried to come back, at least."