Game Overview ::
By papy324 >>
- This is a matchup between the two worst offenses in the league.
- The Titans are the worst overall team in football. Cam Ward hasn’t moved the needle, but he also hasn’t received much help.
- The Titans coaching staff looks more willing to let Ward go than they were to start the season.
- Tony Pollard and Tyjae Spears are the definition of a split backfield.
- The Browns don’t want to throw the ball any more than is necessary to win. Harold Fannin is the only player seeing schemed usage in the passing game.
- Quinshon Judkins is highly likely to see over 20 opportunities.
- The Browns defense is one of the best options on the slate.
JM’S JOURNAL ::
Find JM’s Journal on Friday in The Scroll. If you are an Inner Circle member, you can read JM’s Journal on Thursday in Discord.
How Tennessee Will Try To Win ::
The 1-11 Titans come into Week 14 looking to “earn” back-to-back first overall picks. That’s never a good thing since it means last season’s first overall pick didn’t move the needle. That appears to be the case with Cam Ward, as it’s hard to find an objective metric that doesn’t measure the Titans as the worst overall team in football. They have a massive negative 158-point differential, which is nearly 30 points worse than the second-to-last team (Raiders). They’ve scored a pathetic 170 points (last in the league) and, unlike their opponents, they’re also a sieve on defense. The Titans have given up a laughable 338 points, which, among AFC teams, is only better than the Bengals historically bad defense. The Titans are about what you would get if you combined the Browns offense with the Bengals defense… think about that for a second.
The Titans have been playing at a moderate pace (17th in seconds per play) but are even slower than that when the game is close, which is rarely beyond halftime. They try to play balanced (16th in PROE) but end up extremely pass heavy (1st in pass rate) because they’re always chasing points. They seem to have said, “F it! Let’s chuck it!” And have started to throw more generally (9th in PROE over their last four games). The Titans might as well let Ward play through his mistakes and try to figure out the NFL. It’s a lost season, where their best outcome is losing for better draft capital. Their offensive line is terrible (27th-ranked by PFF). They’re weak everywhere except guard, and they’re going to struggle to protect Ward in this matchup. The Browns defense has been stingy against the run (2nd in DVOA) and tough against the pass (5th in DVOA). There are a clear top five defenses by DVOA this season. They are: the Texans // Seahawks // Broncos // Browns // Rams. Those five are head and shoulders above the league. There is no easy way to move the ball against Cleveland, which excels at preventing yards and has a ferocious pass rush. The Titans might as well try to pass, but it isn’t likely to produce points. They have a pathetic team total and the over feels square.
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