Titans quarterback Cam Ward had some ups and downs in the contest. Ward finished the day completing 14-of-28 passes for 117 yards. Ward capped the team’s first possession off with a 14-yard touchdown toss to receiver Elic Ayomanor, and later he connected with receiver Chimere Dike for a five-yard touchdown pass. The opening drive for a touchdown was a first for the Titans in 13 games this season. But Ward wasn’t perfect, something he was quick to admit. Ward was intercepted by Browns linebacker Devin Bush at the Cleveland 18-yard line, and he missed on some other throws. “It feels good to win,” Ward said, “but winning still hides stuff. There are flaws we have to continue to get over, personally, and just as a team. And we have to come in with the right mindset.”
The Titans did a nice job on Browns defensive end Myles Garrett, who I thought might create havoc on Sunday. As it turned out Garrett was pretty quiet – he managed just four tackles and one sack in the game, and was credited with two quarterback hits. Garrett entered the game with an NFL-best 19 sacks through 12 games, with three games with at least three sacks. “We were able to neutralize him in the run game, and we had a good game plan for him in the pass game, some chip help, some movement passes, trying to move the pocket,” Titans left tackle Dan Moore said. “We executed well.” Moore heaped praise on Garrett, a fellow Texas A&M Aggie, and a player he faced many times during his days with the Steelers. “He’s a good dude,” Moore said of Garrett. “I’ve played him a lot. I have a lot of respect for that dude and the way he works.”
Creating Turnovers (That Led to 17 Points)
The Titans played complementary football on Sunday, and that included forcing a pair of turnovers on defense. Safety Xavier Woods intercepted Sanders, and rookie cornerback Marcus Harris forced a fumble that was recovered by linebacker Cedric Gray. Both led to touchdowns for the Titans, who also got three points out of the blocked punt from Williams. “That helped a lot,” Gray said. “Those were huge turning points in the game that really helped our offense get going, giving them shorter field and being able to capitalize on those moments. Those are the type of plays you have to make to win in this league.”
