Cleveland Browns: Week 1 score predictions vs. Tennessee Titans
By Randy Gurzi
Writer: Zach Bush
Game: Tennessee Titans at Cleveland Browns
Summary: On Sunday, nearly a year of hype, hope, and excitement surrounding the Browns will finally culminate with the start of the 2019 regular season, and the results should not disappoint for Cleveland fans. To open up this year’s campaign, the Browns play host to the Tennessee Titans, a squad that finished third in the AFC South last season despite a 9-7 record and a chance to make the playoffs with a win Week 17 versus the Indianapolis Colts. However, with starting quarterback Marcus Mariota sidelined with an injury, his replacement, journeyman Blaine Gabbert, was unable to pull out the victory and propel Tennessee into the postseason.
In retrospect, the Browns and Titans were fairly evenly matched in 2018. Sure, Cleveland got off to a more negative start than Tennessee, losing multiple overtime games in heartbreaking fashion and firing head coach Hue Jackson and offensive coordinator Todd Haley after eight games. But by the time the dust had settled on the 2018 season, with Baker Mayfield grabbing the all-time rookie touchdown passing record and interim head coach Gregg Williams and new OC Freddie Kitchens leading Cleveland to a 5-3 record over the second half of the year, the Browns were 7-8-1, a final record that could have easily matched or even surpassed Tennessee’s tally of 9-7 had a few plays gone slightly differently for Cleveland.
Now, as the two teams prepare to face off Sunday along the shore of Lake Erie, the question must be posed: are these teams still evenly matched? Based on the way core pieces of the Browns’ roster impressed last year, studs like Mayfield, Nick Chubb, and Myles Garrett expected to play roles just as prominent this time around, the Titans shouldn’t take these Browns lightly. True, Tennessee quarterback Marcus Mariota is healthy again for Sunday’s game at FirstEnergy Stadium, but Cleveland’s offseason additions of Odell Beckham Jr., Olivier Vernon, and Sheldon Richardson, among others, push them over the top in this matchup.
The Titans are certainly nothing to sneeze at, but the Browns are the superior team. With the long offseason finally over and the energy anticipated to be through the roof playing in front of their home fans, Cleveland will send everyone home happy (besides the smattering of Titansfaithful in attendance).
Prediction: Cleveland 24, Tennessee 17