It was another Victory Monday for the Cleveland Browns, who for the fifth time in seven games orchestrated a game-winning drive while either tied or trailing in the fourth quarter. They’ve become the NFL’s best story, even if all the analytics experts out there will contend that the way they’re winning is unsustainable.
Their latest comeback victory had less to do with the fourth quarter and everything to do with the first half. The Tennessee Titans did whatever they wanted on the ground with running back Tony Pollard early in Sunday’s game and raced out to a 14-0 lead. They were threatening to go ahead 21-7 in the second quarter when they lined up for a second-and-goal situation at the 1 yard line.
But the Browns stopped them on three straight plays, stuffing two runs by quarterback Cam Ward and a final handoff to Tony Pollard on fourth down. It was a momentum-swinging series that led to Tennessee’s next four drives going interception, punt, fumble, punt.
Cleveland took a 17-14 lead at halftime, and though the game was tied at 24 late, Deshaun Watson led a game-winning field goal drive for the 27-24 final, pushing the Browns’ record to 5-2.
Tennessee dropped to 1-6. You wouldn’t know it by listening to head coach Robert Saleh after the game.
Saleh lamented the mistakes that allowed Cleveland, which has been among the better second-half teams in the NFL this season, to hang around and steal a victory in the Titans’ home stadium.
"It was a grimy game. Probably shouldn't have been,” Saleh said. “I feel like we should have probably boat-raced them in the first half and we left them hanging around. Battled in the second half and didn't make the play to win it."
Only one team has 'boat-raced’ the Cleveland Browns in 2026, and it was never going to be the 1-win Titans
With all due respect to Saleh, the Titans are the boat that’s taking on water. They aren’t boat-racing anybody, especially not a Browns team that has been among the most resilient in football this season.
Ward ranks 30th in the NFL in passer rating. The Titans have the 31st-ranked scoring offense in football. Saleh’s defense has been mostly solid, ranking 15th in points allowed, but it also coughed up a 14-0 lead pretty quickly on Sunday. With the way Watson and the Browns were executing, a 21-7 lead in the second quarter likely would have evaporated as well.
The Browns have been an awful team to start games, and they were again on Sunday. But they’ve only been boat-raced by the Jacksonville Jaguars. The Titans and Jaguars aren’t on the same planet right now.
That comment by Saleh came off a little too dismissive. The Titans definitely missed an opportunity to beat a better team, but they were also extremely fortunate the game was even that close.
KC Concepcion dropped a walk-in touchdown bomb from Watson early in the third quarter that was right on the money. Andre Szmyt also missed a 43-yard chip-shot at the start of the fourth quarter. The Browns left at least 10 points on the field in the second half, and when they needed it, Watson and company marched down the field with little resistance from Saleh’s group.
Whatever boat the Titans were rowing on Sunday was apparently full of sour grapes.
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