Cleveland Browns vs. Tennesssee Titans: Behind the Box Score

The Browns are back to 2-2 in the standings thanks to two Brian Hoyer touchdown passes in the 4th quarter to Travis Benjamin, capping off a furious 25 point comeback to knock off Tennessee. Let’s take a look behind the box score of Sunday’s historic win.

25 – The largest deficit overcame by a road team in NFL history belongs the Mike Pettine’s Cleveland Browns. With two weeks to prepare for Tennessee, the Browns laid an egg fit for a baby T-Rex in the first half, but somehow managed to flip the switch for the game’s final thirty minutes. The Browns’ trip to Tennessee was eerily reminiscent of the team’s opening day visit to Pittsburgh, but this time, the boys in orange helmets found a way to way to clamp down and complete the comeback. Boasting a record setting comeback is a double edged sword. On the one hand your team just rallied from 25 points down in a mere 30 minutes of football, but on the other hand your team was down 28-3 to Jake Locker and the Tennessee Titans.

37 – The Browns’ point differential in second halves this season. The Browns slept walked through the start of Pittsburgh and Tennessee, both games in which Pettine and his staff had multiple weeks to prepare for. However, for as bad as the the Browns have been in the first halves of games, the’ve have been equally dominant over the game’s final two quarters. Whatever Mike Pettine is doing to prep his team for the opening whistle surely is not working, but the large servings of “Mike’s Secret Stuff” the Browns’ coach has been dishing out at half time is. Here’s to hoping Pettine’s supply doesn’t go bottoms up.

36 – The number on the jersey of Browns’ cornerback K’Waun Williams. Willams had only played 8% of the team’s defensive snaps before Sunday, but against Tennessee that number jumped to 52%. While taking playing time from number one pick Justin Gilbert, Williams was arguably the Browns’ best player on the defensive side of the ball. The undrafted rookie out of Pitt was stout in coverage and changed the game with his sure tackling. Williams was thrown at a team high 10 times and only gave up 5 yards per target while also making all 5 tackles he attempted including three plays in the 4^th quarter which changed the game.

The first game changer was a 3^rd and 9 with 11 minutes to go in 4^th quarter where Williams managed to bring down Tenessee wide receiver Kendall Wright just shy of the sticks and prompted a Titans’ punt. Then, with the Browns desperately needing another 3rd down stop with 3 minutes to play, Williams drove Delanie Walker out of bounds just shy of the first down marker to set the Browns’ offense up to go in for the winning score. And finally, with the Titans threatening midfield and field goal range with just under a minute to play, Williams capped off his clutch fourth quarter with a sack on Charlie Whitehurst, putting the final nail in the Tennessee coffin.

95 – A career high day in receiving yards for Browns’ rookie receiver Taylor Gabriel. Gabriel came up big in tight spots for the Browns during their second half charge. Hoyer started the second half with a momentum grabbing 43-yard completion to Gabriel, setting the tone for the comeback. On the following possession with the Browns facing a 3rd and 10 from their own 20-yard line, the Abilene Christian product hauled in a 19-yard pass from Hoyer to get the drive moving. And once again with the Browns’ in a tough spot, facing a 1st and 15 in the 4th quarter, Gabriel delivered with a 21 yard reception.

5 – The number of seconds Brian Hoyer held the ball before delivering his first touchdown to Travis Benjamin. With the ball at the 17-yard line Hoyer carries out a zone-stretch-fake to the left and then bootlegs back to his right. While bootlegging back, Hoyer encounters Titans’ linebacker, Shaun Phillips, who is home on the backside of the play in contain. The Browns’ quarterback toys with Phillips one-on-one and then steps up past the former Pro Bowler, into the pocket, and delivers a strike to Benjamin for the touchdown. The extra time Hoyer was able to buy in beating Phillips allowed Benjamin to snap off his route and go back against the grain of the play to the wide open side of the end zone.

22-7-6 – The split of carries between Ben Tate, Terrence West and Isaiah Crowell. With Tate missing most of the team’s first three games, fans were treated to the two headed rookie running back monster of West and Crowell with Tate becoming somewhat of a forgotten man. In Week 5 against Tennesse, there was no doubt that Ben Tate was the Browns’ feature running back. Tate racked up 123 yards on 22 carries with no carry longer than 15 yards. It was Tate with the carry for 8 yards, 6 yards, 11 yards, 13 yards, picking up chunk after chunk wearing down the Tenessee defense.

9.4 – Yards per carry over center and left guard. The Browns were getting a good push all day from Alex Mack and Joel Bitonio at the point of the attack. Tate had all day to read the line, make his cut, and bust up field.

4.97 – Yards per carry for the Titans. The Browns gave up big running plays to Kendall Wright and Jake Locker, allowing Tennessee to accumulate 149 yards on the ground.

3.3 – Yards per carry for the Titans’ running back stable of Shonn Greene, Bishop Sankey, and Dexter McCluster. While the Browns were victimized by an end around to Kendall Wright and some Jake Locker scrambles, the base run defense had by far it’s best game of the season.

7 – Brian Hoyer completed 7 of his 11 pass attempts of 15 yards or more. The Browns’ quarterback’s 63% completion rate on deep throws was in fact better than the 56% rate in which he completed his short throws. Hoyer is at 62.1% for all passes this season, which ranks him 21st in the league.

1 – Hoyer threw his first interception of the season on Sunday, which in actuality worked out as a long punt. Hoyer and Cam Newton both threw interceptions in Week 5, leaving every team’s signal caller now with at least one blemish on his 2014 season.

3 – For the second year in a row, the Browns will have a home game in which they can get to 3 wins and move above the .500 mark.