NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Tennessee safety Amani Hooker couldn’t remember the most recent time the Titans strung together back-to-back wins, and his guess off.
asserted
Titans → remember → wins
That’s when the Titans beat Denver, then won at Green Bay four days later on Nov. 17, 2022.
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Titans → ’ → Nov.
Since then, the Titans are 13-51 cycling through players, coaches and general managers.
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Titans → cycle → players
Now the Titans are coming off their first win this season, 26-20 at Indianapolis last week.
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Titans → come → Indianapolis
They host the surprising Cleveland Browns (4-2) on Sunday looking to string together victories.
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They → host → victories
“It’s definitely a huge opportunity,” Hooker said.
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Hooker → ’ → ?
“I know guys got that feeling of the locker room of what it feels like because ... it’s a contagious feeling that you want to do again, and we plan on doing that this week.”
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we → know → that
The Titans and Browns have a lot in common with both franchises hiring new coaches in the offseason.
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Titans → have → offseason
Robert Saleh got his first win with a Tennessee roster that has had 36 combined starts from players in their first or second seasons.
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that → get → seasons
Todd Monken has 45 such players, which is second most in the NFL behind only Miami (53).
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which → have → Miami
Yet Monken has the Browns sitting atop the AFC North thanks to a tiebreaker and a 13-10 win over Baltimore last week.
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Browns → have → Baltimore
Monken dismisses any thoughts that these Titans are motivated by the team’s past struggles.
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Titans → dismiss → struggles
He knows himself the work a new coaching staff has trying to establish a culture and develop young players.
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staff → know → players
The bigger issue is Saleh’s success last week winning with six sacks, a blocked punt for a touchdown and a big punt return.
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issue → win → touchdown
“I just look at the players and the coaches and they’ve got a tremendous coaching staff, not only at the coordinator level, but on down and a really good young roster that’s just going to continue to get better,” Monken said.
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Monken → look → down
The biggest advantage Monken has had in Cleveland is Deshaun Watson playing more like the quarterback the Browns thought they got when trading for him in 2022.
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they → have → 2022
Watson has thrown for 1,174 yards with seven touchdowns and only two interceptions with four game-winning drives this season.
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Watson → throw → drives
Saleh has Cam Ward, the No. 1 overall pick of the 2025 draft, and the Titans are last in the NFL in yards per game, yards passing per game and tied for 31st with 14 points a game.
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Titans → have → points
It’s why Tennessee is leaning on a defense led by All-Pro tackle Jeffery Simmons.
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Tennessee → ’ → Simmons
Watson has been sacked more than any other NFL quarterback with 24, and he remembers too well facing off against Simmons repeatedly while in Houston.
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he → sack → Houston
“He’s a very, very game-wrecker and he makes that defense go,” Watson said.
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Watson → ’ → ?
“So we definitely got to make sure we watch out for him and just make sure that we control him as much as possible and get the ball up.
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we → got → ball
Last game: Browns beat the Ravens 13-10, and the Titans beat the Colts 26-20.
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Titans → beat → Colts
Last meeting: Titans beat Browns 31-29 on Dec. 7, 2025, in Cleveland.
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Titans → beat → Cleveland
Series record: Browns lead 37-33.
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Browns → lead → ?
Ward has been sacked only 10 times this season.
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Ward → sack → ?
But he has thrown for only 998 yards with as many touchdowns (four) as interceptions (four).
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he → throw → interceptions
Cleveland ranks second in the NFL with 19 sacks, and the Browns get pressure from everywhere with 11 different players having at least one sack this season.
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players → rank → sack
Stats and stuff
— Watson has thrown 69 consecutive passes without an interception, a span covering three games.
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Watson → throw → games
— Cleveland has not allowed a quarterback to throw for 300 yards in 51 consecutive games, the NFL’s longest streak since the Colts had a 52-game streak between 2005 and 2008.
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Colts → allow → 2005
— Browns LB Quincy Williams has forced three fumbles, which is tied for the NFL lead entering Week 7.
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which → force → Week
— Browns WR Denzel Boston leads all NFL rookies with 345 yards receiving, and Titans WR Carnell Tate ranks second with 344 yards.
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Tate → lead → yards
Tate leads all rookies with 29 receptions.
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Tate → lead → receptions
— The Titans became the NFL’s first team with three takeaways, six sacks and a blocked punt in a game since Indianapolis at Minnesota on Dec. 17, 2022.
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Titans → become → Dec.
— The Titans scored 26 points in the second half last week.
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Titans → score → half
That was their most points in a game this season and most in a second half since scoring 28 in the second half against the Browns on Dec. 6, 2020.
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That → score → Dec.
— The Titans did not allow a sack last week, their second such game this season.
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asserted
Titans → allow → game
The Aporia
