Tennessee Titans defense will be on trial vs. Cleveland Browns

The Tennessee Titans have the opportunity to win three-straight games if they can beat the Browns, but the Titans defense will be on trial.

If the Tennessee Titans want to be elite, their offense has to be as good as their defense. It seems like the Titans will be without Jadeveon Clowney for the rest of the season, so they’ll have to do it without Clowney.

The Titans’ defense has shown up over the past two weeks, but the Browns offer another good offense that has the ability to put up 30 points if your defense is slacking.

Both teams come into the game with an 8-3 record, and a win for the Titans can put them one step closer to getting over the 9-7 hump that the Titans haven’t been able to get over in recent years.

It’s safe to say that throughout the 2020 season, the third-down defense has been an issue for the Titans’ defense. Through the first seven games, the Titans had the worst third-down defense in the league, with offenses converting 65% of third-down attempts.

Things have changed dramatically over the past four weeks, though. Over the past four weeks, the Titans have the No. 7 ranked third-down defense in the league. That’s a huge turnaround that could be the turnaround the defense needs to help get the Titans to where they need to be if they want to play in February.

The big jump has cut the opposing offense’s conversion rate by nearly 30% as offenses have converted 20-of-55 third downs, which comes out to a 36% conversion rate. The Titans’ overall improvement has been a testament to the Titans’ recent success.

Another positive stat that leans in the Titans’ favor is the Browns offense isn’t great on third-down. They’re currently the No. 20 third-down offense in the league with a 40% conversion rate.

If the defense wants to continue to impress, the offense is going to have to come through again. Derrick Henry is the NFL’s leading rusher, and I don’t expect that to change against the Browns.

Ryan Tannehill has also played his role in the offense pretty well throughout the season. Although Tannehill isn’t the Titans’ No. 1 player on the offense, he still plays the most important role because it’s hard to win any football game without a decent quarterback.

The Titans have another opportunity to impress for the third straight week after wins against the Ravens and Colts — the Browns and Titans kick-off at Noon CT on CBS.