By MIKE ROBERTS
So much for a winning streak. The Tennessee Titans came up short last week, falling to the Cleveland Browns 27-24 this past Sunday. The Titans dropped to 1-6 and remain last in the AFC South behind the Jacksonville Jaguars (4-2), Indianapolis Colts (2-5), and Houston Texans (2-5).
It has been a rough season for the Titans, and things will get even rougher, seeing that they recently traded their best player, DT Jeffery Simmons, to the Chicago Bears. Chicago gave up first-round picks in both the 2027 and 2028 NFL Drafts but it’s a big blow to a fanbase that has endured several rough years.
Here’s a recap of the Browns game and a Week 8 preview.
What Happened Against the Browns
Against Cleveland, the Titans had their best start to a game this season, jumping out to a 14-0 lead thanks to two touchdowns from running back Tony Pollard. Yet, the Browns obviously made a comeback. Quarterback Deshaun Watson, who has revived his career this season, led his fifth winning drive in the fourth quarter this year, as he connected with Harold Fannin Jr. on a 36-yard catch-and-run that set up Andre Szmyt for a 32-yard field goal as time expired.
Pollard ultimately tied a career high with three touchdowns in the game and finished with 129 rushing yards. Titans quarterback Cam Ward completed 20 of his 31 pass attempts for 181 yards with no touchdowns and one interception. Meanwhile, rookie wide receiver Carnell Tate caught five passes for 69 yards. On defense, Kevin Winston Jr. had 14 tackles and Anthony Hill Jr. contributed 12 tackles for Tennessee.
Tennessee tied the 2014-18 Browns for the most consecutive games without back-to-back wins during the same season at 65. Ouch.
Week 8 Preview
In Week 8, the Titans will face an Ohio team for the second straight week as they travel to Cincinnati to take on the Bengals. The Bengals are led by Joe Burrow, who’s hands-down one of the top five quarterbacks in football. The team also possesses a top-flight wide receiver duo in Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins.
Burrow and Co. are coming off an impressive 35-13 victory over the Baltimore Ravens on Sunday. The Bengals basically fell asleep during the first half of that game, trailing 13-0 at halftime and were outgained by Baltimore 258-59. However, Cincinnati caught fire in the second half, outgaining the Ravens 298-101 and scoring touchdowns on its first five possessions of the second half.
Can Tate Pull a Flowers?
Ravens wide receiver Zay Flowers torched Cincinnati’s secondary on Sunday, catching eight passes for 137 yards and a touchdown. Although the Bengals won, they just didn’t have an answer for the two-time Pro Bowler out of Boston College. Maybe Tate can have a similar performance against Cincinnati.
Tate, whom the Titans selected fourth overall in the 2026 NFL Draft, is putting together a solid debut season. He leads all rookies in receptions (34), yards (413), first downs (18), and yards per game (59.0).
Here’s a fascinating catch Tate made against Cleveland (via JP Acosta on Bluesky). Notice how he manages to keep both feet inbounds on the play:
https://bsky.app/profile/acosta32jp.bsky.social/post/3myxcxbzi6s2m
While Tate (shoulder) has missed a couple of practices this week, hopefully he’s able to play on Sunday.
Prediction
The last time the Titans played a road game in a Midwestern city (Week 6), they stunned the Indianapolis Colts 26-20. Sure, they could do the same against the Bengals at Cincy’s Paycor Stadium. Don’t look for that to happen, though. The Bengals, who missed the playoffs the last three years, are on a mission to return to the postseason.
It’s too hard to see them getting upset by the one-win Titans. Anytime you face a team with a superstar quarterback like Burrow, you’re going to be in for a really tough day. Look for Burrow and the gang to win this game easily.