Titans Snap Losing Streak, Beat Browns 31-29 in Snowy Cleveland

CLEVELAND – The weather outside was frightful, but on this day, winning was so delightful for the Tennessee Titans.

“Ain’t in beautiful?,” Titans defensive tackle Jeffery Simmons said after the team’s 31-29 win over the Browns. “We’ve been talking about how desperate we’ve all been just for a win.

“It’s a relief, and it’s hard to win in this league. It feels good to head back to Tennessee with a win.”

With snow falling and the temperature right around freezing, the Titans hitched their sled to running back Tony Pollard, and he helped guide the team to a victory.

Pollard ran for 164 yards in the contest, along with a pair of touchdowns, and the Titans snapped a seven-game losing streak while improving to 2-11 on the season.

“It was big for us, getting that momentum going on the ground,” said Pollard, who scored on touchdown runs of 65 and 32 yards. “Relying on those big guys up front, moving the line of scrimmage, creating a lot of space for the runners to make plays, and that’s what we did today.

“It’s been a minute (since we won), so it’s a good feeling.”

Quarterback Cam Ward threw for 117 yards and tossed a pair of touchdown passes in the contest, and the Titans made the Browns pay for a pair of turnovers.

But the Titans had to hold on for dear life late.

It was a nice break from the disappointments of previous weeks.

“Much better, huh?, This is nice,” Titans interim coach Mike McCoy said after the game. “This is the way it should be all the time. … What a team effort. We challenged the guys … and this is how you have to play the game.

“What a great team effort. It’s a long time coming, and I couldn’t be happier for the guys.”

The Titans got off to a fast start, scoring their first opening drive touchdown of the year on Sunday.

Ward connected with receiver Elic Ayomanor on a 14-yard touchdown pass to give the Titans an early 7-0 lead. The score capped an eight-play, 53-yard drive that included third down completions from Ward to running back Tyjae Spears (24 yards) and tight end Chig Okonkwo (nine yards).

The Titans were on the verge of extending their lead, but Ward was intercepted by Browns linebacker Devin Bush at the Cleveland 18-yard line, and after a 44-yard return, the Browns cashed that in for a 38-yard field goal by Andre Szmyt to make it 7-3.

But the Titans answered back with an explosive play – a 65-yard touchdown run by Pollard, which made it 14-3.

At this point, things were looking pretty good.

But things changed quickly.

Barely two minutes later, the Browns cut the lead to 14-10 on a one-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Shedeur Sanders to tight end David Njoku. It came after a 58-yard completion from Sanders to running back Quinshon Judkins.

The Browns then went ahead 17-14 on a 60-yard touchdown pass from Sanders to receiver Jerry Jeudy with 2:47 left in the second quarter, and that was the score at the half.

But the Titans turned the momentum late in the third quarter, starting with an interception by safety Xavier Woods.

Two plays later, Pollard busted loose again, this time on a 32-yard touchdown run, to give the Titans a 21-17 lead with 51 seconds left in the third quarter.

The Titans made another play on defense when cornerback Marcus Harris forced a fumble from Browns running back Dylan Sampson, and linebacker Cedric Gray scooped it up and returned it to the Cleveland eight-yard line.

Ward hit receiver Chimere Dike for a six-yard touchdown pass just over a minute later to give the Titans a 28-17 lead with 9:29 left in the game.

Later in the game, linebacker James Williams Sr. blocked a punt – it was the team’s first blocked punt since the 2012 season, when Tim Shaw recorded a block.

The Titans cashed that in for a 41-yard field goal by Joey Slye to make it 31-17 with 6:17 remaining.

The Browns cut the lead to 31-23 on a seven-yard touchdown run by Sanders with 4:27 left, before getting the ball back and scoring again on a Harold Fannin seven-yard touchdown catch with 1:03 left.

But the ensuing two-point try failed, and Dike recovered the onside kick.

What followed was a celebration on the Titans sideline.

“It’s been too long,” guard Peter Skoronski said. “It’s been a rough year, and we all know it. Even though the playoff implications aren’t there, you still go out there and you try to win games. It feels great, and gratifying for sure.”

The Titans return to action next Sunday at the San Francisco 49ers.