NASHVILLE, Tenn. — The Tennessee Titans (2-3) play their first of three consecutive home games this week by hosting the Cleveland Browns (0-5). Kickoff at Nissan Stadium (capacity 69,143) is scheduled for noon CDT on Sunday, Oct. 16.
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THE BROADCAST**
This week's game will be televised regionally on CBS, including Nashville affiliate WTVF NewsChannel 5. Play-by-play announcer Tom McCarthy will call the action alongside analyst Adam Archuleta.
The Titans Radio Network, including Nashville flagship 104.5 The Zone, will carry the game across the Mid-South with the "Voice of the Titans" Mike Keith, analyst Frank Wycheck, gameday host Rhett Bryan and sideline reporter Jonathan Hutton.
TITANS LOOK TO BUILD ON WIN AT MIAMI
Beginning with their clash with the Browns, the Titans will play three straight home games in an 11-day period. They will host the Indianapolis Colts on Oct. 23, and the Jacksonville Jaguars visit Nissan Stadium for a primetime matchup on Thursday, Oct. 27.
Last week the Titans traveled to Miami to face the Dolphins and left with a 30-17 victory. Led by DeMarco Murray's 121 rushing yards, the Titans rushed for a total of 235 yards, and Marcus Mariota accounted for four total touchdowns in the win.
The team's 235 rushing yards were the most by any NFL team in a game this season. The Titans rank second in the league in rushing, averaging 148.6 yards per contest and trailing only the Dallas Cowboys (155.2).
Murray's 461 rushing yards rank second in the NFL (546 by Ezekiel Elliott, Dallas), as do his 633 scrimmage yards (695 by David Johnson, Arizona). He has hit the 100-yard rushing mark in two of the past three weeks, and his 121 rushing yards against the Dolphins made up the highest total by a Titans player since Chris Johnson had 127 against Houston on Dec. 29, 2013.
Mariota passed for 163 yards and three touchdowns without throwing an interception, and he added 60 yards and a touchdown on the ground. His 117.5 passer rating was the fourth-best of his career. In Mariota's 17 career starts, he now has recorded four games in which he totaled four touchdowns through the air and on the ground.
The Titans defense got interceptions from cornerback Jason McCourty and safety Daimion Stafford against the Dolphins, and they added six total sacks—two each from Brian Orakpo, Derrick Morgan and Jurrell Casey. Since the team became the Titans in 1999, the performance at Miami marked the first time the team had a game in which three players recorded at least two sacks each.
Orakpo, who is off to the best start of his eight-year career, is tied for third place in the NFL with six sacks on the season. He has recorded at least one sack in four consecutive games and became the third player for the franchise to record six or more sacks in the first five games of a season since individual sacks became an official statistic in 1982, joining Kyle Vanden Bosch (6.5 in 2005) and William Fuller (six in 1991).
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THE BROWNS**
The Browns are in their first season under Hue Jackson, who was named head coach in January. A veteran of 15 previous seasons as a coach in the NFL, Jackson was the offensive coordinator for the Cincinnati Bengals from 2014 through 2015. Jackson chose former Titans defensive coordinator Ray Horton, who was in Tennessee from 2014–2015, to fill the same role on his new staff.
Last week the Browns hosted the New England Patriots and fell by a final score of 33-13. They scored on an 11-yard pass from rookie Cody Kessler to Andrew Hawkins and a 17-yard pass from former Titans quarterback Charlie Whitehurst to Connor Hamlett.
Kessler, a third-round draft choice out of Southern California, recorded his third start of the season but left the game in the first half with chest and rib injuries.
Browns running back Isaiah Crowell ranks fifth in the NFL in rushing with 416 yards, and his 5.6-yard average is the second-highest in the league among qualifiers.
ANNUAL COAT DRIVE
Prior to the Titans-Browns game, fans are encouraged to participate in the team's annual coat drive. New and gently used coats of all sizes can be dropped off at one of several collection sites outside of Nissan Stadium. All donated coats will be distributed to local domestic violence and homeless shelters. Volunteers will collect items from fans starting at 10:00 a.m. and ending 15 minutes after kickoff.
