5 Moore Observations: Cleveland Browns Get Comeback Win Over Titans On The Road

Trailing by 25 points in the second quarter, many Browns fans turned off their TVs and started their Sunday chores of cutting the grass or doing some laundry. For those who stuck around, they were given a treat.

The Cleveland Browns rallied from a 28-3 deficit to beat the Tennessee Titans on the road, 29-28. The comeback win is the largest regular-season comeback by a road team in NFL history. That’s a lot of games.

The Browns had never comeback from more than 20 points before and the victory tops their 49-40 comeback win against the Giants on Dec. 4, 1966, when they trailed 34-14 at one point.

It’s also the Browns first road win since Sept. 22, 2013 when they defeated the Vikings.

Brian Hoyer threw a six-yard touchdown pass to Travis Benjamin in the back of the endzone with 1:09 left in the fourth quarter to give the Browns their only lead of the day and the win.

The Browns have scored at least 21 points in all four games this season. The last time the team scored 21 points in four straight games was 2008.

Here are 5 Moore Observations from the win:

Oct 5, 2014; Nashville, TN, USA; Tennessee Titans quarterback Charlie Whitehurst (12) is sacked by Cleveland Browns defensive end Armonty Bryant (95) and nose tackle Ahtyba Rubin (71) and outside linebacker Paul Kruger (99) during the second half at LP Field. Cleveland won 29-28. Mandatory Credit: Jim Brown-USA TODAY Sports

1. Tail of two halves

The Browns struggled on offense and defense in the first half. Trailing 28-3, they were able to find the endzone to finish the first half, but were dominated by two quarterbacks and the offense couldn’t find a rhythm.

The Titans were four-for-five on third down in the first half and gained 284 yards while building their lead. They also rushed for 120 yards and passed for 164 more. Starter Jake Locker had a touchdown pass and when he came out of the game with an injury, his replacement Charlie Whitehurst threw two more.

By the end of the game, the Browns were able out-gain the Titans, 460 to 410 in total yards. The defense was also able to make a few key stops, including the Titans final drive as time ran out.

They had three key sacks even with Phil Taylor out during the second half with a knee injury.

2. Welcome back, Ben Tate

The Browns did well rushing the ball in the two games Ben Tate missed with an injured knee. Rookies Terrance West and Isaiah Crowell were able to carry the load with Tate gone.

Tate made a big impact in his return.

He finished Sunday’s game with 123 yards on 22 carries, averaging 5.6 yards per carry. His longest run was 15 yards.

It marked Tate’s sixth career 100-yard game and first since Dec. 1, 2013, when he rushed for 102 yards against the Patriots while playing for the Texans.

Tate’s 123 yards on the ground is also a career-high. His previous career-high was 116 yards against the Colts on Sept. 11, 2011, also while a member of the Texans.

He had 77 yards rushing in the first-half alone, but was rarely used in the second-half when the Browns were near the goal line.

Oct 5, 2014; Nashville, TN, USA; Tennessee Titans wide receiver Nate Washington (85) catches a pass and is tackled by Cleveland Browns cornerback Buster Skrine (22) during the first half at LP Field. Mandatory Credit: Jim Brown-USA TODAY Sports

3. Penalties on defense continue to pile up

The Browns defense have continued to shoot themselves in the foot on key plays.

First, Joe Haden was flagged for pass interference while covering Justin Hunter on the Titans’ first drive. Three plays later, Locker found Kendall Wright for a touchdown to make it 7-0 early.

Then, the Browns were able to force an incomplete pass on third down, but Paul Kruger was called for offsides and gave the Titans another chance. Locker found the endzone with his feet to make it a two-score game.

Buster Skrine joined the flag parade, hitting Locker after he threw the ball for a roughing the pass call. It wasn’t Skrine’s first penalty of the game; he was called for holding earlier in the drive.

Haden continues to struggle this season as well. Skrine also gave up a 75-yard pass play for a touchdown to Hunter in the second quarter.

4. Brian Hoyer’s streak snapped

One of the reasons why Hoyer has been productive as the Browns starting quarterback is lack of turnovers.

In the fourth quarter, Hoyer threw his first interception since the third quarter of his Browns debut against the Vikings on Sept. 22, 2013.

That’s a string of 189 consecutive pass attempts without an interception.

The mark is the third-longest in franchise history, behind Bernie Kosar (308 in 1990-91) and Milt Plum (208 in 1959-60).

Oct 5, 2014; Nashville, TN, USA; Cleveland Browns wide receiver Travis Benjamin (11) makes a catch against the Tennessee Titans during the second half at LP Field. The Browns beat the Titans 29-28. Mandatory Credit: Don McPeak-USA TODAY Sports

5. Travis Benjamin makes key catches after muffed punt return

Benjamin has struggled this year as the Browns’ punt returner. He muffed a punt in the third quarter, which was recovered in Browns’ territory by the Titans.

An unsportsmanlike penalty on the Titans forced Tennessee to punt again, and saved Benjamin. He was then replaced by Jordan Poyer in the next punt return opportunity on the next play.

Benjamin finished the game with four receptions for 48 yards, including two key touchdowns late in the game. His last was the game-winner with 1:09 remaining.

Moore thoughts: No Johnny Manziel-package on Sunday…Kyle Shanahan seems to get too cute near the goal line, instead of relying on the ground game to punch it in the endzone…Tank Carder gave the special teams a boost with the blocked punt which turned into a safety for the Browns…no bad long-snaps by Christian Yount.