Titans vs. Browns: What's the Game Plan for Tennessee?

The table is set for the Tennessee Titans to start 2-0 for the first time since 2008, which is also their last playoff appearance.

They get the woeful Cleveland Browns, but this matchup still has "trap game" written all over it. It's the perfect scenario for another letdown to occur, something that has become all too familiar for the Titans organization over the past several seasons.

So now the obvious question is: How do the Titans avoid a major letdown and win a game they're supposed to win? This is uncharted territory in recent memory, with the exception to maybe their annual meeting with the Jacksonville Jaguars.

Here is the game plan the Titans should follow to maximize their chances of taking care of business against the Browns.

Offensive Game Plan

It should be expected for this game to not be nearly as dazzling as the Titans' rout of the Buccaneers, where they virtually did nothing wrong. This game should end up being much sloppier.

The Titans have to prepare for the Browns' stingier pass defense. Marcus Mariota will have to be even sharper than he was in Week 1. 

If the Browns have a calling card, it's their secondary. Joe Haden is widely underrated at cornerback, and he has other solid defensive backs around him.

With this being said, the Titans have to establish a strong running game and avoid long third downs that will play right into the hands of the Browns defense.

The Titans have plenty of running backs to choose from, but Terrance West is the best option. This isn't because he's facing his former team that just traded him two weeks ago. That's just a coincidence to the fact that he's the better option for this type of game.

West looked very good for how new he was to the offense in Week 1. He had seemingly less than a week to prepare for his Titans debut, and he still ran the ball hard and gained 41 yards. Head coach Ken Whisenhunt did cite some footwork issues that need to be cleaned up, via Paul Kuharsky of ESPN.com:

"

Titans Ken Whisenhunt: Couple footwork things for Terrance West, little too quick and didn't find right holes... http://t.co/cTY9cHhXCz

— Paul Kuharsky (@PaulKuharskyNFL) September 14, 2015"

Those are things that are usually cleaned up in practice once a player gets more comfortable in a system. It was still a promising performance from a guy who was thrust into action after Antonio Andrews was sidelined with a hamstring.

Bishop Sankey will also play an important role, but he's a much different type of rusher. There seemed to be improvement from him mostly in the way he committed to running lanes, rather than dancing around in the backfield. He also looked better coming out of the backfield as a receiver.

The Titans really need to get Sankey more involved in short passing routes, and we should see that against the Browns. That's where Sankey can be most effective.

It shouldn't be too tall of a task for the Titans to make hay in the running game as the Browns gave up 154 rushing yards to the New York Jets in their Week 1 loss.

As for Mariota, he's most lethal when his running game is working. That will allow him bigger throwing lanes to show off his accuracy. Play action was Mariota's best friend against the Buccaneers, and it will once again be where he's most effective in this game. That can't happen if the running game doesn't produce early in the game. 

Mariota is still a rookie, and he can't purely beat strong defensive teams with just his arm. However, he also needs to make smart decisions to run on designed plays. The Titans can't waste his talent to run in situations that make sense. He does have to avoid putting himself in harm's way where linebackers can tee off on him, which is something that Jake Locker did far too often.

Defensive Game Plan

The Titans were forced to plan for two very different Browns starting quarterbacks for most of this week. The team announced (h/t Will Brinson of CBS Sports) that Johnny Manziel will start against the Titans.

It was previously thought that Josh McCown may be cleared to play following the concussion he suffered against the Jets. 

Manziel, as the starter, increases the Titans' chances of winning this game but not significantly. The Titans do have to plan much differently with his ability to break containment and make quirky things happen.

Titans defensive coordinator Ray Horton commented on defending Manziel, per Jim Wyatt of TitansOnline.com:

"

.@titans DC Ray Horton: If it's Johnny Manziel at QB for @Browns, team knows he'll get outside pocket pic.twitter.com/wSBKGUaU2u

— Jim Wyatt (@jwyattsports) September 17, 2015"

This will test the linebackers early and often. They have to be disciplined in their pursuit of Manziel. Charging right at him will allow him to use his athleticism to make crazy things happen. 

For the Titans to turn this into a relatively easy win, they need to force Manziel to throw as much as possible. Simple logic says that he'll make mistakes the more he's forced to throw.

Expect the Browns to try to establish the run with Isaiah Crowell and take the early pressure off Manziel. Crowell is fully capable of taking over this game, so this is the one area the Titans need to keep under control.

You also can't forget about rookie Duke Johnson, who can break off a game-changing run at any moment.

The Titans looked a bit sloppy at times in their rush defense against the likes of Doug Martin and Charles Sims the previous week. Better tackling will be needed to keep Crowell from having a big game.

If the Browns establish their running game, they'll keep this game close until the end. That crowd will be buzzing in Cleveland, and the Titans don't want it to be close in the fourth quarter. That's when Manziel can find lightning in a bottle and show off the competitive drive that's gotten him this far.

You do have to like the Titans' chances on defense after what they did against Jameis Winston. This is why Manziel gives the Titans a better chance to win. They proved that they can send exotic blitzes at inexperienced quarterbacks and force them into turnovers. That's what they'll do here, and it should be an effective game plan. 

Key Players and Matchups

As mentioned earlier, the Titans need to get West and Sankey fully involved at the onset. Setting up manageable third-down attempts will allow Mariota to thrive with intermediate throws to guys such as Kendall Wright and Harry Douglas.

West fits in as a guy who runs hard and gains tough yardage. His style sends messages to other teams that you can't push the Titans back. He needs to get the ball fed to him just as much as Sankey, if not more.

Sankey needs the ball in space, and that means getting him involved in the passing game. He looked much improved in Week 1 from what he did in his uninspired rookie year. 

It would also be extremely beneficial if the Titans could get Delanie Walker back to provide that security blanket to Mariota. He's saying he should be able to play, per Jason Wolf of the Tennessean:

"

#Titans TE Delanie Walker (hand): "I feel like I should be able to go.” Officially listed as questionable vs #Browns. http://t.co/QXWZ1CGIKb

— Jason Wolf (@JasonWolf) September 18, 2015"

On defense, it's all about how the linebackers play. Brian Orakpo could be in for his breakout game in a Titans uniform. These guys need to make life difficult and confusing for Manziel, just like they did with Winston. 

The Browns' only chance of doing much on offense lies with Crowell at running back. He's shown in the past that he can be a serviceable back, so the Titans have to make sure this isn't one of those games. He can be the equalizer for the Browns if he slows the game down for the offense and turns this into a grind-it-out type of game.

The secondary for the Browns will pose a different challenge from what the Titans faced against the Buccaneers. They are worlds apart in talent. Mariota just needs to avoid the big mistake and go through his progressions. The first guy won't always be the right guy against Haden and company. 

Prediction

It won't be nearly as high-scoring as the previous week, and Mariota isn't going to be virtually perfect again. He'll make a few mistakes, but he's smart enough to bounce back from them.

The Browns are in a rough place right now, but they will have a formidable secondary to lean on. Couple that with a home crowd, and they'll keep this game low-scoring to make Titans fans nervous in the second half.

A big rushing day will come from a Titans running back. Sankey still hasn't gotten his first 100-yard game of his career, and West will be out for some sort of revenge. One of these guys will have a big day.

Ultimately, the Titans defense will win this game. It'll force Manziel into enough poor decisions to convert some turnovers into points. That's the big difference-maker that tilts the scales into the Titans' favor. 

It won't be as flashy, but the Titans maintain their impressive start to get to 2-0. 

Final Prediction: Titans 17, Browns 10