Titans vs. Browns: Score and Twitter Reaction from 2015 Regular Season

The Cleveland Browns rode electrifying plays and hawking defense at home Sunday to take down the Tennessee Titans, 28-14, despite a late comeback bid in a contest headlined by the evolution of young quarterbacks Johnny Manziel and Marcus Mariota.

The rookie from Oregon's four-touchdown debut garnered him praise heading into this one, but Manziel was the one who had the NFL buzzing Sunday. He dialed up his growing chemistry with receiver Travis Benjamin for two long touchdown tosses and overcame second-half struggles to lead Cleveland to victory.

NFL on ESPN highlighted Manziel's role in the win:

Considering Mariota's sizzling start to his career and Manziel's struggles through his one-plus seasons, seeing the former Texas A&M star excel is a good sign for the playmaking-starved Browns, former NFL head coach Brian Billick suggested:

Despite some big plays in the win, Manziel didn't completely impress his head coach, who pointed out inconsistent play that allowed the Titans back into the game, as Scott Petrak of the Elyria Chronicle-Telegram relayed:

Mariota didn't fare quite as well, but his Titans didn't do him any favors. The Browns defensive front hounded the rookie constantly, finishing with seven sacks and numerous more hurries. 

Tennessee trailed two minutes into the game, and Mariota was forced into making plays that resulted in three fumbles—two lost. Despite his leaky offensive line, the rookie recovered for a nice second half and finished 21-of-37 with 257 yards and two touchdowns.

The final Browns sack resulted in Mariota's third fumble, which sealed the contest with the Titans trailing 28-14 with under a minute left, as TitansOnline.com's Jim Wyatt noted:

Of course, it didn't help that Mariota and the Titans offense got in an early hole. While Tennessee started with a three-and-out, Manziel and Cleveland got going immediately, as Titans cornerback Coty Sensabaugh blew his coverage on Benjamin, leading to an easy 60-yard bomb.

For the second straight week, Manziel found his new favorite target deep early on, as the NFL captured:

After allowing that Manziel-to-Benjamin touchdown on Cleveland's opening possession, a Tennessee fumble gave the Browns a short field, and Isaiah Crowell punched in a score from 11 yards out.

After taking it to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the early moments of Week 1, Tennessee and Mariota had to respond to a much different start Sunday, as ESPN's Paul Kuharsky noted:

The early deficit didn't serve the Titans well, to say the least.

Despite Tennessee's 166 yards on the ground (98 from Dexter McCluster), Mariota was forced into obvious passing situations and couldn't evade a Browns pass rush that only grew more boisterous as the first half wore on. A big loss up front contributed, as starting guard Chance Warmack had his leg rolled up on and left the game on a cart.

Cian Fahey of Bleacher Report noted how Warmack's injury impacted what the Titans were doing up front:

"

Titans lost Chance Warmack relatively early in this game. OL is now Lewan and a bunch of guys.

— Cian Fahey (@Cianaf) September 20, 2015"

The Titans defense stiffened up after those opening two drives and gave the offense a breather, but a gut-punch came right before the halftime break. And once again, Benjamin was the culprit.

The playmaker took a punt to the house from 78 yards away, dancing around Titans coverage and hurdling punter Brett Kern on his way in.

Take a look at Benjamin's play, via the NFL:

A three-touchdown deficit seemed insurmountable in the second half for a struggling rookie quarterback who couldn't get any daylight to work with. But the defense gave Tennessee a chance, and Mariota looked to do something with it.

The Titans nearly matched their first-half yardage output on their first two second-half drives, going eight plays and 67 yards late in the third quarter to get back into it. A few big plays on the ground from Dexter McCluster set up Mariota for a 19-yard score to tight end Anthony Fasano.

Meanwhile, the Titans defensive front began making life difficult for Manziel, forcing two second-half fumbles the Browns recovered. Cleveland couldn't move the ball, however, which gave the Titans a glimmer of hope.

That glimmer of hope turned into hopeful joy when Mariota threw another touchdown pass, this time to fellow rookie Dorial Green-Beckham on a beautiful high-point grab. After bouncing around in college, DGB caught his first score in nearly two years, as TitansNU noted:

With less than five minutes to go, the onus fell on the Titans defense to again make a stand. But after the Browns moved toward midfield with a stout rushing attack, the Tennessee secondary let its guard down just long enough for one final kill shot.

That came from the arm of Manziel and into the grasp of Benjamin. The duo capped an 80-yard drive with a 50-yard bomb highlighted by Manziel's scramble from the pocket.

As Nate Ulrich of the Akron Beacon Journal noted, Benjamin torched the Titans for the second straight year, and Browns head coach Mike Pettine took notice:

That score allowed for a fitting end to the game. Once again forced into putting his team on his back, Mariota moved the Titans 57 yards in 12 plays before a sack-fumble by K'Waun Williams put a bow on Cleveland's victory.

As the Titans' Week 1 dismantling of the Bucs showed, it's important not to look too closely into one game. Regardless of that, however, Manziel displayed an incredible amount of growth that should have Browns fans excited about the future.

This one may be more about Tennessee, however. Facing a boisterous Browns front seven, the Titans offensive line put Mariota under duress at a rate that leaves one somewhat surprised he wasn't injured.

If the Browns continue to mix their effective run game with some big plays from Manziel like they did Sunday, they could have a blueprint for success.

Both teams settle at 1-1 after the contest, with the Titans facing a home opener against the Indianapolis Colts in Week 3. Cleveland will stay at home and face the Oakland Raiders, whose suspect defense could allow Johnny Football to have another big day.