Cleveland Browns @ Tennessee Titans Preview

Browns travel to Nashville to face 11-1 Titans

The Cleveland Browns' 2008 season of tumult heads into its four-week homestretch beginning on Sunday in Tennessee. The road figures to be rocky.

Sunday's clash against the Titans (11-1) could get ugly for the Browns (4-8), who are down to their third-string quarterback in Ken Dorsey and who will be without one of their main offensive weapons in tight end Kellen Winslow.

With quarterbacks Brady Quinn (broken finger) and Derek Anderson (torn MCL in his left knee) both on injured reserve, Dorsey takes over as the Browns' starting signal-caller. He'll be facing a Titans defense that has forced 25 turnovers in 12 games and has collected 34 quarterback sacks.

“Their defensive line is pretty unreal,” Browns receiver Braylon Edwards said about the Titans. “They are doing some great things up there getting to the quarterback, putting pressure on the quarterback.”

With Winslow sidelined with a high ankle sprain, the Browns will rely even more than usual upon Edwards, who has 42 catches for 697 yards and three touchdowns this season but has also dropped numerous passes.

“ I think what this is for us is a chance to show our character,” Edwards said. “It is a chance to show what kind of team we are, what kind of guys we are. We’re pretty much out of the playoff race, but we still want to go out there and we still want to win. We still want to compete and show this team that we are not quitters and we are not giving up on anything.”

The Browns, ranked No. 27 in the NFL in both total offense and total defense, will be lining up against a Titans club that can clinch the AFC South championship with a victory on Sunday. Tennessee leads its division by three games over the Indianapolis Colts (8-4) and has a two-game edge over the Pittsburgh Steelers (9-3) in the race for the top playoff seed in the AFC.

The Titans will hand the ball early and often on Sunday to rookie speedster Chris Johnson and third-year bruiser LenDale White. Johnson, who is averaging 4.7 yards per carry, has rushed for 958 yards and seven touchdowns. White has run for 575 yards and 13 touchdowns and is averaging 3.9 yards per rushing attempt.

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“One guy (Johnson) can hit the home run with his speed. The other guy (White) wears you down,” Browns nose tackle Shaun Rogers said about the Titans' dynamic duo of running backs.

Titans quarterback Kerry Collins has been efficient since taking over as the starter in place of Vince Young. Collins, a 14-year veteran from Penn State, has passed for 2,125 yards on the season. While he has thrown just nine touchdown passes, he has been intercepted only four times.

Cleveland Browns (4-8) @ Tennessee Titans (11-1)

When: 1 p.m. EST Sunday, Dec. 7
Where: LP Field in Nashville, Tennessee
Prediction: Titans 30, Browns 10

By Tom Kessler
ProFootball-fans.com Cleveland Browns Correspondent