CLEVELAND, Ohio – On a critical third down play in the fourth quarter, Titans outside linebacker Brian Orakpo rounded the corner and found himself facing Browns quarterback Johnny Manziel.
A sack, and the Titans get the ball back with a chance to tie the game.
Then the elusive Manziel made a move, and got away from Orakpo. He promptly hurled the ball downfield, and into the arms of Browns receiver Travis Benjamin for 50-yard touchdown pass with just 2:52 remaining.
At that point, it was pretty much game over.
"He's a quick guy,'' Orakpo, shaking his head, said of Manziel. "He did a good job of seeing me last minute and buying himself some time. But the one thing about my game is I am not going to slow down. He got me, but I am not going to change my game for one play. I'm going to play fast."
The Browns beat the Titans 28-14, thanks in large part to two deep balls from Manziel to Benjamin, who scored on a 60-yard catch earlier in the game.
"The first quarter they had the one big play. Throughout the game, it wasn't like they were killing us. We got off the field,'' Orakpo said. "It was just one of those games. We wish we could take those big plays back.
"On that (fourth quarter play) Manziel just a move on me and threw the ball downfield and prayed that somebody would catch it, and they did. I can't beat myself up. I thought I had a huge hit on him"
Manziel completed 8-of-15 passes for 172 yards in the contest. He picked up 110 of those yards on the long completions to Benjamin, who finished the game with three catches for 115 yards.
The Tennessee Titans take on the Cleveland Browns in Week 2 of the 2015 season at FirstEnergy Stadium. (Photos: Donn Jones, AP)
Titans cornerback Blidi Wreh-Wilson said he turned the wrong direction when defending Benjamin on the throw late in the game. It came on a third-and-6 play from midfield with the Titans trailing 21-14.
A stop, and the Titans would've gotten the ball back.
"The initial route he ran I tried to find the ball, and he just went the other direction,'' Wreh-Wilson said. "They made a play and that's something we have to correct this week.'"
Overall, Sensabaugh and the rest of the Titans defenders thought they did a solid job against the Browns, and Manziel. Cleveland managed 13 first downs in the contest, and 274 yards of total offense.
But he said he'll kick himself for turning the wrong way on the deep ball to Benjamin in the first quarter, which gave the Browns an early 7-0 lead.
"Give credit to Travis for making a good play, and for Manziel for making a good throw,'' Sensabaugh said. "That's the life of a corner. You can be the hero, or you can be the scapegoat. It is all about making plays and today we didn't make enough plays."
