Mike Pettine

Browns coach Mike Pettine knows how important Sunday's game is and doesn't want his team looking past the 1-3 Titans.

(Tony Dejak, Associated Press)

BEREA, Ohio – If Sunday's game in Tennessee were played at the college level, it could be sponsored by Del Monte and labeled the Low Hanging Fruit Bowl.

Browns fans look at the Titans (1-3), losers of three straight by a combined score of 100-34, and wonder how they could get beat.

Titans fans see the Browns (1-2), averaging 4.5 wins over the past six seasons, and are calling the Tony Rizzo of Nashville confident of victory.

Las Vegas doesn't seem to know which way to lean with some sports books favoring the Browns and others the Titans.

The only thing clear about the game at LP Field is there's a lot riding on the outcome. Mike Pettine knows as much. It's why the Browns coach addressed the team Tuesday about their upcoming stretch against Tennessee, Pittsburgh, Jacksonville, Oakland and Tampa Bay -- opponents with a combined 4-16 mark.

He doesn't want his players losing focus and trafficking in five-game forecasts. It's all about the Titans. They need to ignore the records, Pettine said, and play "against our standards," which he hopes insulates them from up-and-down efforts.

The coach was asked Wednesday how the Titans and other upcoming opponents might view his club. His answer was perfect.

"I'm sure when we pop up on the schedule based on our current record and less than recent history people are going to look at the Browns and want to pencil it in as a win more often than not," he said. "That's what we're out to change."

The Browns should beat Tennessee, the league's only squad without a first-quarter point. The Titans are as nondescript as tapioca pudding, a club that does nothing particularly well and is led by big-armed, erratic passer Jake Locker, who missed last week's game with a wrist injury. Under respected first-year coach Ken Whisenhunt, the Titans are in the process of simplifying an offense ranked 26th overall and 29th in passing.

A Browns' win validates three competitive performances against the Steelers, Saints and Ravens, games all decided in the final seconds by three points or less. It gets them to .500 and sets up an intriguing rematch with Pittsburgh at FirstEnergy Stadium.

Of course, there are no guarantees with the Browns, who have as many road wins as head coaches in the past three seasons.

A loss squanders some goodwill among a segment of the fan base and lends credence to doubters who think it's the same old Browns. It would drop their record to 1-3 with Ben Roethlisberger coming to town. Jimmy Haslam cut the $1 billion check, but until the Browns start proving otherwise, the Steelers quarterback still owns them as evidenced by his 18-1 career record.

Speaking of Haslam, he's likely swelling with pride this week at the thought of the Browns playing in his native Tennessee. He's not a man, based on track record, who handles disappointment well. If Pettine and the team captains are tossing him a game ball in the visitors' locker room Sunday afternoon, everyone is sleeping soundly.

The Browns showed plenty of pluck in the first three games. Pettine has every right to feel confident about his group, especially if the underachieving defense improves and his special teams stop keeping both sides in the game.

He's also correct in saying fans and media are the ones with the luxury of predicting the Browns' record in this five-game block.

A big part of building respectability is beating teams you're expected to beat. The Browns are relatively healthy, rested and coming off a bye week. What more could they ask for heading into a road game against a 1-3 opponent?

There is low-hanging fruit available Sunday. It's pick, or be picked.