George Just Plows Through Browns

Eddie George wasn’t slowed by the driving snow, icy winds or frozen field. The Cleveland Browns couldn’t stop him either.

George rushed for 176 yards in 34 carries and scored three touchdowns Sunday as the Titans overcame frigid conditions in a 24-0 victory over the Cleveland Browns.

“That was Eddie’s game,” said Titan wide receiver Derrick Mason. “They put eight and nine guys in the box and he still got three and four yards. He was the MVP.”

The Titans (12-3) won their third in a row and moved closer to winning the AFC Central and clinching home-field advantage throughout the playoffs.

Tennessee, which posted its first shutout in seven seasons, can clinch home field with a victory on Christmas night against Dallas or a Baltimore loss to the New York Jets on Sunday.

The Titans, unable to throw in the blustery conditions with wind-chill temperatures as low as minus-10, figured the safest thing was to give the ball to George, who carried 25 times for 115 yards and two touchdowns in the first half.

George also scored three touchdowns when the Titans beat the Browns on Nov. 19, and his sixth 100-yard rushing game this season gave him a career-high 1,426 yards.

A toe injury prevented George from practicing most of the week and he was slow getting up after a three-yard run on the final play of the third quarter.

But moments later, George broke off a 35-yard touchdown run to make it 24-0.

“This kind of weather is made for Eddie,” Titan quarterback Steve McNair said. “In December, you rely on the running game and that’s what we did today.”

Tennessee Coach Jeff Fisher, in his sixth season, won his 60th game and passed Bum Phillips as the winningest coach in franchise history. Fisher is 60-45 with the Titans. Phillips went 59-38 in six seasons coaching the Houston Oilers, who later moved and became the Titans.

A painful second season back in the NFL mercifully ended for the Browns, who had a 3-13 record --including losses in the final five games--and were shut out four times.

Cleveland owner Al Lerner said Sunday he expects Coach Chris Palmer to agree with some proposed changes the front office has in mind and would probably return for his third season.

Palmer, whose job security came into question after the Browns were outscored, 92-7, in consecutive games, unveiled yet another offensive wrinkle. A week after using two wide receivers at quarterback against Philadelphia, Palmer had running backs Travis Prentice and Jamel White at quarterback in the first half.

The Browns couldn’t get anything going, however, and finished with only 113 total yards.