The first touchdown
Situation: 1st and 10 at TEN 17 – 6:57 left in the fourth quarter, Browns trailing 28-15
Formation: Single-back, two tight ends, two wide receivers lined up to the left.
Play call: Brian Hoyer play-action, bootleg right. Jordan Cameron (black circle) was the option on a flat route to the corner of the end zone, but drew double coverage. Taylor Gabriel (blue circle) was the option on a seven-yard low crossing route and didn't provide Hoyer with enough separation to make the throw. Benjamin (red circle) was the option on a 13-yard high crossing route, running parallel with Gabriel.
Reaction: Sensing something was up because the whistle hadn't been blown, Benjamin glanced back at Hoyer and saw he was in trouble, so he adjusted. "When I see a scramble rule drill, I just uncover," said Benjamin, meaning – play street football and do whatever means necessary to get open. So Benjamin started peeling off towards his left, where the Titans lacked any type of coverage.
Result: Benjamin's quick-thinking made his defender, Brandon Harris slip to the turf. Hoyer was able to locate Benjamin, step up and throw a seamless spiral in the back of the end zone. The touchdown displayed supreme athletic ability from two players coming off ACL surgery.
Travis Benjamin's second touchdown
Situation: 2nd and 4 at TEN 6 – 1:15 left in the fourth quarter, Browns trailing 28-22
Formation: Shotgun, empty backfield (Ben Tate split far left), one tight end, four wide receivers.
Play call: A classic NFL red zone play: the high-low. Hoyer quickly reads the right and middle side of the field, with the hope that his eyes will lure the Tennessee away from his real target: Benjamin. Ben Tate (black circle) runs a quick slant route to lure his defender to the middle of the field. Benjamin's original route calls for a post towards the middle of the end zone.
Reaction: Benjamin realized Titans safety Bernard Pollard was playing outside leverage, because he didn't want the speedy receiver to beat him on a corner route. "I bent in, to give Pollard a fake," said Benjamin. "When I turned, he cut underneath of me. Then I was in the back of the end zone."
Result: "When Hoyer threw the ball I knew I would have to jump high to get it," said Benjamin, with a sly smile. "Right foot down first and left toe drag next." The play gave the Browns the 29-28 win and the biggest road comeback victory in NFL history.
Summing it up: Now in his third NFL season, Benjamin is showing he has natural football instincts to outsmart defenders. Couple his improved awareness with his blazing speed, and Benjamin is going to give opponents problems for the rest of the 2014 season.
