NFL: Tennessee Titans at Denver Broncos

By BetOnline October 11, 2019

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The Denver Broncos got on the board last week with a comfortable win over the Los Angeles Chargers. While it was their first win of the season, they lost two games on last-second field goals, so they were probably better than their 0-4 record indicated. Can they make it two in a row and beat an unpredictable Tennessee Titans team?

TENNESSEE TITANS AT DENVER BRONCOS
NFL ODDS: BRONCOS -2
NFL TOTAL: 39

WHY THE TITANS WILL COVER THE SPREAD

The Titans’ defense is clearly doing its job. Tennessee allowed just 10 points to the Atlanta Falcons in Week 4, then just 14 points to the Buffalo Bills in Week 5. They have not allowed more than 20 points in any game this season. On the year, their average is at 15.2 points, which is one of the best marks in the NFL and should translate to a better record than 2-3.

Realistically, this team should be 3-2 as they lost by seven points last week but also missed four field goals last week. However, the offense has been terribly inconsistent. Quarterback Marcus Mariota only completed 13 passes last week and it’s the fourth time this season he’s completed 19 passes or less. He’s up against a Broncos pass defense that’s allowing opposing quarterbacks to complete 65% of their passes this season. He has to be better.

On the other side of the ball, the Denver Broncos have struggled on offense this season, scoring more than 20 points just once and averaging just 18 points per game overall, so this is a matchup the Titans have to love. They can pounce on a vulnerable Joe Flacco and lock down an impotent Bronco attack. The Titans’ defense versus the Broncos’ offense is a mismatch in favor of Tennessee.

WHY THE BRONCOS WILL COVER THE SPREAD

Everything you can say about the matchup between Tennessee’s defense and Denver’s offense also applies to the other sides of the ball in this game.

The Titans scored 43 points in their opening game against the Cleveland Browns, but have been atrocious ever since. Tennessee has averaged 13.8 points per game in its last four games, topping the 17-point mark only once in that span. The Titans allowed nine sacks to the Jacksonville Jaguars in a Thursday night loss a few weeks ago and were worked by the Buffalo Bills last week. Von Miller has to be salivating here.

On offense, the Broncos will have to grind this out as the Titans’ defense does not give up easy plays. However, Denver’s offense hasn’t been too bad (it’s not good but it is better than last year). Joe Flacco has four touchdowns and two picks in the last two games and the running game finally thrived last week, picking up 191 yards on 32 carries (6.0 per carry). If they build on that, they’ll be in good shape at home.

TAKING A LOOK AT THE TOTAL

Two good defense and two suspect offenses makes this sound like an under. That’s especially true as both teams don’t have elite quarterbacks and will be looking to run the ball a lot. That means we’re probably looking at something like 17-14 or 16-13.