MNF PREVIEW: TENNESSEE TITANS AT DENVER BRONCOS

BY ADAM GREENE

While we can complain about the NFL schedulers for the complete garbage nature of the opening Monday Night Game of Week One, the nightcap can only be blamed on the fickle finger of fate.

Before Denver Broncos edge rusher Von Miller went down with a season-ending ankle injury, this one looked like a fun game to watch. The fact that wide receiver Courtland Sutton might be held out too with a bum shoulder is just one more strike against a Broncos team that has to feel a little cursed.

Still, we’re staying up past midnight and playing a game that seems significantly less important than it was a week ago.

TENNESSEE TITANS AT DENVER BRONCOS (+2, O/U: 40.5)

Location: Empower Field at Mile High Stadium, Denver, Colo.

Kickoff: Sept. 14, 10:10 p.m.

Broadcast: ESPN

TENNESSEE TITANS (0-0)

While no one is picking the Titans to miss the playoffs this year, I’m not seeing a lot of love for the team from Tennessee that caused more heartache and torn bet slips than any other in recent memory. The Titans literally ran through the AFC playoffs last season, only to crash into the buzzsaw that was a Kansas City Chiefs team down by double digits in the AFC Championship Game. Getting ahead of the Chiefs by 10 or more was the worst thing you could do last January, but Tennessee just couldn’t help themselves.

In spite of the fact that Mike Vrabel put on a coaching clinic in the AFC postseason, only 7.38 percent of BetOnline.AG bettors picked the Titans to win the AFC. You don’t will a 9-7 team to the championship game if you haven’t got something working right. Tennessee definitely does and made sure to keep it by signing both quarterback Ryan Tannehill and running back Derrick Henry to long term extensions this season.

DENVER BRONCOS (0-0)

As I mentioned earlier, it’s been a rough week or so for the Broncos. While Sutton’s injury might just cost him a game or two, losing Miller for the year is a knockout blow. This already was a team on the outside of any serious postseason or AFC West talk. They still really don’t know what they have with second-year quarterback Drew Lock, who started just five games last year.

They made some solid free agent moves this offseason, bringing in running back Melvin Gordon and cornerback A.J. Bouye, but this was a team that was going to have to battle every week to get to .500. Now, that seems off the table.

THE PICK

Playing in Denver is always an adventure, but this is certainly the right time of year to do it. There was never a scenario, barring a catastrophic preseason injury to a member of Tennessee’s squad that I wouldn’t pick the Titans in this game. It turns out the catastrophic injury happened, it just hit the Broncos instead. Titans 27, Broncos 13

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