Tennessee Titans at New England Patriots Line
The 0-5 Tennessee Titans head to Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Massuchusetts looking for their first win of the season against the 3-2 New England Patriots this Sunday. Last week, the Titans were defeated 31-9 by division rival Indianapolis and the Patriots went down 20-17 in overtime to Denver. These teams have not faced off since Week 17 of the 2006 season when the Patriots routed the Titans 40-23. New England has won four of the last five meetings to take a 21-16-1 lead in the all-time series. NFL odds makers are confident the Titans will fall to 0-6, listing the Patriots as 9-point favorites with the total set at 43.
It’s tough to bet against Tom Brady at home. After all, the Patriots are 3-0 at home this season under Brady and 12-0 at Gillette Stadium since 2007. It’s not like Brady has needed much luck, either, as he has thrown 25 touchdowns and just five interceptions in those 12 wins. But Tom Terrific hasn’t always been terrific this season, especially in key moments. He was only 5 of 14 in the second half against the Broncos and only 23 of 47 in a loss to the Jets. When Brady has struggled the Patriot offense has struggled. Brady and the Patriots will look to get rolling against the AFC’s worst pass defense this Sunday. It is worth noting that the Patriots are 7-1 against the number in their last eight games as a home favorite of 3.5-10.0 points and 19-6-1 against the spread in their last 26 games following a straight up loss.
Titans QB Kerry Collins ranks third in the NFL among active quarterbacks with 38,471 passing yards but he seems to be running out of magic. In fact, he was replaced by Vince Young down the stretch of last week’s loss to Indianapolis. If thinks continue to spiral, Tennessee may hand the ball over to Young to see what he can do.
It is absolutely crazy that Tennessee is 0-5 when you consider how good its running game is with Chris Johnson and LenDale White. Johnson is averaging a ridiculous six yards per carry. But the Titans have been unable to find the end zone because of 13 turnovers and lackluster QB play. On top of that, Tennessee’s defense has disappointed. The Titans have shown that they can stop the run, but they are allowing 288 passing yards per game and an atrocious 71.5 percent completion rate. The recipe is simple for Tennessee at this point. Defend the pass better, control the time of possession with the running game, and don’t turn the ball over. If the Titans can do those things, they could get in the win column this week. If not, we’ve seen the result. It is worth noting that the Titans are a perfect 8-0 against the spread in their last eight games as an underdog of 3.5-10.0 points.
