Favored Titans Host Struggling Seahawks
Who: Seattle Seahawks v. Tennessee Titans
When: Sunday September 24th, 2017 4:05PM EST
Where: LP Field—Nashville, Tennessee
The Tennessee Titans entered this season with a lot of hype surrounding them, and for good reason. Having said that, the first game of the season ended in disappointment as the Titans dropped to the Oakland Raiders. Having said that, fans of Tennessee were not overly disappointed due to the fact that Raiders are going to be a great team this year by the looks of it.
When it comes to the matchup against the Seahawks, it will be the Seahawks offense against the Titans secondary. Up to this point, the Seahawks’ offense has mostly spun its wheels and has had its fair share of struggles. Though they have performed well in front of their own crowd, their offense has done next to nothing when they are playing away from home. This is confusing because Russel Wilson is regarded as one of the best quarterbacks and, if nothing else, is known for his consistency. It is difficult to pinpoint why, but the Seahawks’ offense has been anything but consistent.
The Titans’ offense, on the other hand, seemed to have finally gotten into a groove by the time their game last weekend with Jacksonville came to an end. The one thing that sticks out about this matchup is that, as was mentioned above, one of these teams plays well at home while the other does not, both this season and historically. What’s more, it just so happens that the Titans are a team that does well in front of their home crowd. Add that to the fact that I legitimately think the Titans are the better team, and it is easy to see why a lot of folks like them to improve to 2-1.
Game Overview and Analysis
When the Titans (-141) take the field in front of their home crowd, they will do unsure of whether Demarco Murray will be playing or not. While this may initially seem like a big deal, once you realize that he did not exceed 25 yards rushing last weekend and did not take part in much of the second half, things calm down a bit. Derrick Henry, the youngster, will be on the receiving end of a majority of the carries for the Titans, and after gaining 92 on the ground last week it is easy to see why.
If Marcus Mariota can continue to improve as he did from Week 1 to Week 2, I think he will link up with targets such as Eric Decker, Delaney Walker, and Rishard Matthews and have himself a day. The Titans’ defense has done well this season and I think that trend is very much going to continue on Sunday. Apart from the secondary—which did improve from Week 1 to 2—the Titans have a great run-stopping defense as well as one that is going to get in Russel Wilson’s face early and often.
The Seahawks (+121) have scored just 21 total points through their first 2 games and it is clear to see that their offense is perhaps their biggest issue. Up to this point, the defense has taken care of things for the most part. In Week 1, in Green Bay, the Seahawks played a poor game offensively but were still only down by 1 score (and a successful 2-point conversion) when the game was winding down, and that is thanks to their defense.
If Russel Wilson, who has barely over 350 yards passing in 2 games, continues at this rate, there may be some Seahawks fans calling for his head. If there was ever a team to have a good passing day against, it would be the Titans. Their secondary was near the bottom of the barrel last year and has not been exactly dominant this year. This is, indeed, an interesting matchup, but I think the Titans are the stronger of the two teams. The reason for this is due to the fact that the Seahawks have no pass protection and even less of a run game. I do not see that changing in a week’s time, and I see the Titans winning.
betting Prediction
If you are going to go with BetOnline’s moneyline, I think the Titans (-141) are the best pick. I think this for a few different reasons. For one, the Titans play well at home, as we mentioned before. Secondly, they are playing better than the Seahawks in every way except for pass defense. Seeing as the Seahawks are not having a great time passing the ball, I have to give this one to Tennessee.
The Titans are also -2.5 (-110) favorites on the point spread, and I think this is a good bet to make for the same reasons as were mentioned above.
The over/under is listed at 42 points (-105/-115) and I think you should go with the under (-115) on this one. The Seahawks cannot score and I do not trust that the Titans are going to pile it on against the Seahawks.