The struggling Tennessee Titans needed a last-gasp special teams play to beat the winless Jacksonville Jaguars at home, but it was enough to end a four-game losing streak. They now head to the nation’s capital to face a team in the midst of a four-game skid of their own in the Washington Redskins.
Over on the other end of the NFL standings, the San Francisco 49ers and Denver Broncos engage in what could easily be a dress rehearsal for this year’s Super Bowl. Don’t miss our preview of that game here. In the meantime, stick around as we preview this battle of the cellar-dwellers.
[sc:Football ]Tennessee Titans vs. Washington Redskins Betting Preview
Where: FedEx Field, Landover
When: Sunday, October 19, 1:00 PM ET
Line: Tennessee Titans (+4.5) vs. Washington Redskins (-4.5); total 46.5 – view all NFL lines
Betting on the Tennessee Titans
It took a blocked field goal in the final moments of the game for the Tennessee Titans to eventually beat the Jacksonville Jaguars 16-14 on Sunday to keep the Jags winless on the season. The win broke the Titans’ four-game losing skid, but they failed to cover, keeping them winless against the spread in their last five.
[sc:NFL240banner ]Quarterback Charlie Whitehurst played competently in his second start in place of the injured Jake Locker. The career backup completed 60 percent of his passes for 233 yards and no touchdowns. However, the Titans running game missing lead back Shonn Greene could only muster 2.9 yards per carry against a subpar Jaguars run defense.
The Titans’ inability to run the ball could be attributed to yet another shakeup in an already inconsistent offensive line. With starting left tackle Michael Roos out for the season, first-round pick Taylor Lewan made his first start protecting Whitehurst’s blindside. Speaking of blindsides, free agent signing Michael Oher has struggled, as have 2013’s big-money signing Andy Levitre and first-round pick Chance Warmack.
The way to attack the Redskins defense this season has been through the air, and the Titans have the big play receivers in Justin Hunter and Delanie Walker to do some damage. However, that O-line will need to keep Whitehurst upright against a tough Redskins pass rush in order to capitalize.
The Titans’ own pass defense has done reasonably well, ranking in the top 10 in sacks (15) and interceptions (seven). Six of those sacks came last week against Blake Bortles. This figures to be a favorable combination against Redskins quarterback Kirk Cousins, who could be susceptible to throwing interceptions when faced with enough pressure.
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Betting on the Washington Redskins
After the Kirk Cousins era began with a close 37-34 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles, things have gone downhill since as the Redskins have now dropped their last four games in a row. They have also failed to cover the spread in their last three games.
Despite Cousins putting up big passing numbers (he ranks third in the NFL with 314 yards per game), he’s given just as much back with some bad turnovers. Cousins has thrown eight touchdowns against eight interceptions, or one pick every 23.5 pass attempts. That mark is the second-worst for regular starting quarterbacks behind rookie Blake Bortles.
In an attempt to limit Cousins’ mistakes, the Redskins could opt to run the ball more, something that wasn’t much of an option in past weeks against the tough run defenses of Seattle and Arizona.
Tennessee hasn’t had much success against the run themselves. The Titans are averaging over 127.7 rushing yards allowed per game, 24th in the league.
Defensively, the Redskins have been hemorrhaging points, giving up 34.8 over their last four games. But there’s more than enough talent in the front seven to make plays, especially in the pass rush. The Titans aren’t exactly offensive juggernauts, and with a very inconsistent offensive line in front of a shaky quarterback in Charlie Whitehurst, this game is as good a time as any for the Redskins defense to shine.
Writer’s Prediction
The Titans nearly lost to the Jaguars at home, one week after surrendering a 25-point lead to the Browns. Those are two compelling enough reasons to take Kirk Cousins and the Redskins (-4.5) to win and cover on their home turf.
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