The Tennessee Titans, 2-6 and coming off their bye week, should be relatively rested and prepared as they turn their attention toward the slumping Baltimore Ravens. Meanwhile, the Ravens need a break of their own as they return home after back-to-back road losses. Will the Titans have made the necessary adjustments? Or will the Ravens prove to be too much for them?
For a peek at Baltimore’s competition in AFC North, check out our preview for Thursday Night Football’s Cleveland Browns vs. Cincinnati Bengals. You can also check out Sunday night’s football action between the Chicago Bears and Green Bay Packers (preview here).
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Tennessee Titans vs. Baltimore Ravens Preview
Where: M&T Bank Stadium, Baltimore
When: Sunday, November 9, 1:00 PM ET
Line: Tennessee Titans (+10) at Baltimore Ravens (-10); total 44.0 – view all NFL lines
Betting on the Tennessee Titans
Tennessee’s rookie quarterback Zach Mettenberger, passed for 299 yards with two touchdowns and an interception in his first career start as a pro, a 30-16 loss to the Houston Texans. The Titans are 0-4-1 ATS following a loss this season.
[sc:NFL240banner ]Fresh off their bye week, the Titans reportedly worked on their poor third down conversion (32nd in the league with a 30 percent conversion rate) and red zone offense with their new quarterback.
After having a full week more to familiarize himself with the offense, Mettenberger and the Titans will have an opportunity to test their adjustments when they go against Baltimore’s pass defense (263.2 yards allowed per game, 26th in the league).
It will be interesting to see if Tennessee’s run game will continue to struggle. The Titans have rushed for an average 83 yards in their last four games. Leading the rushing attack will be running back Bishop Sankey, who has moved into the starting role in the past two games, finishing with 91 yards on 25 carries. Sankey will have a tough front seven to crack in his return to competition as Baltimore allows 86.4 rushing yards per game, good for sixth in the NFL.
On the other side of the ball, Tennessee’s pass rush has been effective, finishing with 15 sacks in their last four games. Putting Ravens quarterback Joe Flacco under pressure early can force him to throw some ill-advised passes for a possible turnover. Flacco has thrown five interceptions in the past three games.
The Titans are 1-4 in their last five games.
Betting on the Baltimore Ravens
The Baltimore Ravens were blown out by the Pittsburgh Steelers 43-23 for their second-straight loss Sunday. Quarterback Joe Flacco went 30 for 45 for 303 yards with two touchdowns and an interception. The offensive line was unable to protect him as he was sacked four times for a combined loss of 34 yards.
It didn’t help that leading receiver Steve Smith Sr. continued to struggle. Smith was limited to less than 40 yards for the second-straight game after averaging 91.4 yards per game in the first seven contests. However, wide receiver Torrey Smith has been there to pick up the slack in the receiving corps with four touchdown receptions in his last three appearances. With the Titans allowing 241 passing yards per game, the two top receivers should be able to step up their playmaking.
The Ravens are also coming off their worst rushing performance this season. They failed to establish the run against Pittsburgh as they were held to 63 yards on 18 rush attempts. However, Baltimore’s running attack may once again show dominance against Tennessee’s front seven, which has allowed 134.8 yards per game.
Spearheading the attack will be running back Justin Forsett, who leads the Ravens with 5.4 yards per carry. Forsett will be especially valuable in the open field as he can power through defenders to gain considerable yardage. Meanwhile, Lorenzo Taliaferro has become a valuable red zone scorer for the Ravens. All four of Taliaferro’s touchdowns have come from 10 yards or less out.
Defensively, the Ravens’ touted scoring defense has taken a hit in the past two games. They allowed 70 combined points to Cincinnati and Pittsburgh, well over their current average of 19.3 points allowed per game.
With the Titans fielding a rookie quarterback, expect the Ravens to turn up their pass rush, led by linebacker Elvis Dumervil, who leads the team with eight sacks this season.
The total has gone under in four of the Ravens’ last five games against AFC South teams.
Writer’s Prediction
The Baltimore Ravens break their two-game losing streak with a big home win against the Tennessee. Create a betting account now and cash in on all the NFL action this weekend.
