Win or lose in Week 8, the Tennessee Titans will still be atop the AFC South standings, but it’s going to go a long way for their playoff aspirations if they beat the Indianapolis Colts on Sunday on the road. The Colts, who are trailing Tennessee in the division, can slice the Titans’ lead with a victory at home. Check out our preview of this game below.
Tennessee is arguably the scariest team right now in the NFL. Any team that defeated the Buffalo Bills and the Kansas City Chiefs in back-to-back fashion is certainly one that should be feared. The Titans beat Buffalo (34-31) and clobbered the Chiefs (27-3) in their last two games. Tennessee’s win over Kansas City should erase any doubts about the Titans’ legitimacy as a contender in the AFC, at the very least. Although it’s looking like a down year for the Chiefs, the Titans looked so impressive in limiting Kansas City’s offense to just a field goal. What the Titans did to Buffalo and Kansas City can be done to a Colts team that owns a middle-of-the-road offense and one that ranks just 31st in red-zone touchdown rate. Conversely, the Titans are seventh in defensive red-zone touchdown rate. As for their offense, the Titans can lean on running back Derrick Henry, who’s arguably the most unstoppable individual force in the NFL today.
The Titans are 5-1 against the spread in their last 6 games overall.
Don’t underestimate the positive impact of momentum, which the Colts certainly have going into this matchup against the Titans. Carson Wentz and the Colts are coming off a morale-boosting 30-18 road win over the San Francisco 49ers in Week 7 that gave Indianapolis its first set of back-to-back wins of the season. The Colts are now 3-1 in their last four games, a stretch that came after a 0-3 start. The Titans have looked incredible of late, but nobody should be sleeping on a Colts team that looked good in slaying the Niners. Wentz threw for 150 yards and two touchdowns without an interception on 17/26 completions while battling the elements in Santa Clara. And while the Titans have Henry, the Colts have Jonathan Taylor, who’s been a showstopper in the backfield for Indianapolis. Taylor enters Week 8 with 579 rushing yards and five touchdowns on 105 carries this season.
The Colts are 4-0 against the spread in their last four games overall.
