The New England Patriots are back in familiar territory: the playoffs. The defending Super Bowl champions will kick off their postseason campaign at home against the Tennessee Titans, who are coached by a former Pats star in Mike Vrabel. Will the Pats fold? Or will Tom Brady and company take care of business at home? The sportsbook favors the Patriots by 4.5-points after they opened as 5-point favorites.
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Betting Preview for the Tennessee Titans vs New England Patriots NFL Regular Season AFC Wild Card Game on January 4, 2020
Where: Gillette Stadium, Foxboro
When: Saturday, January 4, 2020, 8:15 PM ET
Line: Tennessee Titans (+4.5) vs. New England Patriots (-4.5) – view all NFL lines
TV Broadcast: CBS
Betting on the Tennessee Titans (9-7)
The Titans have made great strides ever since they turned the starting duties under center from Marcus Mariota to Ryan Tannehill. The Titans’ offense has improved dramatically with Tannehill, while running back Derrick Henry has elevated his play along the way. The Titans are 10th in the NFL with 25.1 points per game and 12th with 362.8 total yards per contest. Tannehill has 2,742 passing yards and 22 touchdowns against six interceptions and has completed 70.3 percent of his passes in 12 games played so far this season. As for Henry, the hulking tailback finished the regular season as the NFL’s top rusher with 1,540 rushing yards and 16 touchdowns on 303 rushing attempts. Adding to the optimism of the Titans in their chances to upset New England is the Patriots’ loss in Foxboro in Week 17 to the Miami Dolphins, who had Ryan Fitzpatrick throwing for over 320 yards.
The Titans are 3-0 against the spread (ATS) in their last three road games.
Betting on the New England Patriots (12-4)
The second half of the season was not great for the Patriots, who are coming off a stunning 27-24 home loss to the Dolphins in Week 17. Tom Brady may be the greatest player of all time, but father time seems to be catching up with him. Against the Dolphins, Brady went 16 for 29 for 221 passing yards and two touchdowns with an interception that was returned by Miami for a touchdown. Still, the Patriots are a team that shouldn’t be taken for what they’ve shown in a previous game because when it comes to adjustments, there’s arguably no one better than Bill Belichick and company. The Patriots’ defense will be key in the wild card. New England is no. 1 overall in scoring defense with just 14.1 points allowed per game. The Patriots’ defense has struggled against young quarterbacks who could run with the ball, which Tannehill clearly isn’t.
The Patriots, who are averaging 26.2 points per outing, are 6-4 ATS in their last 10 games.
Writer’s Prediction
The Titans stun the Patriots in a 26-23 win.
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