New England Patriots: Defending AFC Champions Take On the Tennessee Titans

New England Patriots at Tennessee Titans
Sunday, 9/9/12, 1:00 PM EST, TV: CBS
Opening Point Spread: New England -7
Current Betting Line: New England -5
Opening Total: 47.5
Current Total: 47
Odds Courtesy of Bookmaker

Patriots vs. Dolphins NFL Preview — The New England Patriots will try to put last year’s painful Super Bowl loss in the rear-view mirror Sunday

New England has won eight consecutive season openers, which is obviously going to attract a lot of action at the betting window, as they look to move past last year’s loss to the New York Giants in the Super Bowl. “There’s certainly at lot of excitement from everybody in the locker room,” commented Patriots quarterback Tom Brady. “It’s been a long training camp.” The squad is use to winning, capturing eight of the last nine AFC East division titles. New England is 6-0 ATS on the road when the total is between 45.5 and 49 points.

The Patriots figure to put up tremendous offensive numbers again with Brady under center, as he finished last year with 5,235 passing yards. New England was 1-3 during the 2012 NFL preseason, including a 6-3 loss to the Giants in a game that figured to offer the franchise a chance at revenge, but head coach Bill Belichick rested virtually all of his starters. The Patriots lead the all-time series, 21-15-1, but have some issues on the offensive line. Brady has won four of his five games against the Titans, including a 59-0 blowout win three years ago.

Tennessee begins it second season under head coach Mike Munchak, as he led the franchise to a second-place finish in the AFC South and a 9-7 overall record. The Titans will have a new leader on offense, with second-year player Jake Locker taking over for veteran Matt Hasselbeck, something that was announced prior to the team’s third preseason game. The former Washington Huskies star passed for 542 yards and four touchdowns without an interception in limited action last year. Tennessee is 2-1 ATS as a home underdog since 2010.

The Titans are 8-5 in regular season home openers at LP Field, as the team is expecting its 137th consecutive sell out at the venue. Tennessee averaged 335.1 yards per game offensively last year, which is nearly 100 yards less than its season-opening opponent finished with (428.0). Locker completed 31 of 60 passes for 316 yards during the preseason. With Kenny Britt suspended for the opener, expect rookie wide receiver Kendall Wright to see plenty of action. Running back Chris Johnson also figures to get the ball quite a bit, as he participated in a full offseason, which wasn’t the case in 2011.