NFL Week 3 Betting Odds: Detroit Lions vs. Tennessee Titans

Detroit Lions at Tennessee Titans
Sunday, 9/23/12, 1:00 PM EST, TV: FOX
Opening Point Spread: Detroit -3
Current Betting Line: Detroit -3.5
Opening Total: 47
Current Total: 46.5
Odds Courtesy of Bookmaker

Titans Jaguars NFL Preview — Tennessee Titans RB Chris Johnson is off to another awful start in 2012

Detroit returns home after suffering a 27-19 loss to the San Francisco 49ers as seven-point road underdogs last week. The Lions are hoping that quarterback Matthew Stafford is able to take care of the football better, throwing for four interceptions and two touchdowns in splitting the first two games of the 2012 NFL campaign. The former Georgia Bulldogs star finished last year with 5,038 yards and 41 scoring strikes. Detroit is 7-6 ATS as a favorite the last two-plus seasons, which is important to note when looking at the pro football odds page.

The Lions may have a tougher time than usual getting the ball to Pro Bowl wide receiver Calvin Johnson, as Sunday’s opponent will be covering him with cornerback Jason McCourty, who has some size and is a strong press defender. Detroit may try to implement a balanced attack offensively, as 2011 second-round pick Mikel Leshoure is expected to make his league debut. On the other side of the ball, defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh will look to build on the 2.5 sacks he tallied in the first two weeks.

Tennessee was handed a 38-10 blowout loss by the San Diego Chargers as 6.5-point road underdogs last week, as the franchise is 0-2 straight-up and against the spread this year. “We’re starting off not playing the way we thought,” commented Titans second-year head coach Mike Munchak. “We have too much work ahead of us.” The team has a great chance of bouncing back against an NFC opponent, going 28-12 in that situation since 2002, which is the third-best mark in the league in that span. Tennessee is 2-0 ATS after two straight losses by 10 or more points.

The Titans will take on a Lions team led by Jim Schwartz, who served as an assistant coach with the franchise for 10 seasons. From 2001 through 2008, he was the team’s defensive coordinator under former head coach Jeff Fisher. Tennessee has compiled a 65-39 all-time record at LP Field, as it also looks for its fourth consecutive win in this particular series. Star running back Chris Johnson has yet to get going, rushing for only 21 combined yards in the first two games.