Tennessee at Buffalo
Time: NOON CT
Spread: TEN -5.5
Total: 39.5
Odds c/o 5dimes
The Tennessee Titans won its third consecutive game in Week 4, knocking off the Philadelphia Eagles 26-23 to improve to 3-1. It now travels to face the Buffalo Bills in Week 5 as 5.5-point favorites in a game that will air at Noon (CT) on CBS. The over/under is set at 39.5 points according to NFL oddsmakers at bookmaker 5dimes.
TEN
The Titans reinserted Marcus Mariota into the starting line up after he returned from an injury that had held him out the early part of this season. He did not disappoint. The former Oregon quarterback threw 30 of 43 for 344 yards, two touchdowns while throwing one pick and incurring three sacks for a loss of 17 yards. Mariota also led the Titans in rushing, picking up 46 yards and a TD on 10 attempts, while Derrick Henry and Dion Lewis carried just 12 times between themselves for only 24 yards. The Titans managed just 3.2 yards-per-attempt in the game, but still outgunned the Eagles in overtime by outscoring Philly 6-3 in the OT period.
Corey Davis had the game of the day for Tennessee. The wide receiver caught nine passes for 161 yards and a TD, including a 51-yard catch. Taywan Taylor caught seven for 77 yards, while Lewis added nine receptions for 66 yards. With Lewis functioning better in option plays and Mariota being the top-rusher from the QB position, Tennessee’s offense is now changing with its QB-change, and mostly for the better.
The Titans trailed 10-3 at the half, but Mariota got going as the game progressed, and one must figure he looks even better in his second start this week. The Bills give up 26.5 points per game, ranking No. 19 in the NFL, and it is the worst scoring team in the league, so if Mariota can continue to create the offense, the Titans should win again, and probably by more than the 5.5-points it is favored by.
BUF
Buffalo averages just 12.5 points per game, which ranks No. 31 in the league. It has the No. 32 pass offense at just 132.5 yards per game and it hardly rushes well, at just 88.3 yards per game and a No. 24 ranking amongst NFL teams. The Bills Josh Allen has struggled. The quarterback has thrown just 53.4 percent for completion while averaging only 6.5 yards-per-attempt, and he has twice as many interceptions (4) as touchdowns (2). His 3.9 percent interception ratio is accordingly over twice as high as his TD percentage, and he has a passer rating of just 63.8. The Bills also have scored only three rushing TDs, with Allen accounting for two of them. Allen also leads the Bills in rushing as the only player with over 100-yards on the season.
Veteran LeSean McCoy has mostly disappointed with his 21 rushes for 85 yards. McCoy has a long-rush of 27 yards, but he has managed just three first downs this season, and Chris Ivory is averaging just 2.1 yards-per-carry despite 31 attempts. The Bills have little going for it, and at 1-3 it is lucky to have even secured victory with the pathetic offensive production it has mustered.
McCoy should be capable of more, because this team will not win many games with Allen as its leading rusher, and just going for 4.3 yards-per-carry on a team that manages only 3.6 per attempt. Buffalo has some struggles there may not be a way to overcome, while Tennessee is probably just starting to play its best football. This could be much more lopsided than NFL oddsmakers are projecting, really.
