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With division games in the NFL never failing to be entertaining, the Tennessee Titans will suit up for action as they take on the Houston Texans in what should be a battle to the finish. Join us for our NFL odds series where our Titans-Texans prediction and pick will be revealed.
The skies surrounding the city of Nashville were no question dark and gloomy when the top-seed in the AFC from last year in the Tennessee Titans began this season 0-2, but the Titans have quickly righted their wrongs and have reeled off four-straight wins to put themselves right back in the thick of the upper-echelon of the AFC. A combination of coming up with key turnovers, playing stingy defense, and relying on the running game in the 19-10 win versus the Colts, the Titans have found their rhythm and are officially clicking on all cylinders.
Entering play with a 1-4-1 record, the lowly Texans finally got their first win of the season against the Jaguars two weeks prior before laying an egg versus a slumping Raiders squad last weekend by a score of 38-20. Regardless, Houston is encouraged by some young and talented pieces on this roster that could prove that there are brighter days ahead for this organization.
Here are the Titans-Texans NFL odds, courtesy of FanDuel.
NFL Odds: Titans-Texans Odds
Tennessee Titans: -2.5 (-115)
Houston Texans: +2.5 (-105)
Over: 40.5 (-110)
Under: 40.5 (-110)
Why The Titans Could Cover The Spread
While the 0-2 start to the season was less than ideal, the Titans have been unblemished since and have reverted back to their old winning formula that proved to be so successful in recent campaigns. Regardless of the general football public believing that QB Ryan Tannehill is someone you might not be able to win a Super Bowl with, the Titans do a phenomenal job in making life easier for their signal caller by relying on workhorse running back Derrick Henry and implementing the play-action pass based on the ground game. However, after spraining his right ankle during the fourth quarter of the win last week, Tannehill's availability is up in the air as the Titans may be forced to give the reigns to rookie quarterback Malik Wills for his first-ever NFL start.
With that being said, don't be surprised if the Tennessee offense finds success on early downs by getting Henry involved early versus a soft Houston defense. Without a doubt, the key to success and covering the spread will be under King Henry and his ability to run circles around Houston's run defense.
In addition, the Titans' defense this season has been no joke, and they excel at keeping opposing offenses off of the scoreboard, as they only have given up an average of 21.3 points per game. This could end up working in Tennessee's favor, as the Texans boast an offense that has struggled to find paydirt all season long.
Why The Texans Could Cover The Spread
Squaring off with the Titans for the first time of two meetings this season, Houston possesses a bottom-five roster on paper and will need a tremendous effort to stay neck-in-neck with a Tennessee team that is not far removed from possessing home-field advantage in last year's playoffs. Nevertheless, Houston will do everything in their power to return to form from a couple of weeks ago when the defense only surrendered six points to Jacksonville. Last week, the Texans let the Raiders amass more than 400 yards of total offense and absolutely crumbled in the second half of play when they allowed Las Vegas to score a whopping four touchdowns en route to the loss.
In order to cover the +2.5-point spread as visitors, it is vital for Houston to patch up their run defense that got plowed by Raiders running back Josh Jacobs. Certainly, things could end up being even more challenging with Derrick Henry on the slate, so the Texans do not have time to mess around. If they cannot stop Henry in his tracks, then it could prove to be a long day for Houston.
While the defense will need to step up in a big way, it will be important for the Texans to get off to a hot start early. Whether this means making QB Davis Mills feel comfortable early or giving the bulk of the carries to rookie phenom Dameon Pierce, this Texans offensive attack will have to prove that they can come up with key plays in order to force the opposing Malik Willis to respond.
Final Titans-Texans Prediction & Pick
This is definitely an intriguing matchup on paper with Willis possibly getting the start, but that shouldn't matter in this one. With a lethal dosage of Derrick Henry and Tennessee playing red-hot, the Texans will have their hands full.
Final Titans-Texans Prediction & Pick: Titans -2.5 (-115)
