The Tennessee Titans have found new life since the mid season quarterback change from underachieving and erratic Marcus Mariota to seasoned veteran Ryan Tannehill. The Titans have now won four straight and 6 of their last 7 going 5-1-1 against the spread in the process. The improbable turnaround of a team that was 2-4 in mid-October could continue at home on Sunday as they face the Houston Texans with the winner claiming sole possession of the AFC South lead.
Houston has plenty of talent led by quarterback Deshaun Watson but they’re held back by the dubious game management skills of head coach Bill O’Brien. The Texans were badly beaten at home by an underrated Denver team last time out losing 38-24 as -8 home favorites. Before that they had won 4 of 5 though were just 2-3 ATS in that stretch. The Texans will have a pair of games remaining after Sunday’s contest at Nashville as they play the Tampa Bay Bucs on the road on 12/21 before ending the season at home on 12/29 in a rematch against the Titans. The Titans will have a tougher challenge before the 12/29 rematch as they’ll host the New Orleans Saints on 12/22.
Tennessee has always been pretty solid on defense and they currently have the #9 scoring defense in the NFL. Now they’ve got a solid offense to help them with the one-two punch of Tannehill and running back Derrick Henry who has been a beast during the Titans’ turnaround. Herny now has 4 straight games of 100+ yards rushing with totals of 188, 159, 149 and 103 in his last four outings.
Overall, there seems to be a lot more upside with a resurgent Tennessee Titans team that now boasts a multifaceted offensive attack to go with their tough defense. Some concerns about the Titans’ kicking game–they’re among the league leaders in missed field goals with nine–but with the tougher defense and against an overrated Houston team they’re definitely the play here.
