The Tennessee Titans (5-3) will look to get back on the winning track in Week 10 when they host the Denver Broncos (3-5) at Nissan Stadium in Nashville on Sunday afternoon.
Tennessee is coming off a near upset of the Kansas City Chiefs in Week 9, a game that went to overtime and ended up with a 20-17 final. Meanwhile, Denver is coming off a Week 8 win and a bye.
The deck is stacked against the Titans once again this week thanks to injuries, as four defensive starters (Bud Dupree, Jeffery Simmons, Zach Cunningham and Amani Hooker) have been ruled out, while another (Kristian Fulton) is questionable.
As if that wasn’t enough to worry about, quarterback Ryan Tannehill went from a full practice on Thursday to a limited practice on Friday and is questionable.
The Broncos are dealing with their own injuries on the defensive side of the ball going into this game, but not to the extent that the Titans are
Knowing what we know now, there’s a good chance many experts who were picking the Titans might now go with the Broncos thanks to these injuries, but is our staff still confident in Tennessee’s chances of winning?
We find out now with our Week 10 staff picks.
Tyler Rowland
The Tennessee Titans’ defense is banged up and will be missing multiple key starters after that grueling loss to Kansas City. Luckily for the Titans, Denver’s offense is one of the worst in the league.
While the Broncos have a talented secondary, their defensive front is as banged up as the Titans, and they weren’t that great against the run already.
Simply put, it’s just a good matchup for the Titans. With Tannehill and Burks expected back, you have to hope they can put up 20-plus points and win this.
Final score: Titans 21, Broncos 16
Shaun Calderon
The Titans are back at home and are expected to receive a massive boost of help on offense in the form of Ryan Tannehill and Treylon Burks.
Unfortunately, Tennessee’s defense will be short-handed and I think that’s what makes this game closer than it has to be. But in the end, the Titans find a way to win a close one.
Final score: Titans 23, Broncos 19
Mike Moraitis
The Titans will be missing half their starting defense in this one, which is a major issue because this unit needs to be at its best every single week with how poorly the offense has played.
Arguably the two most impactful players in the pass-rush, Bud Dupree and Jeffery Simmons, are out, and Tennessee’s secondary will also be short-handed with Amani Hooker missing another game.
The Titans also have to worry about Kristian Fulton, who is questionable after not logging a full practice all week. Elijah Molden should be back this week, but he may not even be able to play a full complement of snaps.
Granted, the Broncos’ offense has been as bad as the Titans’ this season, but they do have some talented receivers that will be a nightmare to deal with should Tennessee have issues getting pressure.
Bump that notion even more if Fulton is out.
Tennessee’s offense should be getting a boost with the potential returns of Ryan Tannehill and Treylon Burks, but the Titans’ passing attack was struggling even with both healthy.
Adding to that, Tannehill, who went from full on Thursday to limited on Friday before being listed as questionable, will be playing hurt if he suits up, which is likely to limit his mobility and possibly impact his throwing.
Combined with the fact that the Broncos sport an elite pass defense, this is shaping up to be another bad game through the air for Tennessee — and that’s assuming Tannehill plays. Things will be worse if its Willis under center.
The good news is the Broncos haven’t been very good against the run, and their front is banged-up overall.
Derrick Henry is going to have to carry this offense per usual, but as was the case last week, this game is going to be determined by the Titans’ ability to complete actual passes when it matters most. I’m not confident they can do that.
I was picking the Titans earlier in the week, but the absences of Dupree and Simmons (and possibly Fulton) have me going in a different direction.
Tennessee’s defense takes a hit without so many starters and posts its second-worst showing of the 2022 campaign in terms of points allowed, and the offense simply doesn’t do enough to overcome that.
Final score: Broncos 27, Titans 20
Ryan Sikes
Expect another healthy dose of Derrick Henry for the Titans. Ryan Tannehill could potentially make his return, but the Broncos’ defense ranks tops in the league allowing just 4.7 yards per attempt.
The Broncos’ offense hasn’t scored more than 23 points this year, and despite no Jeffery Simmons in this one, I think the Titans force a couple of key turnovers.
Final score: Titans 24, Broncos 16
