The Tennessee Titans will enter Highmark Stadium on Monday night looking to rebound in what is a very difficult matchup against the Super Bowl favorites, the Buffalo Bills.
Buffalo got off to a red-hot start to the season by crushing the Super Bowl champion Los Angeles Rams, 31-10. Meanwhile, Tennessee suffered a bitterly disappointing loss to the lowly New York Giants, 21-20.
These two teams could not be moving in opposite directions, and the spread spells that out. According to Tipico Sportsbook, the Titans are massive 9.5-point underdogs to the Bills.
What that egregiously-large spread doesn’t account for is the fact that the Titans tend to play very well in games where they are counted out by everyone — and the Bills have been a victim of that before.
So, with the national media almost unanimously picking the Bills to win this game, are any of our writers going in a different direction? Find out now as we make our picks for Week 2.
Tyler Rowland
The Tennessee Titans have made a habit of playing their best in the toughest games, but something about this Titans team feels different.
The villainized combo of A.J. Brown and Julio Jones went for 150 on ten catches in the previous matchup and I’m just not certain the current Titans group can make enough plays to get the Titans over 30.
Preparing to be dead wrong, but Buffalo ends up being too much for THIS Titans team.
Final score: Bills 31, Titans 23
Shaun Calderon
The Titans head to Buffalo as significant underdogs who don’t have a chance according to most of the national media outlets. Fortunately for Tennessee, that’s usually when the Titans perform at their best.
I think the same thing happens on Monday night as Jeffery Simmons wrecks Buffalo’s game plan throughout the evening, while the offense does just enough to squeak out a close victory.
Final score: Titans 26, Bills 24
Mike Moraitis
During the Mike Vrabel era, we’ve seen the Titans rise to the occasion against the NFL’s best during the regular season several times, no matter how bad things might seem.
Well, this is another one of those possible occasions, but can we really expect the Titans to do this again? After what we saw in Week 1 from both of these teams, the answer should be no.
The Titans might get a reprieve with Ed Oliver out and if Gabriel Davis doesn’t play, but the Bills are still stacked on offense and sport the best quarterback in the NFL, Josh Allen.
I didn’t see enough from this Tennessee defense in Week 1 to believe they can stop Buffalo’s offense, especially with the team’s best cornerback, Kristian Fulton, ruled out.
The Titans keep this one close and cover the massive 9.5-point spread, but the Bills squeak out the win.
Final score: Bills 30, Titans 27
Ryan Sikes
Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen looked like a man possessed in Week 1 en route to blowing out the defending Super Bowl champs. Meanwhile, the Titans dropped a disappointing game at home to the New York Giants.
Kristian Fulton is out for this game, which certainly doesn’t help things. However, the Bills could be without wideout Gabe Davis.
Still, Allen is too good, and I think he’ll remember what happened last year in Nashville. Bills and Allen get their revenge on Tennessee in a game that really only looks close on the scoreboard.
Final score: Bills 31, Titans 21
