Are the Tennessee Titans lucky or good? They are a surprising 3-1 but could easily be 0-4 as each win has gone right down to the wire. The Titans won’t be NFL lines favorites on the road too often this season but are Sunday at a bad Buffalo Bills team.
Titans vs Bills NFL Week 5 Lines & Game Preview
- When: Sunday, 1 PM ET
- Where: New Era Field, Buffalo
- TV: CBS
- NFL Week 5 Lines: Tennessee Titans -3.5 (Total 38.5)
Weather Forecast
- Overcast: 21°C/70°F
- Humidity: 81%
- Precipitation: 15%
- Cloud Cover: 86%
- Wind: 8 mph SW
- Stadium Type: Open
Last Meeting
Teams haven’t played since 2015 when the Titans lost 14-13 at home to the Bills – that Tennessee team was really bad as it finished 3-13. Tyrod Taylor threw a touchdown pass and ran for another in rallying the Bills from a 10-point second-half deficit. Taylor is now a backup in Cleveland. Buffalo had lost five straight in this series.
Stephon Gilmore intercepted Marcus Mariota’s pass with 1:32 left to seal the win. Tennessee outgained the Bills 279-209 and held the ball for more than 35 minutes. But the Titans settled for a pair of field goals by Ryan Succop and a 1-yard TD run by Antonio Andrews.
Why Bet on Tennessee?
The Titans upset the Eagles on Sunday in Nashville, 26-23 in overtime. Marcus Mariota hit Corey Davis with a 10-yard touchdown pass with 5 seconds remaining in overtime. The Titans trailed by 14 in the third quarter. In his first start since being knocked out of the season opener with an injured elbow, Mariota threw for 344 yards and two touchdowns while also running for a score. On the winning drive in OT, Mariota converted one fourth down with a great throw to Taywan Taylor, another with a dump off to Dion Lewis, and found Davis in the end zone for the game-winner.
Davis hauled in 9-of-15 targets for 161 yards and that TD. He had already set a new season-high in yardage by midway through the second quarter, and that was with Mariota missing him for what would have been a long gain. Offensive coordinator Matt LaFleur showed from the start he wanted to match Davis up against Eagles cornerback Jalen Mills throughout the game, and it worked out well.
Lewis hauled in all nine of his targets for 66 yards. A struggling running game and a second-half deficit conspired to keep Lewis on the field instead of Derrick Henry. Henry rushed eight times for 24 yards and caught two passes for seven yards. Henry opened the day on a positive note with a 13-yard catch and a 14-yard run, but that was about it for the struggling running back.
The Titans are banged up on defense. Safety Kenny Vaccaro will miss 2-4 weeks with a dislocated elbow. Vaccaro suffered the injury during Sunday’s win over the Eagles and was spotted with his arm in a sling after the game. Vaccaro injured his elbow while trying to tackle Philadelphia Eagles running back Wendell Smallwood with 59 seconds left in the first half.
Before his injury, Vaccaro had 17 tackles, along with one sack and an interception this year. Vaccaro was signed during training camp when incumbent starter Jonathan Cyprien tore his left ACL and was placed on injured reserve. Kendrick Lewis should fill in the next few games. Linebacker Wesley Woodyard (shoulder) could also miss some time. Jayon Brown is the next man up for the Titans’ upstart defense.
Team Stats
Offense- Average Score For: 18.75
- Total Yards: 312.25
- Rush Yards: 109.00
- Passing Yards: 203.25
- Average Score Against: 18.25
- Total Yards: 360.75
- Rush Yards: 118.00
- Passing Yards: 242.75
Why Bet on Buffalo?
The Bills had the upset of the season in Week 4 in Minnesota but were dominated Sunday in a 22-0 loss in Green Bay. Josh Allen completed 16-of-33 passes for 151 yards, zero touchdowns, and two interceptions, also losing a fumble and taking seven sacks. Allen entered halftime just 5-of-19 for 58 yards and a pick.
Allen was sacked or put under duress on 19 of his 43 dropbacks Sunday. He finished 1-of-10 passing for 2 yards and an interception on those plays. Allen is now 5-of-27 passing (19 percent) with no touchdowns and two interceptions when pressured this season.
The Bills seemed to move closer to eventual personnel changes around rookie Allen after being shut out by the Packers, 22-0, for the first time since 2008. Allen received little help from LeSean McCoy (five carries, 24 yards) or Kelvin Benjamin (one catch, 34 yards on six targets).
Buffalo gained only 145 yards, their fewest since 2006 and only the fourth time they have gained 145 or fewer yards since 1980. With a quarter of the season gone, McCoy has only 85 rushing yards, 41 receiving yards and no touchdowns. Benjamin has only seven catches for 92 yards through four games.
Bills coach Sean McDermott said Monday that safety Micah Hyde (groin) is considered week-to-week Hyde, who made the Pro Bowl last season, left in the first half of Sunday’s game at Green Bay and did not return. He was replaced by Rafael Bush.
Team Stats
Offense- Average Score For: 12.50
- Total Yards: 220.75
- Rush Yards: 88.25
- Passing Yards: 132.50
- Average Score Against: 26.50
- Total Yards: 358.25
- Rush Yards: 95.25
- Passing Yards: 263.00
Latest Titans vs Bills NFL Week 5 Betting Trends
- Tennessee is 7-2 ATS in its last 9 games
- Tennessee is 5-2 SU in its last 7 games
- The total has gone OVER in 4 of Tennessee’s last 6 games when playing Buffalo
- Buffalo is 1-4 ATS in its last 5 games when playing Tennessee
- Buffalo is 1-4 SU in its last 5 games
- The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Buffalo’s last 6 games
Expert Prediction
This feels like a possible trap game for the Titans, but Buffalo is awful. Take Tennessee.
