It’s been over two decades since the Music City Miracle, but every time the Tennessee Titans and Buffalo Bills get together it always gets a mention. The teams meet for the fifth time in as many seasons, however this time the game takes place in western New York after the previous three were held in Nashville. The Titans used homefield advantage beating the Bills outright in the previous two meetings and once again the Titans will play as an underdog catching 10-points on the NFL betting line.
Titans vs Buffalo Bill Date & Time
The Week 2 Monday Night Football contest between the Tennessee Titans and Buffalo Bills will take place at Highmark Stadium in Orchard Park, NY at 7:15 p.m. ET on September 19, 2022 and will be televised on ESPN.
Titans vs Buffalo Bill Odds
Tennessee Titans +10
Buffalo Bills -10
Over/Under 48
Odds Analysis
The Titans qualified for the playoffs three years in a row and posted a better record than Buffalo last season yet they are still the second-biggest underdog on the board getting 10-points. Last week’s results had plenty to do with that. The line originally had Buffalo -7 but their impressive 31-10 road win over the Super Bowl champion Rams coupled with Tennessee’s disappointing loss to the Giants had the betting public dumping on the home team. The Titans were a home dog in the previous two encounters winning outright both times while the teams cashed the OVER. The total dropped slightly after opening at 49.5.
Tennessee Titans
Proving that you can never tell what’s going to happen in the NFL, the Titans were surprised in their opener falling to the Giants 22-21 as one of the bigger Week 1 favorites ( 5.5 points ). And it was a demoralizing setback since the schedule doesn’t get any easier in Week 2. The good news is that under Mike Vrabel they’ve never started a season with consecutive losses. The bad news is that there’s always a first time for everything. What made the Titans so strong the past few seasons was their running game led by Derrick Henry. With Henry missing time last season they still boasted the fifth-best ground game averaging over 141 yards. Henry ran for 82 of the team’s 93 yards in the opener but averaged just 3.9 yards per carry.
Ryan Tannehill nearly directed a game-winning drive taking the Titans within field goal distance, but a missed 47-yarder left them a point short. I’ve said this before but I don’t think Tannehill can win games by himself. He needs help from Henry, who rushed for 143 yards and three TD’s in last year’s win over the Bills. Another area of concern was an inability to extend drives. The Titans were just 3 of 11 on third downs and 1 of 7 with four or fewer yards to go. That has to change in order to keep the Bills offense off the field.
Buffalo Bills
A strong performance in the opening game can change the perspective for a team and what others think about you. Among the Lombardi Trophy favorites before the season started, the Bills top the list now after destroying last season’s champ. It’s an unusual week for Buffalo with 10 days between games. I’m not sure if that’s a good thing or a bad thing. You know Josh Allen wants to play and I’m sure the rest of the team is antsy. Buffalo easily covered the 1-point closing line with a dominant second half outscoring LA 21-0. Allen finished the game 26 of 31 for 297 yards and three TDs overcoming a pair of first half picks that gave the Rams a glimmer of hope. But Allen and the defense snuffed that out.
The NFL leader in scoring defense last season, the Bills showed they are going to be tough to score on again. They held LA to 243 total yards and 3.7 yards per play while picking off Matthew Stafford three times. The biggest question was in the secondary with Tre’Davious White on the shelf, but the group made that a non-issue. The front helped with former Ram Von Miller recording two of the Bills’ seven sacks. Having lost two straight to Tennessee I don’t think the Bills will underestimate their opponent. But we’ve seen crazy things happen in the NFL.
Titans vs Bills Prediction
The Bills had a few clunkers last season losing three games to non-playoff teams, including a head scratcher at Jacksonville, so you can’t mail this one in. And the Titans don’t want to open with back-to-back losses so expect them to have an extra jump in their step. We’re only a missed field goal away from this game having a different outlook, and the Titans are a tough out, as the Bills learned the last two years. I think the betting public overreacted pushing the line up and backing the visitors with double-digit points is a smart play.
Prediction: Tennessee Titans +10 / OVER 48
