by Chuck Sommers
Tuesday, Nov 09, 2021
Game time: 1 p.m. ET, November 14, 2021
Venue: Nissan Stadium, Nashville, TN
Where to watch: CBS
Opening Odds at USA Sportsbooks
DraftKings: Titans -2.5; O/U 44
BetMGM: Titans -3; O/U 45
Caesars: Titans -3; O/U 44.5
Season record
Saints: 5-3 (2nd place, NFC South)
Titans: 7-2 (1st place, AFC South)
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Saints - Titans preview and analysis
Last week
Saints: lost 27-25 vs. Falcons
Titans: won 28-16 at Rams
No Derrick Henry? No problem for the Tennessee Titans, apparently.
The Titans, in a shocking turn of events, upset the Los Angeles Rams on Sunday Night Football without the NFL’s top running back and did it convincingly.
Tennessee will return home Sunday, carrying the AFC’s best record at 7-2, vying to push its win streak to six games when they host the New Orleans Saints in Nashville on Sunday.
You’re not going to find many instances where a team will have less than 200 total yards and still dominate a game. That’s what happened with the Titans in SoFI Stadium on Sunday. Ryan Tannehill didn’t have the best game; the Titans’ running game, now with Adrian Peterson in the fold, didn’t get much going.
But that Tennessee defense more than made up for the lack of efficiency on offense.
The Titans recorded two straight interceptions on Matthew Stafford, the second returned for a touchdown by Kevin Byard, and the Titans jumped up to a 21-3 halftime lead and eventually won by 12 in a stunning upset.
It’s not an upset in the sense of which team won; the Titans are a very good team and have shown how strong of a group they are, hence that win on Monday Night Football over the Buffalo Bills a few weeks ago.
But to limit the high-powered Rams offense to just 347 yards and win a game without Henry is incredible. Tennessee sacked Stafford five times on a day where Stafford threw it 48 times while only running it 21 times.
It was a win the Titans sorely needed, and now they’ll take on the Saints as they weave through life without starting quarterback Jameis Winston for the rest of the season. Journeyman quarterback Trevor Siemian was decent in his first New Orleans start, throwing for 249 yards and two touchdowns against the Atlanta Falcons.
The problem was it took until the fourth quarter for the Saints to put meaningful points on the board. New Orleans trailed 24-6 with 10:39 left in the game before making a rally, thanks to two touchdown passes from Siemian, but Matt Ryan and co. got the last laugh at the end.
The Saints are 5-3 and still within striking distance of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the NFC South, but a quarterback change might be needed. Winston wasn’t throwing for many yards in his starts, and Siemian is likely to produce the same outcome.
Prediction
New Orleans is 3-1 on the road this season but two of those wins came against a Russell Wilson-less Seattle Seahawks team, and the Washington Football Team. The line of questioning isn’t that great. The Titans were able to pull off a dominant performance without their leading rusher, and if Peterson can find a groove in the running game, this could be something magical brewing in Tennessee. Titans by 14
Betting trends
The Saints are 8-1 ATS as an underdog in their last nine and 3-0 this season (Drew Brees factor slightly considered).
The Saints are 9-10 ATS in their last 19 following a game where the total was 50 or more.
The Titans are 1-5 ATS in their last six as a home favorite of 3 points or less.
The Titans are 4-0 this season coming off an upset win.
Statistical leaders
Saints:
Passing: Jameis Winston -- 1,170 yards, 14 TD, 3 INT
Rushing: Alvin Kamara -- 530 yards, 3 TD
Receiving: Deonte Harris -- 323 yards, 2 TD
Defense: Demario Davis -- 53 tackles, 3 sacks
Titans:
Passing: Ryan Tannehill -- 2,145 yards, 11 TD, 8 INT
Rushing: Derrick Henry -- 937 yards, 10 TD
Receiving: A.J. Brown -- 551 yards, 3 TD
Defense: Harold Landry III -- 9 sacks
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Chuck Sommers
About the Author:
Chuck Sommers has camped outside of sportsbooks since he can remember, learning the tricks and nuances of the trade. He still has nightmares of betting $5,000 on the Raiders in the Tuck Rule game but has since turned that to 25 years of veteran handicapping greatness. You can find him mostly in the shadows at the Red Rock or Aliante casinos wondering if the over is cashing on any given Sunday.
