Tennessee Titans: Early 1-Point Underdog vs Oakland Raiders
Nov 17, 2013; Houston, TX, USA; Oakland Raiders head coach Dennis Allen shouts from the sideline during the fourth quarter against the Houston Texans at Reliant Stadium. The Raiders defeated the Texans 28-23. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports
Remember a few weeks ago when many Tennessee Titans enthusiasts were feeling confident about this game? The Oakland Raiders are the joke of the NFL, there’s no way they could possibly beat a 3-1 Titans team!
Now both teams are 4-6. Basically, this Week 12 matchup is an elimination game from the AFC Wild Card. The Titans aren’t bouncing back from a 4-7 record, especially with two upcoming road games against the Denver Broncos and Indianapolis Colts.
The Raiders are an early one-point favorite. They’re 2-1 against AFC South teams. Their wins include the Jacksonville Jaguars (19-9) and Houston Texans this past week (28-23). During Week 1, they almost upset a heavily favored Colts team. The Titans are 1-1 against AFC West teams. They beat the San Diego Chargers (20-17) but lost to the Kansas City Chiefs (26-17). That Chargers win was in the midst of a 3-1 start.
Keep an eye on the Raiders’ quarterback situation. Will they start Matthew McGloin or Terrelle Pryor? In his NFL debut, McGloin beat a Texans team who has lost eight consecutive games. That has created speculation that he could steal the starting job from Pryor. Pryor continues to recover from a nagging knee injury.
Titans fans can guarantee one thing: regardless of whether Tennessee wins or loses, they know that their team team should’ve won when the clock strikes zero. That means that while Tennessee may outplay their opponent, they keep making boneheaded special teams mistakes or offensive turnovers that basically spot their opponents a seven-point cushion, if not larger.
There’s one reason that I’m very interested in this matchup. Last season, I had Dennis Allen and his entire staff as the only unit that worsted Mike Munchak. Allen has appeared to make strides from one season ago. Munchak? The Titans were 4-6 in 2012. They’re 4-6 in 2013. Let’s see who comes out on top.
An underdog to the Raiders…ouch. What do our readers think? Are you still as confident now as you were a couple/few weeks ago about winning this game? Does not having Jake Locker make a difference?
SOURCE: covers.com