Baltimore at Tennessee
Time: 3:25 PM CT
Spread: BAL -2.5
Total: 43
Odds c/o 5dimes
The Tennessee Titans struggled badly against a poor Buffalo Bills team in week 5, losing 12-13 on the road to fall to 3-2 on the season. Tennessee still sits tied with Jacksonville for the AFC South lead, as it hosts the Baltimore Ravens this week as 2.5-point favorites. The game will air at 3:25 PM (CT) on CBS, and it has an over/under of 43 points according to NFL oddsmakers at bookmaker 5dimes.
TEN
The Titans have been superb defensively in holding teams to just 17.2 points per game, but its own offense has been just as poor. The Titans are averaging just 17.4 points per game, ranking fifth-worst in the NFL. The pass offense simply has to improve, and it should with a healthy Marcus Mariota, notwithstanding that the former Oregon QB really struggled last week against Buffalo. Mariota completed just 14 of 26 while throwing an interception and no touchdown passes. He also averaged just five yards per completion, and he did not get tremendous help from his running backs.
Derrick Henry had 56 yards on 11 carries and Dion Lewis had 34 yards on 12 attempts. Three receivers finished with 30 yards or better, but the Titans managed only 221 total yards of offense. Tennessee’s defense did its job: It held the Bills to just 79 passing yards and 144 via the rush, but with Tennessee’s offense struggling so badly, it just was not enough, not even against the lowly Bills (who are a deceptive 2-3 on the season, as a side-note).
Mariota should round into form, soon, though. He has thrown four interceptions with just two touchdown passes, but he began the season on the bench injured and is still the Titans’ QB of the future. Corey Davis should prove a worthy No. 1 target this week and the rest of the season. He has caught 26 passes for 361 yards and a touchdown with six receptions for 20-yards or more. He also leads the team in first downs with 19 catches for a first. Henry has rushed for 219 yards but averages just 3.4-yards-per-carry. The Titans only managed 3.7 per as a team, and it has two rushing TDs on the season, one from Dion Lewis and the other from Mariota. Mariota needs to play as the dual-threat he is to compensate for the lack of a dominant running back.
BAL
The Baltimore Ravens fell to 3-2 last week with its 9-12 loss to the Cleveland Browns. The Ravens sit one game behind the Cincinnati Bengals for the lead in the AFC North.
Joe Flacco has thrown for 1,550 yards at a 61.2 percent clip with eight TD passes and three interceptions. He has been sacked 11 times (2.2 per game) for a total loss of 41 yards, but his 87.8 passer rating is still pretty solid. Flacco has struggled to rush the ball himself, averaging just 1.8 yards-per-carry on his 13 attempts. Alex Collins leads the backfield with 217 yards, but he, too, averages just 3.8 yards per. The Ravens are only averaging 3.4 yards-per-carry as a team, with its wide receivers doing most of the work driving the football.
The Ravens have three players with 250 or more receiving yards on the year, paced by John Brown’s 396 yards and three touchdowns. The Ravens do have six rushing TDs, but it has eight via the pass. Baltimore, in typical fashion, is the league’s best defensive team. It holds opponents to just 15.4 points per game, which is good for a +11 point differential as it scores 26.4 itself. Look for Baltimore to control Mariota and give him some misery in Week 6, as the Ravens should prevail as NFL oddsmakers expect it to.
