Seventeen weeks of regular season NFL action have officially come and gone.
Postponements, delays, cancellations, and similar absurdities have all ensued, though somehow the Tennessee Titans still managed to clinch a playoff berth.
The Titans face off against the Baltimore Ravens this Sunday, Jan. 10 in the Wild Card round of the 2021 NFL Playoffs.
Titans win AFC South, advance to Wild Card Weekend
Tennessee logged a 41-38 win over the Houston Texans this past Sunday, securing an 11-5 regular-season record. The win crowned them king of the AFC South for the first time since 2008 and situated them as the fourth-seeded team in the conference.
Not only was it a monumental game for the Titans, but it was also a pivotal game for star rushing back Derrick Henry.
His performance against the Texans sealed his fate as the league’s back-to-back rushing champion. The last player to hold consecutive rushing titles was LaDainian Tomlinson of the Los Angeles Chargers back in 2006-07.
Henry became the eighth player in the history of the NFL to rush for over 2,000 yards in a season.
He entered the game 223 yards shy of the mark and ended up rushing for 250 yards. In total, Henry logged 2,027 yards for the season – the fifth-highest in NFL history.
The last player to log 2,000 yards in a single season was Adrian Peterson of the Minnesota Vikings in 2012.
Back in 2009, fellow Titans player Chris Johnson recorded 2,006 rushing yards, making the Titans the only team with two different 2,000-yard rushers.
This was the fifth game of Henry’s career to top 200 rushing yards. Only three other former Heisman Trophy winners have run for 2,000 yards.
Titans vs. Ravens odds
The Titans’ first postseason game marks the team’s second consecutive playoff appearance. The Ravens enter the matchup fifth-seeded, as one of the league’s three AFC Wild Card teams.
Sunday’s game will be a do-over of last year’s divisional-round playoffs, where the two teams were matched against each other. The Titans walked away from that game with a 28-12 win.
The two teams played each other again in Week 11 of this year’s season, where Tennessee clinched a 30-24 victory.
Tennessee has won three of the past five matchups against the Ravens.
The Ravens rematch the Titans in Tennessee territory this Sunday, though the Titans are yet again considered the underdog.
Current odds at DraftKings favor the Ravens by 3.5-points.
| Team | Spread | Moneyline | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| BAL Ravens | -3.5 (-105) | -180 | Over: 55 (-112) |
| TEN Titans | +3.5 (-117) | +155 | Under: 55 (-109) |
This game pairs up the season’s top two rushing teams. Baltimore has logged roughly 191.3 yards per game, while the Titans average 168.1.
The Ravens were hard at work generating their own records this past Sunday, becoming the fifth team in NFL history to rush for over 400 yards in a game.
The Titans face a tough opponent for precisely this reason.
During regular season, only three teams gave up more yards per game than Tennessee. The Ravens, on the other hand, remained in the top 10 in regards to least yards forfeited this season.
Wild Card week promos
DraftKings is running a “no brainer boost” on the weekend’s games. Odds of a single touchdown being scored by any team are boosted to +100. Players can double their money with this bet, though the maximum wager is capped at $25.
FanDuel is offering Wild Card Weekend Specials on the highest and lowest scoring teams, as well as a +160 boost for the Bills, Seahawks and Buccaneers all to win on Saturday.
For those looking to place a parlay on two teams to win this weekend, BetMGM has some favorable lines. For instance, a parlay on the Titans and the Saints to both win sits at +210 odds.
Sportsbooks may not have much faith in a Titans win, but if history has any say, bettors wagering on the underdog could soon be rewarded.
