One of the bigges preseason Super Bowl darlings were the Los Angeles Rams who had just procured a new starting quarterback in Matthew Stafford.
LA delivered on those expectations and have displayed an increased level of play that is resulting in wins against solid NFL teams, but after a walloping by a Derrick Henry-less Tennessee Titans squad, should we be paying more attention to Ryan Tannehill and company?
The Titans prominence in the odds produced for NFL betting is largely based on the prowess of Derrick Henry, as his presence in the offensive backfield is akin to a grown man playing on a pee wee team.
The Rams were favored by an NFL point spread of -7.5 at home, indicating they’d hammer the Titans by a touchdown or more. For the most part, our staff agreed with the assessment of the pro football oddsmakers, feeling that Henry’s absence would allow LA to eventually pull away from Tennessee.
The Tennessee Titans were able to get by the Rams with a little help from their friends on defense, as a Matt Stafford intercepted pass was returned for a touchdown by Kevin Byard to make the score 13-3, and it never got close again.
Now Tennessee is sitting at the top of the AFC South Division without a contender in sight. They’ve amassed a win-loss record of 7-2, and their nearest divisional team is the Indianapolis Colts at 4-5.
The Titans’ 3 game division lead is by no means secured, but given their series sweep over the Colts in 2021-22, they have plenty of reason to begin thinking about the postseason.
Current futures odds for betting on the NFL Playoffs seem to suggest differing outcomes depending on which line is being examined.
For instance, at Bovada, the Titans are the second rated AFC team in the Conference Championship futures, but they are coming in at third overall on the American Football Conference side in the odds for betting on Super Bowl 56.
For the remainder of the 2021-22 NFL season, Tennessee will only face two teams that would be included in the playoffs if the season ended today – The New Orleans Saints and the Pittsburgh Steelers.
They’ve got a legitimate shot at finishing the year within the neighborhood of a 13-4 record, which given the current state of the AFC, would be more than enough to secure the #1 overall seed.
If Derrick Henry can return to full health by then, they’d be an incredibly tough opponent to take down at their house in late January.
When is Derrick Henry coming back?
“We’re not going to put a timeline on when he may return. I know he’ll do everything that he can to work himself back, to be able to help this football team. Whenever that is, that’s when it’ll be.”
Titans Head Coach Mike Vrabel
Henry’s broken foot could be healed up as soon as Week 14 of this year, well in advance of the playoffs. They’ve also signed journeyman veteran and future NFL Hall of Fame running back Adrian Peterson as insurance who scored a TD in his first game since last season against the Rams.
The Super Bowl betting odds for the Titans at USA sportsbook sites are still set amazingly high with a +1200 moneyline, so take advantage now.