A rare quirk in the schedule has the Titans not leaving Nashville for five weeks, but the extended home stay is meaningless if they can’t take advantage of it. Tennessee dropped its home opener prior to its bye week and they kick off a stretch of three straight home games Sunday with Buffalo. The Titans will attempt to change their fortunes at home after going 2-12-1 ATS in their last 15 at Nissan Stadium.
ODDS
Buffalo opened as a 4-point favorite with the total at 44.5. The line was wagered down to -3 with the total dropping to 42.5. The Bills are 0-2 ATS as a favorite this season.
KEY INJURIES
LeSean McCoy – May miss several more weeks with a hamstring injury. Reports claim the Bills running back suffered a new tear in his hamstring prior to the Miami game. Karlos Williams started in his place last week.
Sammie Hill – Remains sidelined following knee surgery, but is getting closer to a return. The Titans’ nose tackle returned to practice in a limited role this week and is listed as questionable for Sunday. Al Woods has performed well in his absence.
KEY MISMATCH
Take away a team’s best running back and receiver and that team will struggle offensively. The Bills know that all too well. Buffalo thought it was equipped to overcome the absences of LeSean McCoy and Sammy Watkins last week, but it turned out the Bills were not. Without needing to worry about those two dynamic players, the Giants effectively clamped down on receivers Percy Harvin and Robert Woods and New York often had eight men in the box to handle rookie running Karlos Williams. The result was a 24-10 Giants win. With extra time to prepare, expect the Titans to take meticulous notes on how the Giants D shut down the Bills. Quarterback Tyrod Taylor had a tough day completing 28 of 42 passes for 274 yards, but had only 36 passing yards in the first half when the Bills fell behind 16-3. The bad news for the Bills is that McCoy and Watkins are likely out for Sunday’s game.
KEY STAT
47 – Buffalo’s NFL-high number of accepted penalties through four games. Several of the Bills’ 17 penalties last week were drive-killers and two touchdowns were nullified by penalties. The Titans are one of the fewest penalized teams in the league with 23 accepted penalties.
BETTING ANGLE
The Titans say they’re rested after a bye that came way earlier than any NFL team ever wants. Now comes a favorable schedule that keeps them at home the rest of October. Tennessee blew a chance to seize early control of the AFC South with a loss to Indianapolis before their off week. They also had extra time to prepare for the Bills. The Titans return to play second in the division behind the Colts. But Tennessee has yet to put together consecutive wins since Ken Whisenhunt took over in 2014 and won only once at home all last season. The Titans’ benefit from the early bye is the return of injured cornerback Jason McCourty and possibly offensive lineman Chance Warmack. Now it’s time to benefit from the schedule quirk that has them at home for the next three games and getting healthy bodies back in the lineup.
ANALYSIS AND PREDICTION
If the Bills hold true to form since the beginning of the year, they should thump the Titans. Buffalo blasted Indianapolis and Miami in Weeks 1 and 3 and were upended by New England and the Giants in Weeks 2 and 4. So, with an odd week coming up the Titans are in trouble, right? They should be, but the Bills’ lack of discipline and injuries to key offensive performers leave them vulnerable to a well-rested Tennessee team coming off a bye week. The Titans will be itching to get back on the field after losing a 13-point second half lead to Indy and falling by two points in their last game before the break. Marcus Mariota’s elusiveness and quick throws should limit the effectiveness of the Bills defensive front, forcing the secondary to make some plays. And they will, getting a cover win on the road.
Buffalo 29, Tennessee 22
BookMaker opened the spread for this Sunday game at -4 in favor of the Bills. The NFL online odds total surfaced at 44.5. Minute-by-minute spreads, totals and props are available for this game using the live betting platform at BookMaker.
Access live betting lines from your mobile device or tablet at BookMaker Sportsbook! You can wager on sporting events as they unfold on television with BookMaker’s live betting platform. Real-time spreads, totals, props and moneyline odds are all available by clicking here so start betting with BookMaker today! The Buffalo Bills and Tennessee Titans will square off Sunday, October 11, 2015, at 1 p.m. ET at Nissan Stadium. The matchup will be televised live on CBS.
