The Tennessee Titans were cruising with a four-game winning streak following last week’s triumph over division rival Indianapolis. At 6-2 they own the best record in the AFC with convincing triumphs over heavyweights Buffalo and Kansas City. However, they suffered a major blow last Sunday when NFL rushing leader Derrick Henry was diagnosed with a foot injury that will require surgery putting him on the shelf for the rest of the season. We’ll see how the Titans respond without Henry when they take on the Los Angeles Rams in the Week 9 edition of Sunday Night Football. The betting world reacted shifting the opening line from LA -4 to -8 soon after the news was revealed.
This regular seasonWeek 9matchup will take place on Sunday, November 7, 2021 at 8:20 p.m. ET at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, CA and will be televised on ESPN.
NFL Odds at BookMaker.eu
Tennessee Titans +8
Los Angeles Rams -8
Total 53.5
Odds Analysis
Early lines had the Rams as a slight 4-point home favorite for this interconference tilt. However, once Henry was ruled out with a foot injury the betting public hammered the home team doubling the point spread to LA -8. There’s no doubt the Titans will be affected by the loss, but injuries are as much a part of the NFL as blown calls by the officials. A four-game SU and ATS winning streak has Tennessee atop the AFC and they are much more than just Derrick Henry. The Titans were catching points in their previous three games and they are 4-0 SU and ATS when playing as an underdog. Big spreads are nothing new for the Rams, who spotted Houston and Detroit 17-points in their last two games. Backers suffered a devastating setback last week when the Rams allowed 22 fourth quarter points giving Houston a backdoor cover in the 38-22 LA victory.
Key Injury
The injury to Henry definitely qualifies and will impact how the offense functions. The Titans lived on the ground the past few seasons ranking among the top-3 in the league in rushing yards per game the previous two seasons. They also had the seventh-best ground attack in the league in 2018. And Henry was the reason for the team’s success. Henry led the league in rushing yards the last two seasons and was comfortably ahead in this year’s race by nearly 300 yards over the next closest player. And let’s not forget his ability to punch the ball in the end zone. Henry tallied 45 rushing touchdowns between 2018 and 2020 and led the NFL this season with 10 scores.
That production won’t be replaced, instead the Titans are hoping for someone to take the torch and continue pounding away. The team recently signed veteran Adrian Peterson, who ranks fifth in the NFL with nearly 15,000 career rushing yards. But now in his late 30s you wonder how much AP has left to give. Early indications are that Peterson will play this week and could be joined by D’Onta Foreman. The Titans need someone who can carry the load since Henry accounted for nearly 80 percent of the team’s rushing yardage. Jeremy McNichols was the top backup and will be inserted into a larger role. However, he’s carried the ball just seven times for 38 yards this season.
Key Stat
It’s easy to say the sky is falling on the Titans with the loss of their top offensive threat. And while that might be the case you should hold off on making any judgments. Perhaps bothered by the injury that eventually put him on the shelf, Henry didn’t have much of an impact stats-wise the past two games. He totaled just 154 yards with a per carry average of 2.7 yards. And for the first time he went consecutive games without scoring a rushing touchdown. Yet, the Titans won both games beating the Chiefs 27-3 and toppling Indy 34-31 in overtime. Over those two games Ryan Tannehill completed over 73 percent of his passes with four of his 10 touchdowns. The Titans can survive without Henry.
Free ATS Pick
It’s hard to write an entire article and not talk about one of the best teams in the league. The Rams have their own 4-game winning streak going and at 7-1 SU are tied with two other clubs for the best record in the league. Matthew Stafford has delivered leading an offense that ranks fifth in both yards and points per game. And the Rams could be even stronger on defense with the acquisition of Von Miller. It’s going to take time for the Titans to work around Henry’s absence and the Rams better not overlook them. If they don’t the offense should score enough for a cover.
NFL Pick: Los Angeles Rams -8
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