Bears (5-3) at Titans (5-2)
Sunday, 1 ET, Nissan Stadium, Nashville, Tenn.
TV: Fox
Danny Sheridan’s line: Titans by 5 1⁄
2
Titans’ keys to victory: Tennessee has to do what it can to keep Chicago’s lethal pass rush, featuring OLB Khalil Mack and DT Akiem Hicks, at bay. That starts with getting RB Derrick Henry going early, but it’ll also be important for the Titans to get the ball out of QB Ryan Tannehill’s hands quickly. On defense, the Titans have to make sure they continue to keep the Bears’ offense one-dimensional by shutting down RB David Montgomery and forcing QB Nick Foles, who has been prone to turnovers, to win with his arm.
Bears’ keys to victory: Every defensive game plan for a Titans opponent should start with stopping Henry, who can slow a pass rush and open up play-action for Tennessee. On offense, the Bears have to attack the Titans’ suspect secondary but can’t allow Tennessee to get too comfortable dropping extra men into coverage, so establishing the run is important.
Matchup to watch: Bears’ outside linebackers vs. Titans’ offensive tackles. Mack and Quinn have a real chance to be differencemakers because the Titans will be without LT Taylor Lewan (ACL tear). Titans LT Ty Sambrailo and RT Dennis Kelly have played well but will still have a tough time dealing with Chicago’s dangerous duo of edge rushers.
Who wins? The Bears have relied on their defense to win but will need much more on the other side of the ball to outscore a Titans offense that has been firing on all cylinders. Tennessee’s struggling defense will bend but not break, and the offense will do just enough against a stout Chicago defense.
Titans 24-20