Panthers (1-9) at Titans (3-7)
Sunday, 1 p.m. ET, Nissan Stadium, Nashville, Tennessee TV: Fox
Spread (BetMGM):
Titans by 3.5
Panthers’ keys to victory: If Carolina can protect QB Bryce Young, the Titans secondary can be exploited all over the field. The Panthers haven’t been good at moving the football through the air, but this is a great get-right spot against an awful secondary that has been particularly bad on deep balls. On defense, Carolina needs to challenge the Titans tackles, who are the weakest links on the offensive line. Tennessee has been particularly bad at dealing with the blitz.
Titans’ keys to victory: Everything begins and ends with the Titans offensive line, which has done a poor job blocking for QB Will Levis and RB Derrick Henry. As a result, Tennessee’s offense has been bad the past three games. To offset the pass protection, the Titans have to get the ball out of Levis’ hands quickly while getting the ground game going against Carolina’s poor run defense. On defense, the Titans need relentless pressure from the pass rush to cover for a lackluster secondary. Tennessee’s pass rush has been a non-factor of late.
Matchup to watch: Titans offensive tackles vs. Panthers edge rushers. Carolina has to keep the game low-scoring, and the best way to do that is to challenge the Titans offensive line. Making matters worse, the Titans might be without starting RT Chris Hubbard. Tennessee has been particularly bad at picking up the blitz, so Carolina should bring the heat.
Who wins? This will be an ugly matchup of bad offenses. However, the Titans manage to win on the strength of a late turnover.
Titans, 20-17