The 1-1 Tennessee Titans welcome the 0-2 Indianapolis Colts to the Nissan Stadium this Sunday and both teams will believe that they could, and should, have started the season better.
We know that Ryan Tannehill will be under center for the Titans but as of Thursday afternoon, there are doubts over the Colts’ Carson Wentz, who left their last game injured.
This Sunday, make sure you’ve done your research and read our NFL picks and predictions for the Indianapolis Colts vs. Tennessee Titans on September 26.
Colts vs Titans odds
Odds via the Covers Line, an average comprised of odds from multiple sportsbooks.
We’ve already seen a lot of movement in the betting for the Colts vs. Titans. The line started at Tennessee -6 but has shortened to -5. We’ve also seen the total drop by a whole 2 points, from 50 down to 48.
Use the live odds widget above to track any future line movements right up until kickoff and be sure to check out the full NFL odds before placing your bets.
Colts vs Titans picks
Picks made on 9/23/2021 at 1:30 p.m. ET.
Click on each pick to jump to the full analysis.
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Colts vs Titans game info
• Location: Nissan Stadium, Nashville, TN
• Date: Sunday, September 26, 2021
• Time: 1:00 p.m. ET
• TV: CBS
Colts at Titans betting preview
Weather
Be sure to monitor the gametime conditions with our NFL weather info.
Key injuries
Colts: Braden Smith T (Out), Nick Nelson S (Out), TY Hilton WR (Out), Marlon Mack RB (Out).
Titans: Caleb Farley CB (Out), Anthony Firkser TE (Out), Derick Roberson LB (Out).
Find our latest NFL injury reports.
Betting trend to know
The Colts are 5-1 ATS in their past 6 road games. Find more NFL betting trends for Colts vs. Titans.
Colts vs Titans predictions
Colts +5 (-110)
As things stand at the time of writing, we’re still not totally sure who will be quarterbacking the Indianapolis Colts in Week 3. Wentz suffered sprains in both ankles last Sunday, and the team is said to be hopeful that he’ll be playing but it could be a game-time decision.
If Wentz is unable to play, the Colts will use both Jacob Eason and Brett Hundley, and Hundley took the bulk of first team reps in Wednesday’s practice.
It’s hard to be confident either way, but I’d lean towards Wentz playing, which seems to be what the team believes will happen. Either way, we’re not going to see the perfect QB situation, so we need to take that into account when making our bets.
The Colts, at least in my view, are perhaps the unluckiest team in the NFL so far this season. They’re 0-2 but have played two great NFC West teams and only narrowly lost to the Rams last week. They are a far better team than their record suggests, and they’ll be looking to win this Divisional clash.
They’ve still got a dominant offensive line, which means that they’ll be able to compete in every game this season, no matter who is quarterbacking. Jonathan Taylor has started the season well and their receiver room is lacking star power but does have talent.
The Titans got blown out in Week 1 by an incredible performance from Kyler Murray and his Arizona Cardinals, but they bounced back with a big win over the Seahawks last Sunday. The arrival of Julio Jones has helped the offense, as he put up 128 yards last week, after a disappointing 29 the week before, in a period where AJ Brown has struggled to play at the level we saw last season.
For all of the good that Jones has added, this team is still very much built around Derrick Henry. Henry had a mind-blowing 35 carries last week for 182 yards and added another 55 yards from six receptions too. Henry’s involvement in the passing game has been something that should excite fans. It’s long been a knock on Henry’s game, but he has the ability and now seems to be getting the opportunity, which should make the Titans offense a little more creative.
Ultimately, the Titans rely so heavily on Henry that it’s hard for them when they fall behind heavily. Their identity is so reliant on his bulldozer rushing that they just aren’t the same threat when forced to focus on throwing the ball.
The Titans are rightfully favorites but if Wentz plays, then I’m confident that the Colts cover, if not win on the moneyline. The big question here is Wentz’s availability, but I’d take that line sooner rather than later, in the expectation that we see him play.
Over 48 (-110)
We’ve seen this total drop from 50 down to 48 since the line opened, and now we need to take that price and back the Over.
We can’t forget that this Colts offense only just lost to the Rams, and they would have won if they’d managed to score on any of the six plays that they had inside the Rams 3-yard line in the first quarter. Not only that, but they also had to deal with Jacob Eason coming in for Carson Wentz at the tail end of the game.
If it wasn’t for those fine margins, we may be looking at this game differently. The Titans defense has allowed 6.7 yards per play so far this season so we’ll be looking for the Colts to put some big numbers on the board.
This game feels like one in which both teams will go toe-to-toe, with the lead changing regularly and both teams giving up big plays, something we’ve seen from the Colts defense to wideouts so far this season.
Often in betting, it’s best to zig when others zag, and with the total points line dropping, we need to take the Over here.
Longest Touchdown – Titans (-165)
We’ve seen the Colts give up some big plays this season, notably 43- and 44-yard receptions from Cooper Kupp last week, which were fortunate not to end up in touchdowns. In the season opener, we saw Seattle have a 33-yard rushing attempt before giving up a 69-yard passing touchdown to Tyler Lockett.
That’s worrying going into this game when the Titans have so many players capable of being home-run hitters. You’ve got Derrick Henry, who holds the record for the league’s longest-ever touchdown run and the receiver corps featuring Julio Jones and AJ Brown, who are more than capable of scoring huge plays.
It may not be the most exciting prop but backing the Titans to score the longest TD at -165 is just smart betting.
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