Titans Falcons Betting – Tennessee Does Enough to Cover In Atlanta

Tennessee’s sports betting chances have gotten significantly better as their division is falling apart around them, and the Titans will have a chance to keep their roll going this week in Atlanta, where the Falcons are trying to recover from a very tough loss. The Titans may not be able to win the game outright, but they’ll push the Falcons and cover the spread.

What: NFL Betting
When: Sunday, November 20th, 4:15 PM ET
Where: Georgia Dome, Atlanta, GA
Pick: Tennessee Titans +6

Why Bet On Tennessee Titans (5-4 SU, 4-5 ATS)

The Titans have gotten back on track since getting blown out by Houston at home four weeks ago as a 30-3 thumping of Carolina on the road was their second win in three games. Chris Johnson had his best game of the season with 130 yards and a score and the Titans ran for 172 yards as a team. Matt Hasselbeck was 15-of-27 for 219 yards, a touchdown and a pick, but the running game was the story and if Johnson can come even close to his previous form, the Titans are a darkhorse in the AFC, especially with the rest of the division having quarterback issues. Damian Williams had five catches for 107 yards, a touchdown and he could be heavily targeted against the Falcons’ 23rd-ranked pass defense. The defense held Cam Newton and all of his weapons in check, and Marc Mariani opened the scoring with a 79-yard punt return, so it was a total team effort in all aspects. It’s even more impressive when you consider that it was on the road against a dangerous team coming off a bye.

Linebacker Barret Ruud (groin) is the only major injury worry for the Titans, and their second-half schedule can be favorable if they get on a roll. With all of the injury troubles throughout the rest of the division, the Titans can make some noise, but it all starts with Johnson, who has been a bust since signing his big-money contract after a holdout. Tennessee should try to get him the ball early and often.

Why Bet On Atlanta Falcons (5-4 SU, 4-5 ATS)

While everyone was talking about head coach Mike Smith’s decision to go for it on fourth down in Atlanta’s 26-23 overtime loss to New Orleans, the Falcons probably should have won this game in regulation. They gained 481 yards to 363 for the Saints, and they received four first downs due to flags. But they were awful in the red zone, failing to convert on all three trips inside the 20-yard line. Matt Ryan was 29-of-51 for 351 yards, two touchdowns and a pick, and even though Michael Turner ran for 96 yards, he couldn’t find the end zone or convert that fatal fourth down. The defense held their own against the high-powered Saints, and the Falcons will look at this game as one that got away because they were the better team on the day.

The Falcons are a much better NFL betting wager when receiver Julio Jones (hamstring), and Atlanta should be starting to worry about their prized rookie. They also committed 10 penalties against the Saints, so cutting out those mistakes would do them well. Atlanta is two games behind the Saints in the NFC South, so they’re not out of it, but they can ill afford to slip up much down the stretch. They don’t have an easy road to the finish line, but the talent is there for the Falcons; execution will be key and targeting Tennessee’s 22nd-ranked run defense could be the difference.

How It Will Play Out

Atlanta is a 6-point NFL betting favorite at home against the Titans, who have won five straight SU against the Falcons, along with a 3-1-1 ATS mark. Three of those games have gone over the posted total. Two of those games came at the Georgia Dome, a 23-13 victory for the old Houston Oilers in 1996 and then a 38-31 win for the Titans in 2003.

Six points seems like a lot for this Tennessee team and they should be able to cover the spread this week in the Georgia Dome, although Atlanta should claim the SU win. The Titans are rolling right now and they’ll be able to control the clock with Johnson, who can pull more fans back to his side with another strong performance. The Titans should be your pick to cover the online betting spread in Atlanta.