Chargers vs Titans Betting Preview: Will Tennessee Trust Ryan Tannehill Any Longer?

The season’s first week didn’t go as planned for the Los Angeles Chargers or the Tennessee Titans.

However, on the bright side, unless we get a tie, one of these teams will add their first win of the season on Sunday.

The Chargers lost in a shootout against the Miami Dolphins, 36-34. Meanwhile, in a tight, defensive battle, the Titans fell to the New Orleans Saints, 16-15.

Los Angeles has much more to give on offense. However, the Titans are much more superior on the defensive side of the ball.

How will Sunday’s matchup play out?

Here’s our Chargers vs Titans betting preview for Sunday’s AFC thriller.

Austin Ekeler Dealing With Ankle Injury

Not only did the Chargers lose on Sunday, but they revealed that Austin Ekeler is dealing with an ankle injury. It’s unknown if he’ll be active for Sunday’s contest against the Titans.

Ekeler had 16 carries for 117 yards and a touchdown in Week 1 against the Dolphins. He also added four catches on five targets for another 47 yards in the loss.

The 28-year-old running back revised his contract in 2023. He’s got one more year remaining on his $24.5 million deal. He’s aware that running backs aren’t getting paid what they should be and has been outspoken about it.

Teams value running backs and ask for a lot in return for trades. However, teams shy away from giving out a bag when it comes to paying running backs.

For example, Ekeler’s current annual average value is $6.125 million annually. That’s less than Dolphins receiver Cedrick Wilson, for example.

Meanwhile, if Ekeler is ruled out for this game against the Titans, the NFL point spread line movement would be at least one point. That shows you just how valuable of a player he is. But he’s not valued in the NFL market.

Ekeler played in all 17 games last season for the Chargers. The star running back ran for 915 yards on 204 carries. He also added 107 receptions on 127 targets and secured over 700 receiving yards last year.

Beyond that, Ekler has been so good that your fantasy draft saw him selected in the first five picks overall this year.

Therefore, for Ekeler’s sake, we hope he can be active for this game and many others so that he earns a top running back salary and helps running backs get paid more in the future.

Time To Bench Ryan Tannehill?

It wasn’t long ago when the Tennessee Titans were at the top of the AFC South NFL division standings with Ryan Tannehill under center. But once the Titans traded away A.J. Brown, they lost their mojo on the offensive end.

Over the last two seasons, the Titans have selected potential franchise quarterbacks. Malik Willis was drafted in last year’s NFL draft out of Liberty, while Will Levis was taken in this year’s NFL Draft from Kentucky.

Both quarterbacks have a lot of potential. Willis wasn’t good when allowed to perform last year. Willis played so poorly when Ryan Tannehill went down that the Titans signed Joshua Dobbs to close the season.

But the Titans are adamant that Willis got better in the offseason. They also saw value in drafting Will Levis in the most recent draft.

So, after Ryan Tannehill’s three-interception game in Week 1 against the Saints, the writing is on the wall.

Tannehill finished with a QBR of 10.3, which was 31st in the NFL this week. He struggled despite having DeAndre Hopkins as his newly acquired receiver.

He completed just 16-of-34 passes and didn’t earn a single touchdown. Tannehill was also sacked three times and finished with a QB Rating of 28.8.

Tennessee still has a reliable defense. If Tannehill and the Titans can limit turnovers and unleash the running game more frequently, they’ll win games. But Tannehill, as a veteran, needs to understand that.

In Week 1, the loss fell on his shoulders against the Saints. With Tannehill at quarterback, these NFL scores will get ugly quickly for the Titans.

Chargers vs Titans Betting Preview

Although the Chargers are on the road, Los Angeles will be a 3-point favorite against the Titans on Sunday. The total is at 45 for this one.

It’s an exciting game, knowing that the Chargers were in a shootout and the Titans were in a defensive battle in Week 1.

Two different types of teams will collide, and it’s our job to figure out which team will have it their way in this game.

The Chargers were a three-point favorite against the Dolphins in Week 1. However, Los Angeles allowed 36 points and lost 36-34.

Meanwhile, the Over 50.5 hit, thanks to terrible defense from the Chargers.

The Chargers allowed 234 yards on the ground and gave up 228 more in the air. The run defense was abysmal, and the missed tackles were consistent. The Chargers still have a solid secondary. It’s just that Tyreek Hill outshined that whole team throughout the entire game.

The Titans don’t have Tyreek Hill on their team. DeAndre Hopkins can’t do what Hill did in Week 1 against the Chargers. Hill secured 11 catches for 215 yards and two touchdowns. The Chargers didn’t even play poorly. Hill just dominated.

On the other hand, the Titans only added 302 yards against the Saints. The offensive line was terrible after allowing three sacks on Ryan Tannehill in the game. Derrick Henry is still running angrily and efficiently. However, Tyjae Spears earned more snaps than Henry in the game.

Henry got the ball more frequently, which nobody expected for Week 1. When Spears is in the game instead of Henry, teams will quickly figure out that the Titans will pass the football.

Tennessee also shut down the New Orleans’ run game last weekend, holding them to 69 yards. The Titans are a much better defense.

You can expect a close game with different play styles in this Chargers vs Titans betting preview.

All in all, if Tannehill limits turnovers, the Titans should escape with a win at home.

Titan Up!

The Chargers struggled to get stops against the Dolphins in Week 1. They had no answers. And while the Dolphins are a much better offense than the Titans. If Tennessee limits turnovers against the Chargers, the Titans will have success.

Tannehill knows better than to throw the ball away three times in a game. It’s hard to win games when you allow that many takeaways. Yet, the Titans lost by only one point because of their fantastic defense.

Tennessee has always been known for its run, game, and defense. That’s what led them into the AFC Championship game in 2020.

Look for the Titans to make adjustments. They’ll clean up those mistakes, continue to play well defensively, and cover the 3-point spread against the Chargers on Sunday.

For NFL betting news, odds analysis, and more, visit Point Spreads Sports Magazine.

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