Both teams are tied on 5-2 , but you would have to go a long way to find someone who thinks that the Titans are the better team and the Chiefs are heavily favoured but perhaps too much so and they do not get anything (much) extra for winning by multiple points and they sometimes struggle to put teams to bed at Arrowhead. In their last five starts here they have given up between 24-36 points in each and lost two, won by 1 and 3 points and the third in overtime. The Titans have won five low scoring games in a row , but have twice hit that 24 point total, given up 15.2 ppg. This is very much the Chiefs pass versus the rushing game of the Titans, but keeping the ball on the ground is usually a good idea when you get such a big handicap start, it uses up the clock and keeps your opponent off the field as much as possible, that goes double when your RB is Derrick Henry. He is back to his superstar best after an injury hit 2021, Henry has 32 career 100+ yard games and when he hits that number, the Titans are 29-3 and Tennessee do not have a game unlike any other team in the NFL, they do not run to keep teams honest or to soften the opposition up for the pass, it is with the intention of wearing them down so that Henry can go again and again, running against tired teams, when they get weaker, he gets stronger, or so it has been most weeks since 2018. 

 

The Chiefs are good against the run, but not so strong numbers against the elite RB's and Henry is top of the pile and helped by the fact that defensive end Frank Clark is out, suspended for carrying a concealed firearm, not sure why the 1.91cm, 280+pound Clark needed a gun, but there you go! The two teams met last year in Nashville and TT won 27-3, having the ball for almost 36 and a half minutes.

 

 

Only four running backs and all elite players in Chubb, Barkley, Jacobs and Henry have more yards on the ground than Ravens QB Lamar Jackson, he still needs to pass more, but this could finally be the year that he has always promised to provide and Baltimore should win this.

 

Baltimore have now led by double digit margins in all eight games this season.They trailed 10-3 at half time against Tampa, but were sensationally good in the second half when they ran for 204 yards (!), in fact, they actually had 32:11 minutes of possession in the final three quarters and that is a good tally for 60 minutes of play, not 45! Lamar Jackson completed all eight passes thrown, despite two of his receivers having to play injured and only being in on a few plays. Both are out today, along with it seems RB Gus Edwards. But Saints come into this without a few key starters too,including RB Mark Ingram and CB Marshon Lattimore (voted second best cornerback in the NFL). I have some issues with the Saints, who feel like a very different franchise now with Sean Payton having left after 16 seasons as head coach and the Drew Brees years already a thing of the past. Current head coach Dennis Allen has not held that role since 2014 and his career record of 11-33 when he does take charge,hardly inspires confidence. The Saints have already lost three games, all by 8+ points, to teams with an average two wins otherwise and quarterback Andy Dalton has a poor record in these high profile games, where he has been error prone. He is 6-19 in games which start after the sun sets,including a loss to the 3-6 Cardinals last month where he threw a career high two pick-sixes (interceptions returned for touchdowns). He has lost six prime-times games in a row and in total, in PT, has thrown more INT than TD's and completed under 60% of passes, on Monday Night those numbers are even worse. We have a losing coach, losing quarterback, losing team and the Saints were 0-4 in November last year. I think I have to stick with the Ravens .