Almost certainly the game of the week pits the 5-0 Steelers against the 5-0 Titans in a contest that will truly get the juices flowing. There has only been a handful of occasions in NFL history where two undefeated teams have faced off at this stage of the season and, in each case, the victor has ended their campaign in the Super Bowl. Needless to say, the stakes are high in Nashville on Sunday evening.
The battle between the Titans’ offence and the Steelers’ defence will take centre stage here, and rightly so.
Tennessee have surpassed all expectations of them in the last year and they are right on the cusp of being considered serious Championship contenders thanks to the remarkable Derrick Henry and the extraordinary quarterback play of Ryan Tannehill. The Titans’ attack is potent to say the least, and the stats back it up. As things stand, only Seattle’s offence is higher-scoring.
However, on Sunday the Titans’ offence faces its stiffest task yet, and probably the biggest challenge it will face all year. The Steelers are simply remarkable defensively and (importantly) own the second-best record against the run in the NFL, behind only the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Pittsburgh concede just 66.2 yards on the ground on average and although Derrick Henry is a special breed of player that will likely surpass that figure, it’s very possible that the Steelers fill the box on Sunday and contain the league’s leading rusher to his quietest day of the season so far.
This turns the contest on its head, and will force Ryan Tannehill to outscore Ben Roethlisberger through the air.
This is where Pittsburgh gain the upper hand. Although the two offences are fairly evenly-matched, the Steelers are far better against the pass. Tennessee are bottom-five in the NFL when it comes to pass yardage and with the likes of Chase Claypool in such good form for Pittsburgh, this is how I believe Big Ben and the Steelers will undo their underdog status in this match-up and claim the win.
Best bet:
I’m going against conventional wisdom with this selection, but I think there’s strong justification behind Matt Rhule’s Carolina team (at least) keeping this close.
Teams coming off the bye week are traditionally strong, especially when they’re playing at home. Therefore, the Saints have an obvious advantage here over their NFC South rivals.
However, Carolina have proven to be one of the surprise packages of the season so far. Despite being without star running back Christian McCaffrey for much of the campaign, the Panthers haven’t rested on their laurels and settled into damage limitation mode. Instead, they plugged Mike Davis into the RB1 spot and set about taking scalps as underdogs.
Once again, the Panthers are not favoured in this one, but I’m not quite brazen enough to suggest that they will upset the odds again and take down the Saints in the Superdome. All told, a mostly fresh New Orleans outfit should be strong enough to beat the Panthers, and I think they will.
But, the seven points that Carolina are receiving on the handicap seems steep to me and that’s why I’m suggesting taking Carolina with an alternative spread of 4 points. The key to this one is that the Saints will be without both Michael Thomas and Emmanuel Sanders on Sunday, which significantly reduces their efficiency through the air and their ability to put on points.
Add in the fact that this game represents Teddy Bridgewater’s return to New Orleans and I can foresee a game that will surpass expectations and delight any neutrals watching. I like a fresh Drew Brees to lead the Saints to victory when all is said and done, but only by a field goal.
Best bet:
Odds correct at 1530 BST (24/10/20)
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