Bills at Titans: A Closer Look at the Teams and a Prediction
With 12 regular-season games remaining, almost anything can happen in the NFL, which is famous (or infamous) for its parity.
But it's also worth noting that the Buffalo Bills (4-1) and Baltimore Ravens (5-1) are the only teams in the AFC with fewer than two losses, which has them in a virtual dead heat for the one precious first-round playoff bye and homefield advantage throughout the playoffs.
The Bills have a chance to move to 5-1 tonight on the road against the Tennessee Titans (3-2), who also can be considered major players in this race.
Here's a look at the final game of NFL's Week 6.
THE BASICS
Game: Buffalo Bills at Tennessee Titans.
Time: 8:15 p.m. Monday.
Venue: Nissan Stadium, Nashville, Tenn.
Records: Bills 4-1; Titans 3-2.
Betting info: Bills by 5½. Over/under 53½.
TV: ESPN.
INJURIES
Bills: No injury designations.
Titans: CB Kristian Fulton (hamstring) and LB Monty Rice (groin) are out. WR A.J. Brown (illness), RB Khari Blasingame (shoulder), RB Jeremy McNichols (ankle) and WR Chester Rogers (groin) are questionable.
ABOUT THE BILLS
Quarterback Josh Allen (114-for-183) has thrown for 1,370 yards and 12 TDs against two interceptions. His top target, wide receiver Stefon Diggs, has 28 catches for 374 yards and led the league in both categories last season.
Running backs Devin Singletary and Zack Moss have combined to average 4.6 yards on 101 carries.
The Bills also come in with a defense that is ranked No. 1 in just about every statistical category, including takeaways (15) and turnover differential (+11).
Safety Micah Hyde has snagged an interception in three straight games.
Sack leaders Greg Rousseau (3.0) and Star Lotulelei (2.0) didn't play for the Bills last season.
ABOUT THE TITANS
Running back Derrick Henry powers their offense. He's the league's leading rusher, 640 yards and seven TDs on 142 carries. Henry last year became just the eighth player in league history and first since Adrian Peterson in 2021 to surpass 2,000 rushing yards in one season.
The Titans' air game has not been as efficient this season under quarterback Ryan Tannehill (110-for-173, 1,251 yards, six TDs, three interceptions), thanks in part to the inability of top receivers A.J. Brown and Julio Jones to stay healthy.
Brown is nursing a hamstring injury that forced him to miss a Week 4 loss to the New York Jets. Although he returned for last week's game, he expects to be on a snap count until at least Week 10 and on Saturday was added to the team's injury list as questionable with a non-COVID illness.
Jones already has missed two games and has just 12 catches in the three he has played, with no touchdowns.
LOOKING AHEAD
The Bills are idle next weekend. They play next on Oct. 31 when they host the Miami Dolphins.
The Titans host the Kansas City Chiefs next Sunday.
PREDICTION
Both teams have downplayed the revenge factor that may be in play in the wake of the Titans' blowout victory over the Bills a year ago. Too much is at stake this season to think about what happened the last time they met.
But the matchups all seem to work in the Bills' favor this time around.
They have diligently protected quarterback Josh Allen despite going through a transition on their offensive line. They have the most stifling defense in the league. They have a quarterback who's the frontrunner in Las Vegas to become the next league MVP.
And beyond AFC East supremacy, they're fighting for something far more important: Homefield advantage in the AFC playoffs.
The Titans can pull even with them with a win and would obviously own the tiebreaker in a playoff situation.
The Bills also are about as healthy as they can be, and the Titans are not.
All of this adds up to a comfortable win by the visitors.
Bills 27, Titans 17.
Nick Fierro is the publisher of Bills Central. Check out the latest Bills news at www.si.com/nfl/bills and follow Fierro on Twitter at @NickFierro. Email to Nicky300@aol.com.
