Mile High Roundtable: Broncos vs. Titans | Week 6 | Predictions & Picks
Khalid Alshami (@KhalidHAlshami) 3-2: After tallying their first win of the season, the Denver Broncos come home to a mixed bag of a Tennessee Titans team. The Broncos defense seems to be slowly figuring things out as the offense produces enough big plays to keep them in all their games so far. Denver takes this one in a sloppy low-scoring affair.
Pick: Broncos 17, Titans 13
Josh Carney (@JCarney_Sports) 3-2: Riding high after a much-needed win at home, the Broncos welcome the Titans into the Mile High City. Tennessee’s offense runs hot and cold week to week, so this is a good time for Denver to string two wins together. Two in a row would mean it’s a winning streak! Marcus Mariota, in general, has been a disaster at quarterback, while the Titans offense line, once dominant, can’t seem to get going. Tennessee’s defense will be a tremendous test, but I like Denver being able to do enough on the ground to grind out a win.
Pick: Broncos 13, Titans 9
Carl Dumler (@CarlDumlerMHH) 1-4: For those hoping for an offensive explosion, this is not the game to watch. Both teams are sporting a statistically top-10 defense and a bottom-10 offense. If either team puts up over 20 points it will be because of a couple of explosive plays. Both teams rely on big-strike plays (more Tennessee than Denver at this time) and will look for their opportunities. The Broncos do seem to have a few more answers for the run game with the adjustments they made last week and would do well to force Tennessee to beat them on the throwing arm of Mariota, instead of the feet of Derrick Henry. I think the Broncos force Mariota to throw his first interception of the season and do just enough on offense to come away with the victory. The Broncos come away with a victory barely beating the spread of 39 points
Bold Prediction: Royce Freeman gets his first touchdown of the year powering in on a tough run.
Pick: Broncos 24, Titans 17
Thomas Hall (@ThomasHallNFL) 3-2: The Titans are a bit of an enigma. They are winning the turnover battle in nearly every game and running the ball well, but have only won two games. In their two victories, the Titans have significantly outrushed their opponents and that is key to a Broncos victory. Stopping the run and running the ball well, barring turnovers, should give Denver the win. This game is going to be a low scoring slugfest with the Broncos prevailing.
Pick: Broncos 17, Titans 13
Chad Jensen (@ChadNJensen) 0-5: I've never opened a Mile High Roundtable pick 'em 0-5 but at the same time, I've couldn't be happier that I got last week's pick wrong. I said that until the Broncos gave me reason to pick them, I had to go away from them after picking Denver in Weeks 1-4. I finally pick against them and — tuhduh — the Broncos finally pull out a 'W'. That win over the Chargers was enough to give this Broncos team a shot of hope and self-belief, which can be powerful, and going against Tennessee, reason for me to pick the home team again. Even with some questions at cornerback, this Broncos defense has begun to come together in the way Vic Fangio envisioned. The Titans have a potent rushing attack but in the wake of the personnel changes Denver made in the front seven, Derrick Henry will be neutralized, putting the onus on Mariota. Offensively, it'll be slow going for Denver but the ground game will keep the ball moving just enough to keep that talented Titans secondary on its heels. So long as Joe Flacco protects the ball, I like Denver's odds of getting just enough points to win this game.
Bold Prediction: Despite having just one turnover all year, the Titans give the ball away twice to Denver — one fumble and one interception.
Pick: Broncos 19, Titans 12
Trevor Judge (@TrevorJudge) 1-4: The Broncos are hosting a Hall-of-Fame ring ceremony to honor Pat Bowlen and Champ Bailey on Sunday. Need I say more? Go ahead and book it.
Bold Prediction: Von Miller gets multiple sacks against this beleaguered Titans O-line.
Pick: Broncos 23, Titans 13
Zack Kelberman (@KelbermanNFL) 0-5: Talk about a true coin-flip contest for the suddenly-confident Broncos, fresh off their first victory of the season. That this game is at home bodes well for the good guys, as the Titans aren't an overwhelmingly daunting opponent and rarely face the hostility of a Mile High crowd. That Tennessee still has a dual-threat QB whose light bulb can flip on at any time, a workhorse, game-busting running back, and an active, speedy defense doesn't necessarily lend optimism to Denver's chances. However, by virtue of upsetting the Chargers, Vic Fangio and Co. should eek by Mike Vrabel's squad in what will either be a defensive struggle or a surprising offensive explosion. I tend to lean toward the former — and a Broncos victory.
Pick: Broncos 20, Titans 16
Nick Kendell (@NickKendellMHH) 1-4: The Broncos are riding high off of a close win. Now, the 2-3 Titans come to town, a team very much like the Broncos; solid defensively, a run-first offensive line, promising yet unfulfilled offensive weapons,, and a spotty quarterback. The Titans have been vulnerable over the middle against the pass, so look for OC Rich Scangarello to isolate his weapons when afforded. The Titans defense, led by Kevin Byard, must be respected as losing the turnover battle likely means losing the game. First team to 20 wins.
Pick: Broncos 20, Titans 10
Bob Morris (@BobMorrisSports) 1-4: The Titans are better than their record may first indicate. They have a good defense that hasn’t given up more than 20 points in a game and has accumulated 17 sacks. Harold Landry has blossomed in his second season and Cameron Wake complements him well. Logan Ryan is a solid cornerback and he’s well-utilized in blitzes (he has 2.5 sacks this season). Tennessee has also been fortunate to recover eight fumbles. The Titans offense relies a lot on Derrick Henry, who is averaging four yards per carry, tight end Delanie Walker, who leads the team in receptions, and wide receiver Adam Humphries, second on the team in catches. Mariota hasn’t been that bad, but while he hasn’t thrown an interception, he has taken 22 sacks in five games and, like Flacco, isn’t the type of quarterback who can carry an offense. The offensive line has been an issue for the Titans this season, though they were without left tackle Taylor Lewan for the first four games because of a league suspension. The biggest thing for the Broncos to do on offense is protecting the ball. On defense, I would hope the Broncos will stick with the lineup they rolled out against the Chargers, though they’re going to need whoever starts opposite Chris Harris, Jr. at cornerback — whether that’s Isaac Yiadom or Davontae Harris — to step up. The Broncos’ win last week gives me renewed hope that they can win more games than some might expect. I expect a low-scoring game, but it will come down to how well the offense finishes drives and how much the defense steps up this week. It appears, though, that the coaches are seeing what needs to change and the players are still backing them, so I’ll take the Broncos in this one.
Pick: Broncos 17, Titans 13
Lance Sanderson (@SandersonMHH) 2-3: The addition of Mike Purcell to the defensive line last week brought great results for the Broncos run defense. Denver only gave up 35 rushing yards in what was their best and most complete game of the season to date, at least on the defensive side of the football. Denver is going to need another stout performance from Purcell and the rest of the defense, as the Titans rushing attack is averaging north of four yards per carry, despite seeing 17 total attempts stuffed behind the line of scrimmage already this year. If the Broncos want to win, they need to shut down the Titans' running game and make Mariota beat them as a pocket passer. I think the Broncos do just that.
Pick: Broncos 20, Titans 16
Erick Trickel (@ErickTrickel) 1-4: The Broncos have gotten better each week despite being 1-4. They'll ride into this game with a lot of momentum and going from Philip Rivers to Marcus Mariota will only help with their confidence. This is a Titans team not as good as advertised and the Broncos manage to get to 2-4.
Pick: Broncos 27, Titans 13
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