The Tennessee Titans will return home after two straight road games to take on the Denver Broncos at Nissan Stadium in Nashville in Week 10.
The Titans were winners of five straight before falling just short of a massive upset over the Kansas City Chiefs in Week 9. Despite the loss and overall ugly nature of how the Titans have gotten to 5-3, Tennessee remains atop their division and in the No. 4 spot in the playoff picture.
Like the Titans, the Broncos have seen their fair share of struggles this year but haven’t been as successful in overcoming them.
Denver notched a victory over the Jacksonville Jaguars in Week 8 before going on bye in Week 9, but the Broncos lost four straight before that.
These two teams have a lot in common. We’ll go over what those things are and more as we take a look at five things to know for the Week 10 game.
Titans are favored
According to Tipico Sportsbook, the Titans are 2.5-point home favorites over the Broncos, with the over/under set at 37. Both numbers have gone down since the start of the week when the spread was three and the over/under 39.
| Team | Spread | Moneyline | Over/Under |
| DEN | +2.5 | +120 | O 37 (-105) |
| TEN | -2.5 | -140 | U 37 (-115) |
The Titans are tied with a league-best record of 6-2 against the spread but have only hit the over in two of eight games. Meanwhile, Denver is 3-5 against the spread and has hit the over just once.
Head-to-head history
The Titans/Oilers and Broncos have met a grand total of 43 times (including playoffs), with Tennessee owning a 24-18-1 record in those meetings.
The Titans won the last meeting in 2020, 16-14, in a game that saw former Titans linebacker Rashaan Evans get tossed for striking Broncos tight end Jake Butt. Tennessee has won two of the last three games since 2016.
The Oilers and Broncos met in the playoffs three times between 1979 and 1992, with Denver winning two of those games.
One of those playoff contests was the infamous “The Drive II” game in 1992, where Broncos legend and Hall-of-Fame quarterback, John Elway, orchestrated a game-winning drive from his own two-yard line.
Former Broncos kicker Matt Prater made history in the 2013 regular-season meeting when he booted a then-NFL record 64-yard field goal in a 51-28 Broncos victory.
Titans' injury concerns
As is always the case for the Titans, they have multiple injury concerns going into this Week 10 tilt.
A total of six players did not practice on Wednesday, including key defensive starters like Zach Cunningham (elbow), Jeffery Simmons (ankle), Amani Hooker (shoulder), Bud Dupree (hip) and Teair Tart (illness).
Simmons appeared to reaggravate his ankle injury against the Chiefs, Hooker was ruled out last week, and Cunningham and Dupree were both banged up during the Week 9 contest, with Dupree being forced to exit early.
On top of those players, we’re keeping an eye on Ryan Tannehill (ankle), who has missed the last two games, as well as cornerback Elijah Molden and wide receiver Treylon Burks, both of whom have been designated to return from IR.
Molden practiced all last week and was out there once again on Wednesday, as was Burks for the first time since being designated to return. Tannehill turned in a limit session to start the week.
The returns of Tannehill and Burks are particularly important, as the Titans’ passing attack has found a way to be even worse without them on the field.
Broncos' injury concerns
The Broncos might be without a pair of key pass-rushers in this game, as Randy Gregory remains on IR and has yet to be designated to return, and Baron Browning did not practice on Wednesday after missing Week 8.
Adding to those concerns, safety Justin Simmons is day-to-day with a knee sprain he suffered in Week 8. He did not practice on Wednesday, either.
Struggling offenses and elite defenses
The Titans and Broncos have not been good on offense in 2022.
In per-game averages, Denver ranks 30th in points, 20th in total yards and rushing yards, and 19th in passing yards. Meanwhile, the Titans rank 24th in points, 32nd in total yards and 31st in passing yards, but they have been successful on the ground, with their rushing attack ranking No. 8.
As bad as these teams have been on offense, they have been the exact opposite on defense.
Denver ranks No. 2 in total yards and points allowed, and No. 1 against the pass, which is a huge issue for a Titans offense that is already struggling to move the ball through the air. The good news for Tennessee is the Broncos have struggled against the run, ranking 21st in that category.
Tennessee’s defense has been susceptible to the pass this season and sports the third-worst ranking in the NFL in that category, but the secondary has been better of late.
The Titans sport an elite run defense (No. 2), though, and are giving up just 19.8 points per game, tied for the 10th-lowest mark in the league.
Unfortunately, this isn’t going to be a fun game to watch if you like to see points scored. Expect a hard-fought, low-scoring battle between these two teams.
A pair of embattled QBs
Tannehill’s overall tenure with the Titans has been good when you consider where they were before he took over in Week 7 of 2019.
Since then, the Titans have sported an elite offense in 2019 and 2020, won two AFC South titles, and have made three trips to the playoffs in total, including one that ended in the AFC Championship Game.
However, Tannehill’s inability to win playoff games the past two years has led to his being on the hot seat, and this could very well be his last year in Nashville after the team drafted Malik Willis.
Tennessee’s passing attack has struggled this season even when Tannehill has been healthy, but that’s hardly his fault. The offensive line has been lackluster, his receivers can’t catch or get open, and offensive coordinator Todd Downing has done a terrible job calling plays.
Despite all that, the Titans are 5-3, and if anything these last two games without Tannehill have made fans appreciate him even more.
Russell Wilson is in his first season in Denver after the team traded a ton to bring him in this past offseason. At the time the move was a no-brainer, as the Broncos were adding an elite quarterback to a win-now roster.
However, Wilson’s first season has been an abject disaster with the offense struggling mightily and looking lost, and the mistakes of head coach Nathaniel Hackett have only exacerbated that issue.
Once thought to be a Super Bowl contender before the season, the Broncos sit at 3-5 and in third place in their own division and 12th in the AFC.
Both teams have been disappointing in their own way, but there’s no question that the Broncos take the cake as one of the most disappointing teams in the entire league.
