The Tennessee Titans are set to embark on their latest matchup when they host the Carolina Panthers at Nissan Stadium on Sunday.
To say this has been a disastrous season for both teams would be an understatement.
After being considered the biggest threat to the Jacksonville Jaguars’ AFC South crown going into the season, the Titans have stunk it up and sit in the cellar of the division.
The only saving grace has been rookie quarterback Will Levis, who has shown flashes of being “the guy” but has also been limited by the horrific play of the offensive line in front of him.
Panthers rookie signal-caller Bryce Young has had a rough go of it in his first year. He’s dealt with many of the same issues Levis has, except we haven’t seen the kinds of flashes you’d hope to see out of a No. 1 overall pick.
The Titans are favored by sportsbooks and the vast majority of experts out there believe Tennessee will win, but we know nothing is a given when it comes to the 2023 Titans.
Let’s find out what our staff thinks for Week 12.
Our records
Shaun Calderon: 2-8
Mike Moraitis: 2-8
After starting out the season a pathetic 0-8, Mike has somehow stumbled into two straight correct picks. Even a broken clock is right twice a day, though.
Meanwhile, Shaun got back on the winning track by also picking the Jags over the Titans last week.
Shaun Calderon
With the Titans being back at home, I think we finally see them get back to their winning ways, especially against a Panthers team that has more problems than they do.
With that said, if the Titans lose this game, I can assure you I won’t be picking them to win the rest of the season.
This is just a random gut feeling, but I think Will Levis ends up having the best game of his young career against a team that essentially told him they had no interest in drafting him.
Fina score prediction: Titans 24, Panthers 16
Mike Moraitis
I have yet to correctly predict a Titans win this season, but I’m rolling the dice on them this week.
The Panthers’ secondary is set to be depleted, with both CJ Henderson and Jaycee Horn unlikely to play. When you also consider Carolina’s pass-rush isn’t very good outside of Brian Burns, this game sets up perfectly for Will Levis to feast, assuming the offensive line isn’t completely pathetic, something that is always possible.
Tennessee’s offensive line will hold it together enough for Levis to make a few game-changing plays down the field and Derrick Henry breaks the century mark against Carolina’s bottom-10 run defense.
Defensively, the Titans will make Carolina’s offense look better than it has in most games this season, but a few stops in the red zone will prove to be the difference.
Final score prediction: Titans 27, Panthers 20
