Tennessee Titans vs. San Diego Chargers
Betting Line: Chargers -3.5 o/u 44
By
John J. Raspanti
The Titans come rolling into San Diego having won three in a row. The Chargers are on the other end of the pendulum having lost three in a row. Who starts at quarterback for the Titans (5-2) could be a Game time decision. ViNCe Young is battling knee and ankles injuries. His year so far has been a productive one. He’s completed 61 percent of his passes and thrown for seven touchdowns. If he can’t go veteran Kerry Collins will get the call. Collins has stepped in and done very well this season. Last week against the Eagles, Collins completed seventeen of thirty one passes and three scores. Running back Chris Johnson is third in the NFL in yards GAined with 622. second year wide receiver Kenny Britt has become the main target for whomever is throwing the ball. Britt has caught twenty three balls and scored seven touchdowns. Tight end Bo SCaife has nineteen catches while speedy Nate Washington has seventeen. On the defensive side of the ball linebacker Stephen Tulloch is having a Pro Bowl season with seventy tackles. Jasin Babi and Dave Ball lead the team with six sacks a piece.
The Chargers (2-5) are dueling with the Dallas Cowboys for the title of most disappointing team of 2010. They are statistically the number one team in the NFL in offense and defense. Obviously statistics don’t always mean victories. Last Sunday against New England they again dominated on the stat sheet. But too many turnovers and critical mistakes on special teams killed whatever momentum they were building. Quarterback Phillip Rivers has thrown thirteen touchdowns while completing 63 percent of his passes. The running back tandem of Mike Tolbert and Ryan Matthews has produced almost 600 yards on the ground. Rivers looks exclusively for Antonio GAtes who has grabbed thirty five passes and scored eight times. Malcom Floyd gets open often, averaging twenty one yards a catch. He should be able to do the same to the Titans. Patrick Crayton has chipped in with eighteen catches. The Charger defense is led by Kevin Burnett, Eric Weddle and Steve Gregory. Last week the Charger defense played very well against the tough New England offense holding Tom Brady to 159 yards passing. They also recorded Four sacks on Brady.
It’s certainly tempting to side with the desperate Chargers. We know the talent is there to compete with any team in the league. They are at home, and basically in a do or die situation each time they take the field from here on out. On the flip side, sometimes you have to simply take a Game at face value, and go with the better team. In 2010, the Titans are a much better football team than the Chargers. Playoff bound for sure. Desperation alone is not enough of a reason to back a team. It didn’t help the Cowboys did it? We’ll take the better team plus the points here. Titans +3.5