The Titans and the Raiders looked like playoff contenders last season and with another year under their belt, it could be time to strike for both teams. They meet this Sunday in a game where momentum will be key and both teams desperately need to get off to a good start. The Titans couldn’t seem to get much traction going last season, but did record some quality wins throughout the year. Quarterback Marcus Mariota played a touch inconsistently, but with the experience of another year in the NFL expect a better player this season.
The Raiders looked great throughout the middle stages of the season, but an injury to quarterback Derek Carr expelled their chances of making a playoff run. Big losses in the last two games of the season were enough to see the fairytale run come to an end, but it’s a new season starting on Sunday and both teams have what it takes to make a deep run this season.
NFL – Nissan Stadium, Nashville 10th September – 18:00 UK Time
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Draw Best Odd of: 5/2 at Ladbrokes |
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Tennessee Titans
Oakland RaidersTennessee Titans form
The Titans lost three of its four pre-season games with the one win coming against the Carolina Panthers. Starting the season slowly isn’t out of the ordinary for the Titans which went 1-3 in its first four games last season, but back-to-back wins against the Dolphins and Browns got them back on track.
The Titans were able to win three consecutive games in the 2016/2017 season when beating the Bears, Broncos and the Chiefs in succession, but an untimely loss to the Jaguars knocked them out of the running. To their credit they came back in the final game of the season to beat the Houston Texans and we saw glimpses of what the Titans could offer this year. They have a solid passing game, but their defense could do with some work. That will need to be addressed this season if they want to get revenge over the Raiders. The Titans lost 10-17 to the Raiders in week three last season, so redemption will be at the forefront for the Titans this week.
Oakland Raiders form
Most of the NFL public felt sorry for the Oakland Raiders last season after such a promising start was destroyed by the injury to Derek Carr. Carr is the glue that holds the team together and the consecutive losses at the end of the season was a great example of what he means to this team. The Raiders had won eight of its last nine games before that and the only loss during that stretch came to the Kansas City Chiefs, who defeated the Raiders twice last season.
The Raiders were able to score convincing wins against the likes of the Denver Broncos, Indianpolis Colts and the Carolina Panthers – which isn’t easy to do in modern day NFL. They have added some pieces to the puzzle this season which could make them even harder to beat, but that Raiders discipline will no doubt come into question again. The Raiders give away too many penalties which puts themselves under pressure, but they will be tough to beat throughout the season if they can limit those errors. The Raiders have split the last four games against the Titans and both wins came away from home, so the Californian team has no problems with the travel.
Titans vs. Raiders betting tip
The Titans are slight favourites at home which was to be expected, but there’s value with the visiting side here. The Raiders have shown in the past that travelling to Tennessee doesn’t pose any fears and this is an imposing Raiders side which took it easy in the pre-season. Derek Carr will be ready to fire long passes down the field and the addition of superstar running back Marshawn Lynch will give the Raiders another dimension. The Raiders are getting two points from bookmakers, but take them in the head-to-head market at 23/20 for better value.