6 things to know about Titans-Bills Week 2 matchup
The Tennessee Titans will travel to Highmark Stadium this week for a “Monday Night Football” contest against the Buffalo Bills.
This is the fifth time these two teams will meet in five years. Both the Titans and Bills have won two games apiece, with Tennessee winning the last two meetings, 42-16 in 2020 and 34-31 in 2021.
It’s safe to say the Bills have revenge on their minds after the Titans have had their number in recent years.
In 2020, these two teams actually made a little history, as their Sunday contest was moved to Tuesday night because of Tennessee’s COVID-19 outbreak.
It was only the third Tuesday game in NFL history, with the Philadelphia Eagles and Minnesota Vikings’ contest in 2010 being the last. Before that, you’d have to go all the way back to 1946 for the other.
As we prepare for this Monday night showdown, here’s a look at six more things to know about this Titans-Bills matchup.
Bills are massive favorites
According to Tipico Sportsbook, the Bills are 9.5-point home favorites over the Titans, tied for the second-largest spread of the Week 2 slate. The over/under is set at 49.5.
In their last meeting in 2021, both teams combined for 65 points in the Titans’ 34-31 win. The spread in that game favored the Bills (-5.5), but it was Tennessee who covered.
Tennessee failed to cover or hit the over in Week 1. The Bills, on the other hand, were able to cover the spread but did not hit the over in their 31-10 victory over the Rams.
Very different starts to the season
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While the Bills looked very much like the Super Bowl favorites many have pegged them to be in the season-opener, dominating the reigning champs 31-10, Tennessee went in a completely different direction.
Tennessee dropped its season-opener to the Giants, a team that had been one of the worst in the NFL over the past five years. Making matters worse, the Titans blew a 13-0 halftime lead in a second-half collapse.
Now you know why the spread is as massive as it is, but we’ll get into why you shouldn’t get caught up in the hype of how lopsided this matchup may look on paper.
Recent history
George Walker IV / Tennessean.com, Nashville Tennessean via Imagn Content Services, LLC
One reason you shouldn’t get caught up in the hype is the fact that the Titans have beaten the Bills in each of the last two seasons, including a 42-16 shellacking in 2020, and then a 34-31 win in 2021.
This is the fifth meeting between these two teams in five years. The Bills got the better of the Titans in their two matchups in 2018 and 2019, although those games were much less exciting, with a combined score of 27-19.
Titans tend to rise to the occasion
AP Photo/Kyusung Gong
Another reason you shouldn’t count the Titans out in this game is the fact that they typically rise to the occasion when they face some of the better teams in the NFL. That might be hard to believe after Week 1, but it’s true.
In 2021, The Titans were home underdogs to the Bills (-5.5) and Kansas City Chiefs (-5.5) in Weeks 6 and 7, respectively, and then road dogs to the eventual champion Rams (-7.5).
They won all three of those games, despite being given little to no chance to do so by the national media.
You can go back to several other instances over the past few years where the Titans have come through with major upsets, so don’t be surprised if this trend continues on Monday night.
All-time records on "Monday Night Football"
George Walker IV / Tennessean.com / USA TODAY NETWORK
According to StatMuse, the Bills own a 20-29 (.408) all-time record on “Monday Night Football”, while the Titans are 25-20 (.556).
Last year’s meeting was the third between these two franchises on Monday night. The Titans own a 2-1 record against Buffalo overall on “Monday Night Football” dating back to their days as the Houston Oilers.
Key injuries
The Titans will be without outside linebacker and 2021 sacks leader, Harold Landry, who tore his ACL before the start of the season. In four career games against the Bills, Landry has four sacks and five QB hits.
Another key loss for the Titans will be slot cornerback Elijah Molden, who was one of the better rookie corners in the NFL in 2021. Molden landed on injured reserve with a groin issue just days before Week 1.
For Buffalo, their biggest loss is star cornerback Tre’Davious White, who is currently on the physically unable to perform list and out for the first four games as he continues to work his way back from a torn ACL.
Also of note, Bills head coach Sean McDermott revealed that defensive tackle Ed Oliver (ankle) was not practicing on Wednesday. Both teams will release their first official injury report of the week on Thursday.
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