Posted on 1/4/2008 11:48:39 AM

NFL Betting Trends - Titans (+ 9.5) vs. Chargers (- 9.5)

By D.S. Williamson

No reason to think that the Titans will go into San Diego and upset the Chargers, right? Actually, wrong. But before I get into why this is one of the better wagers this weekend, let’s take a look at some trends:

The Tennessee Titans are 7 and 0 against the spread as an underdog between 3.5 to 10 points.

The Tennessee Titans are 4 and 1 against the spread in their last 5 playoff games on the road.

The San Diego Chargers are 2 and 5 against the spread versus a team with a winning record.

This game comes down to something very simple - - the Titans have Vince Young and the Chargers do not. The Chargers defense has been playing much better lately, but Young poses a different set of problems for the Chargers.

You need a dominant defense in order to stop Young and I’m not convinced that the Chargers have that. Young should be able to find some soft spots in the middle of the Chargers’ D as San Diego likes to play a 3-4 defense and rush their linebackers from the outside.

That would be dangerous as any crease in the defense will yield huge gains for Vince. If that happens, and I’m beginning to believe more and more that it will, the Titans not only have a chance to beat this spread, but they have a terrific chance to actually win this game outright.

One thing I’ve noticed that sort of disturbs me about the San Diego Chargers is that they like to use their back-up running back in key third-down situations. I mean, if LT is sitting on the sidelines during a key third down, how much confidence can I really have in your offense?

Let’s not forget that Titans’ coach Jeff Fisher will definitely come up with a game-plan to get to trash-talking San Diego quarterback Phillip Rivers. There’s a good chance that the Titans will fluster the immature Rivers. If that happens, then the Titans can win this one outright.

The BetUS NFL betting line is Tennessee Titans + 9.5 against the spread on the road versus the San Diego Chargers.

I like the Titans to beat the spread. I also think they have a good shot at upsetting San Diego in this game.

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