Last week, I missed an opportunity to capitalize on the Kansas City Chiefs decline. My information indicated that the wrong team was favored in Tennessee when they faced the Titans as a four point favorite … and yet I didn’t deliver the Titans.
Why?
Because I was cautious not to back the Titans off their emotional Monday Night Football victory over the Buffalo Bills the prior week.
Bad thinking.
I know better.
Teams coming off emotional wins do not have letdowns against opponents they respect as much as Tennessee did the Chiefs before they came to play in Music City. When a team is playing well, and few teams are playing better than the Titans the past couple weeks, if they are going to have a letdown they are going to do it against a team that they think they can handle.
Say a team they lead by two games in their division standings and a squad they already beat once this season. The good news is while we missed a Titans win last week, we get what we are looking for this week when Tennessee visits Indianapolis with the Colts fresh off their season saving victory over the San Francisco 49ers last Sunday.
This is where Tennessee should have a motivational let down, and it comes with a double scoop of emotional wins the past two weeks.
For the Titans to win their third straight game over a quality opponent they would have to be very, very special. They have looked that way over the past two games, games in which they were home team underdogs without public money backing. Remember, this is the same Tennessee squad that handed the New York Jets their only win of the season four weeks ago, and then opened their current three game winning streak with a victory over the woeful Jacksonville Jaguars before their monumental wins over the Bills and Chiefs.
They go from twice being underdogs at home to a road favorite against a Colts team that they both beat before their loss to the Jets and lead by two games in the AFC South Division standings.
What that serves us on Halloween is a very spooky set of circumstances that all work against the visitors. The Titans will end Sunday still in first place win or lose. If Tennessee beats the Colts this week they would lengthen their lead to three games while a loss still has them a game in front of the Colts after the two teams split their season series.
Okay, I missed the Titans last week because I was worried they might not be their best off their Monday night win over the Bills. But I’m not missing going against them this week when I am certain their confidence is in the way of a fourth straight win.
Qoxhi Picks: Indianapolis Colts (+1½) over Tennessee Titans