BUFFALO (4-1) at TENNESSEE (3-2)
Monday, 8:15 p.m. EDT, ESPN
OPENING LINE: Bills by 5 1/2, according to FanDuel SportsBook.
AGAINST THE SPREAD: Bills 4-1, Titans 3-2.
SERIES RECORD: Titans lead 29-19.
LAST MEETING: Titans beat Bills 42-16 on Oct. 13, 2020 in Nashville.
LAST WEEK: Bills beat Chiefs 38-20; Titans beat Jaguars 37-19.
BILLS OFFENSE: OVERALL (8), RUSH (5), PASS (9), SCORING (1).
BILLS DEFENSE: OVERALL (1), RUSH (3), PASS (2), SCORING (1).
TITANS OFFENSE: OVERALL (10), RUSH (3), PASS (26), SCORING (10).
TITANS DEFENSE: OVERALL (21), RUSH (16), PASS (21), SCORING (24).
TURNOVER DIFFERENTIAL: Bills plus-11; Titans minus-3.
BILLS PLAYER TO WATCH: Dawson Knox. The third-year player leads the team and NFL tight ends, while being tied for second in the league with five touchdowns receiving. His 117 yards receiving against the Chiefs were the third most in team history by a tight end, and most since Charles Clay had 112 at Atlanta on Oct. 1, 2017. Knox has scored in four straight games, the longest streak since Sammy Watkins had a four-game run in 2015. The Tennessee native also will be playing close to home.
TITANS PLAYER TO WATCH: QB Ryan Tannehill. He’s the most sacked and most hit quarterback in the NFL through five games. But he hasn’t lost a fumble in three straight games, and his last interception was Sept. 26.
KEY MATCHUP: Titans RB Derrick Henry vs. Bills DT Star Lotulelei. Henry was limited to 57 yards on 19 carries in the Titans’ 42-16 win over the Bills last year, but most notably stiff-armed his way to score two touchdowns. Buffalo’s run defense was inconsistent all last year with Lotulelei opting out for COVID-19 reasons. He’s back and represents a big reason the Bills have limited opponents to 392 yards rushing and one TD. Henry has run for at least 113 yards in four straight games.
KEY INJURIES: Bills LB Matt Milano is back practicing after missing the Chiefs game with a hamstring issue. The Titans have 16 on injured reserve and had 23 on the injury report last week. But Titans WR Julio Jones (hamstring) has returned to practice after missing two games. Titans OLB Bud Dupree (right knee) could return after missing three straight games.
SERIES NOTES: This is the fourth straight season these teams have played, and this time it’s as division leaders in a series with plenty of history. The Titans beat the Bills on a play called the Music City Miracle in an AFC wild-card game in January 2000 on their way to their lone Super Bowl. The Bills lead the postseason series 2-1 with an amazing comeback of their own in a 41-38 overtime win in a 1993 wild-card game against the Titans, who then were the Houston Oilers. Buffalo had won three straight before the Titans won a game rescheduled to Tuesday night because of the team’s COVID-19 outbreak. That was the first Tuesday night game since 2010 and second since 1946 in the league. Tennessee is 4-2 against the Bills at Nissan Stadium.
STATS AND STUFF: The Bills lead the NFL scoring the most points per game with 34.4 and allowing the fewest with 12.8 points a game. The Bills also lead the NFL with 15 takeaways and with a plus-11 turnover margin. … Buffalo has have scored 35 or more points in five straight games. … The Bills have won an NFL-record 14 straight games when leading at halftime. … Bills QB Josh Allen threw for three TDs and ran for another last week. The Bills are 18-0 when he runs and throws for a TD apiece. … Allen has won eight road starts since the start of the 2020 season, tied for second in the NFL. … The Titans are 21-1 under coach Mike Vrabel when leading at the start of the fourth quarter. … Henry leads the NFL with 640 yards rushing and seven TD runs. He has more yards rushing than any player in franchise history through five games and most by an NFL player through five games since DeMarco Murray (670) in 2014 with Dallas. … Tannehill has three or more TD passes and a 100-plus rating in two of his past three games vs. the Bills. … WR Marcus Johnson led the Titans with 52 yards receiving in his debut last week. … Titans S Kevin Byard had an interception and returned a fumble recovery for his first NFL TD last week.
FANTASY TIP: Titans WR A.J. Brown. He has looked nothing like the 2020 Pro Bowl receiver this season, but Brown returned to the lineup last week from an injured hamstring. Brown wasn’t happy with his performance and usually plays well at night. He had seven catches for 82 yards and a TD the last time these teams met.
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