Tennessee Titans vs. Detroit Lions Matchup Preview (12/20/20): Betting Odds, Depth Charts, Live Stream

The Tennessee Titans will host the Detroit Lions next week in week 15 of the NFL season. The Titans are tied with the Indianapolis Colts in a tight AFC South race for the division title, but the Titans do have the tie-breaker on them at the moment. They are coming off of an easy win over the Jacksonville Jaguars. The Detroit Lions still have slim playoff hopes, but their loss last week to the Green Bay Packers hurt their chances. Their team is quite banged up at the moment, and they have a hard matchup with the Titans on both sides of the ball. For odds movement and full matchup history, visit the Tennessee Titans vs. Detroit Lions Matchup Page.

TV Schedule

Date: Sunday, December 20th , 2020
Time: 1:05 PM ET
Location: Nissan Stadium – Nashville, Tennessee
TV Coverage: CBS

Titans vs. Lions Live Stream

Where can you watch Titans vs. Lions online? You can stream this game, and many other NFL games live online with Hulu. Hulu has a 7 Day free trial and is cheaper than cable options at $5.99/month. Watch Titans vs. Lions Free Online Now.

Injuries:

Tennessee Titans: Questionabel: Adoree’ Jackson, Kenny Vaccaro, IR: Breon Borders
Detroit Lions: Questionable: C.J. Moore, Tyrell Crosby, Kenny Golladay, Darryl Roberts, Matthew Stafford, IR: Jeff Okudah

Tennessee Titans Analysis

The Tennessee Titans are leading the AFC South division with a 9-4 record at the moment. They won against the Jacksonville Jaguars last week and withheld the tie-breaker over the Indianapolis Colts. The Colts will take on the Houston Texans next week, in which, if it wasn’t for a late fumble from Deshaun Watson, the Texans could have won the game. The Titans need every win they can get, and they are being handed an interesting one next week with the Detroit Lions.

Ryan Tannehill has been a great fit for this team and has been doing an excellent job in the passing game. He threw for 212 yards last game and two touchdowns against the Jaguars’ weak defense. Tannehill connected with A.J Brown (7-112-1) and Geoff Swain (3-34-1) for his two touchdown passes. Tannehill should take heavy advantage of the Detroit Lions next week, who are without Desmond Trufant and Jeff Okudah, two of their best defensive backs. The Lions allow the 6th most passing yards per game and the 7th most passing touchdowns per game too.

Derrick Henry is the engine of this offense, and he put on a show last game. He ran the ball 26 times for a whopping 215 yards (more rushing yards than Tannehill’s passing yards!) and two rushing touchdowns. Henry has now the most rushing yards on the year by a margin of 230 yards over Dalvin Cook. He also averages 5.2 yards per attempt (6th) and has the most rushing touchdowns on the year (14). Detroit has one of the worst rushing defenses in the league, allowing the fourth-most rushing yards per game and the most rushing touchdowns this season.

The Titans’ defense has been worse than anticipated with a lot of big names on their squad. They allow 25.8 points per game (25th) and over 387 yards per game, which is the 7th worst value in the NFL. Largely part of their failure on defense is their struggle to pass rush. They have recorded the least amount of sacks on the year (14) and the worst sack rate in the NFL (3.8%). The Titans’ main priority should be with getting to Matthew Stafford in this one if he plays.

Tennessee Titans Depth Chart

QB: Ryan Tannehill
RB1: Derrick Henry
RB2: Darrynton Evans
WR1: Corey Davis
WR2: A.J. Brown
WR3: Adam Humphries
TE: Jonnu Smith

Detroit Lions Analysis

The Detroit Lions have some playoff hopes still and have yet to be eliminated from the NFC playoff picture. At this point, however, they will need to win-out and have a lot of teams lose to get in the playoffs. Their loss to the Packers last week will certainly hurt their case of getting in. Nevertheless, they fought a hard-nosed game and made a valiant effort. They will try the Tennessee Titans next week with a banged-up roster.

Matthew Stafford is currently suffering an injury to his ribs he received against the Packers. His X-Rays came back negative, according to the team, but he may sit out next week. Chase Daniel would serve as the starter if he could not go, but Stafford is very tough and may play through it. Last week, Stafford threw for 244 yards and one touchdown against the Packers. The Titans allow the fourth-most passing yards and passing touchdowns per game, so if Stafford were to play, he should have a relatively solid game.

The Lions finally got back D’Andre Swift in the run game last game against the Packers after he was out with injury. Swift only got 7 attempts in the backfield, but he made do with 24 yards and a touchdown. He also put up 4 catches for 26 yards in the backfield. Tennessee has a better rushing defense, allowing just over 113 yards per game on the ground and 4.3 yards per attempt. However, Swift’s ability to thrive in the passing game will be important for the Lions next week.

The Lions’ defense is certainly their lowest point of the team this season. Especially without key guys like Desmond Trufant and Jeff Okudah, they do not have much to rely on. The Lions give up the fourth-most points per game with nearly 30 points this season. They also allow the fourth-most yards per game, with just under 400 yards allowed per game. The Titans are a very productive offense and have one of the best running backs in the league. They will need to tighten things up to get a win.

Detroit Lions Depth Chart

QB: Matthew Stafford
RB1: Kerryon Johnson
RB2: D’Andre Swift
WR1: Marvin Jones
WR2: Kenny Golladay
WR3: Danny Amendola
TE: T.J. Hockenson

Betting Corner Titants -10.5

Spread: +/- 10.5
Moneyline: Lions +450, Titans -670
Over/Under: 51.5

Prediction

Spread: Titans -10.5
Moneyline: Titans -670
Over/Under: u51.5

On the premise that Matthew Stafford could be out, I believe that the Titans could now win and cover their spread of 10.5 because their offense is extremely productive, and the Lions’ defense, while already below average, has some major injuries. I would take the Titans money line and spread for this one.

If Matthew Stafford is not present for this game, I would take the under, considering he is the factor that keeps the Lions’ offense scoring. If he does play, I could see this game going with the over because the Lions’ offense can score on defenses. They put up 34 points on the Bears two weeks ago, who has one of the better defenses in the league.

Love/Hate Fantasy Picks

Love

Derrick Henry is an easy choice as a starter, but I believe the noteworthy prediction here should be his high probability of leading the week in fantasy points. He dropped 36.2 fantasy points last week, which is only his third-highest total of the year. Henry’s matchup with the Lions is extremely favorable, especially since the Colts are right behind the Titans in the division. The Lions have allowed the most points per game to running backs this season, with an average of 26.5 points per game. If Henry gets all the carries per usual, it would not be impossible to see another 30+ point game from him.

Hate

T.J Hockenson has been one of the more consistent fantasy tight ends this season and has seen double-digit points for four straight weeks. While he can see another double-digit point game, I do not think he will live up to his 12.4 average. Jayon Brown is one of the best tackling linebackers in the league, and the Titans allow the 12th least amount of points to tight ends on the year. Tight ends are their best-guarded position, and Hockenson might see some trouble. He has a fairly projected 10.7 points next week.