Titans vs. Bills how to watch: TV, live stream info, start time what to know for ‘Monday Night Football’

The ultimate recreation of Week 6 of the 2021 NFL season pits the 4-1 Buffalo Bills in opposition to the 3-2 Tennessee Titans. Josh Allen and firm are coming off a monstrous win over Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs, whereas Derrick Henry and the boys are contemporary off a destruction of the division rival Jacksonville Jaguars. 

A win would assist the Payments preserve tempo with the Baltimore Ravens on the high of the AFC, whereas a Tennessee victory would make the convention’s playoff image way more muddled. Can the Payments make it 5 in a row, or will the Titans pull off the upset at residence? We’re glad you requested, as a result of we’re right here to interrupt down the matchup. 

However first, this is how one can watch tonight’s recreation.

Find out how to watch 

Date: Monday, Oct. 18 | Time: 8:15 p.m. ET
Location: Nissan Stadium (Nashville, TN)
TV: ESPN | Stream: fuboTV (click here)
Observe: CBS Sports App
Odds: Payments -6, O/U 53.5

When the Payments have the ball

Allen is on some sort of roll proper now — particularly on throws deep down the sector. As we wrote Friday:

Most NFL monitoring companies contemplate “deep” throws to be those who journey 20 or extra yards down the sector within the air. Allen excels on these throws, however what he actually excels on are the even deeper throws. 

No one within the league has tried extra throws of 30-plus air yards than Allen, who has lofted 14 of them. On these 14 performs, he has 9 completions, which have accounted for 375 yards and two touchdowns, per Tru Media. That is a 147.3 passer ranking. (Solely Dak Prescott’s 149.3 is larger, and he is tried lower than half as many throws as Allen, going 4 of 6 for 163 yards and two touchdowns.) Allen accomplished 4 of those passes in opposition to the Chiefs alone. Solely 4 different gamers have greater than 4 of those completions on your complete season.

That is notably unhealthy information for the Titans, who’ve been extraordinarily flammable by way of the air. Tennessee checked in twenty fifth in Soccer Outsiders’ cross protection DVOA heading into Week 6, and thirtieth in opposition to deep passes. The Titans have allowed opponents to finish 13 of 21 passes for 506 yards, 4 touchdowns, and only one interception on throws of no less than 20 air yards. 

Opposing groups have been intent on choosing on Janoris Jenkins, concentrating on him extra usually than all however 10 different cornerbacks league broad. Jenkins has yielded 22 completions on 32 targets, giving up 267 yards and a rating. That is a 104.6 passer ranking, and he hasn’t been near essentially the most pleasant goal for opponents. (Rookie Elijah Molden has given up an ideal 158.3 passer ranking on throws into his protection, albeit on solely eight such throws.) 

Maybe this week will deliver the Stefon Diggs blow-up recreation that has seemingly been on its method all season. Diggs ranked third within the NFL in air yards however solely seventeenth in receiving yards by way of the primary 5 weeks of the season. Tennessee’s linebackers (notably David Long) have been weak in protection this season as effectively, which may result in one other huge recreation for rising tight finish Dawson Knox. 

The Titans’ finest hope is to get stress on Allen and pressure him into errors. Tennessee has pressured opposing passers on a barely above-average share of dropbacks this season, which is an effective sighting after their offseason spending spree, however possibly not so good contemplating Bud Dupree hasn’t even been one in all their higher cross rushers. (Harold Landry has been significantly better and way more constant.) Allen has really finished fairly effectively below stress this 12 months, although, totaling 505 yards, 5 touchdowns, and no interceptions. He hasn’t even gotten a lot going within the scrambling division but, as a lot of his injury has come on designed operating performs. 

The information does not get significantly better for the Titans with regards to the bottom recreation. They rank twenty seventh in rush protection DVOA, per Soccer Outsiders, and twenty third in Adjusted Line Yards allowed. (The Payments offense ranks sixth in the identical stat.) Zack Moss has begun to take over a bigger share of Buffalo’s backfield work in current weeks, however each he and Devin Singletary are afforded loads of room to work because of the eye opponents should pay to each the specter of the cross and the specter of Allen as a rusher. 

When the Titans have the ball

Buffalo’s protection is coming off among the finest performances any crew has had this season, holding the Chiefs in verify for a big majority of the sport at Arrowhead Stadium final week. Buffalo was content material to sit down again in protection and dare Patrick Mahomes to take checkdown passes or name operating performs all recreation, and it labored fairly effectively. It’s going to be fascinating to see how Buffalo’s technique adjustments this week, as a result of, effectively, daring the Titans to run means daring them to maintain giving the ball to Derrick Henry — and we all know how prepared they’re to try this. 

Henry, frankly, might be not from this planet. Because the crew’s complete meltdown in Week 1 in opposition to the Cardinals, Henry has logged dashing traces of 35-182-3, 28-113-0, 33-157-1, and 29-130-3. That is 125 carries (in 4 video games!) for 582 yards (4.7 per carry) and 7 scores. In 4 video games. (4 video games!) A lot of that manufacturing has come with out defenses needing to pay a lot consideration to the cross, as a result of each A.J. Brown and Julio Jones have been injured for the higher a part of the previous few weeks. 

I might attempt to break down how on earth the Payments can cease Henry on the bottom, however I actually do not know if there’s a method to take action. One of the best probability you’ve is taking a giant lead and forcing Tennessee to go along with a cross heavy recreation plan. That is what Arizona did again in Week 1, and that’s what most groups which have managed to maintain him in verify have finished through the years as effectively. Buffalo is about up higher to try this than most groups, and it helps that the Payments even have finished a superb job of stopping the run total this season. (They rank first in each rush protection DVOA and Adjusted Line Yards allowed.) The blokes alongside the entrance 4 are doing a incredible job of shedding blocks and making performs behind the road of scrimmage, stuffing opponents for no achieve or a loss on 23 p.c of rush makes an attempt. 

The Payments certainly know the Titans will need to run the ball down their throats and can manage their protection accordingly, which is why it is excellent news that Brown and Jones are again within the lineup. Solely, Brown might no longer be within the lineup after he was ominously added to the injury report Sunday as a result of an sickness. Ryan Tannehill has been working with a makeshift receiver corps for a lot of the season and will presumably make issues work if Josh Reynolds and/or Chester Rogers, Cameron Batson, Marcus Johnson, and Nick Westbrook have to select up extra snaps, however issues are clearly a lot simpler with each of the star wideouts within the fold. 

That is very true as a result of Buffalo’s secondary has been so stingy — particularly on the play-action throws which are Tannehill’s (and Tennessee’s) power. The Payments have allowed opponents to finish solely 20 of 41 passes for 261 yards, two touchdowns, and three interceptions off play motion this season, per Tru Media, “good” for a disgusting 55 passer ranking that will make Titans followers lengthy for the times of Zach Mettenberger.

Newest Odds:

Tennessee Titans
+6

Prediction: Payments 34, Titans 20