Titans vs. Chargers NFL Week 10 Predictions: Upset Alert?

Tennessee Titans (2-6 SU, 1-7 ATS) vs. Los Angeles Chargers (5-3 SU, 5-3 ATS)
NFL Football Week 10
Date/Time: Sunday, November 10, 2024 at 4:05PM EST
Where: SoFi Stadium, Inglewood, California
TV: CBS

The Tennessee Titans come into SoFi Stadium for a week ten AFC battle with the Los Angeles Chargers on Sunday. Times are tough for the Titans at just 2-6, but they showed a little pluck on Sunday, digging deep for the overtime win against the Patriots, 20-17. They’ll take it any way they can get it at this point. For the Chargers, there is more optimism in the air, winners of two straight, including a 27-10 road win over the Browns last week, bringing them to 5-3 on the season. They’re catching no breaks being in the same division with still-unbeaten Kansas City, so they need to keep it rolling and seem to be getting a cushy spot at home against a not-so-great Titans squad. What’s the move for this Sunday?

The Pros and Cons of the Chargers

They’re on a decent run, albeit against dicey competition, but still having outscored their last two opponents, 53-18. Justin Herbert’s fine play is a big part of their winning equation on offense. But after a promising start to the season with big games from JK Dobbins, we’ve seen him ebb, with this last Sunday maybe showing a resurgence and a sign that this struggling O-line can start opening up some holes for a run-game that had really hit a wall in recent weeks. Aerially, they seem to get the job done some weeks without there really being a star in the bunch. But between Ladd McConkey, Quintin Johnston, Josh Palmer, and their other targets, they have a decent variety and depth in the pass-catching corps. Still, if they aren’t running the ball and just chipping away with short passes, the entire thing can be unexciting.

But you still see things slowly forming and molding into what you typically get with a Jim Harbaugh-coached team. Where his best work has taken place is with a defense that has finally combined all its talent to actually become stout. With 101 points allowed in 8 games, the Chargers’ defense has become a true force, and we’ll see if a Titans’ offense that has been the lowest-scoring team in the conference can come into SoFi and make much inroads against a defense that has been difficult to crack. A naysayer could point out with some validity that the Chargers have been put in some prime spots that make their defense look good, with some bad teams and ones who had issues that particular week they played the Chargers. But that only bolsters their standing this week, as Tennessee isn’t any better than the teams the Chargers have beaten.

Looking for Signs of Life on the Titans

They have injury issues across all areas, notably at quarterback, where Will Levis has missed three games, with Mason Rudolph stepping in, his first two starts being bad losses, before the OT win over the Pats on Sunday. They traded DeAndre Hopkins, leaving Tony Pollard and diminished Calvin Ridley as the only proven contributors on an offense that is really in the pits. Their receiver crew that wasn’t good to begin with lost its best player. Getting to 20 points in a given week seems to be a giant task. They’re reduced to getting what they can through the air while handing it off to Pollard a bunch. And against a defense like the one they’re facing this week on the road, you wonder what they can actually be counted on to deliver.

Even with everyone aware of the Titans’ shortcomings, they have still covered one measly spread this whole season as we enter week ten. Even with expectations being low, they can’t deliver much with this offense. To start off with an awful offense and then suffer injuries to your QB and trade, your best receiver just has them barely hanging on at this point. Still, they won last week, and a lot of that is because of a defense that can be stingy, sometimes giving up very little through the air and in general. They don’t have a great pass rush and don’t register a lot of turnovers, but they still get a lot of stops, can be tough on third down, and make some big plays throughout the game.

The Case for the Chargers

The Bolts look to have found another gear, getting some wins and nice separation from their opponents these last few weeks, a trait that would come in handy this week. The Chargers’ defense has maybe not been put in the most-demanding spots, but are sufficiently-tested to where you’d figure they’d be in good shape this week in this matchup. Herbert has been playing better, and while the Titans’ defense is not easy in that regard, and Herbert has no star pass-catchers at his disposal, it’s not a “D” that strikes fear in this road game.

Still, with the Chargers in particular and with a defense-heavy style, this isn’t the greatest role for them. There is just something about them that seems lacking in the role of a heavy favorite, and being on the wrong side of that TD as of press time doesn’t help, either. These last two weeks notwithstanding, where they would have delivered as heavy favorites, that’s not necessarily the hat they wear best. And it’s still not an offense you can really depend on to put up big numbers, especially against a decent defense in a game where the opponent isn’t that threatening.

Take the Points

The total, which is 38 as of this writing, attests to a vision of this game being a grind. And not that the Chargers’ defense isn’t capable of a near-shutdown of this Tennessee offense or that Herbert and Company can’t lay it on thick in this game, but I suspect that a returning Levis (if he, in fact, starts) can squeeze enough juice out of this Titans’ offense to keep this in the ballpark and get the cover on Sunday. I’ll take the Titans.

Loot’s Prediction to Cover the Point Spread:

I’m betting on the Tennessee Titans plus 7.5 points.