NFL Thursday Night Betting — San Francisco 49ers at Tennessee Titans (12/23)

The Tennessee Titans knew that things were going to get tougher when they lost Derrick Henry to an injury. They are still in the lead in the AFC South, but that lead is only a game over the Indianapolis Colts. So it is critical that they can “hold serve” at home against the San Francisco 49ers, in a dogfight themselves, in the Thursday Night Football game, starting at 8:20 PM ET at Nissan Stadium in Nashville.

It’s on Fox Network, and BetAnySports customers have an opportunity to get reduced juice on this game, not to mention real-time wagering through outlets like Ultimate Lines.

Tennessee is currently 9-5 (8-6 ATS), but it was expected that they would lose that explosive element when Henry, generally regarded as the premier back in the NFL, went down with a foot injury that required surgery.

The ground game hasn’t exactly gone limp, though. The Titans have run the ball 55% of the time over their last three games, and D’Onta Foreman had 108 yards last week against the Pittsburgh Steelers. And the defense held the Steelers to just 168 total yards. But four turnovers killed them in the 19-13 loss.

Without the best back in football (with apologies to Jonathan Taylor, of course) to build the offense around, Ryan Tannehill has been somewhat unsteady, and his interception total is now up to 14. Last week he had 132 passing yards in 32 attempts. That’s paltry.

So what now? The Titans had better put some offense together from somewhere. Wide receiver Julio Jones has not been himself, as he’s dealt with a hamstring injury. AJ Brown has been out for five weeks, but is eligible to play on Thursday night. If he’s anywhere close to 100%, that’s good news.

In the NFL Thursday night betting odds posted on this game at BetAnySports, the Titans are catching points at home:

San Francisco 49ers -3 (-115)

Tennessee Titans +3 (-105)

Over 44 Points -110

Under 44 Points -110

San Francisco is one game up in the wild card race with an 8-6 straight-up record (7-7 against the points) and has registered five wins on the road. Like the Titans, the Niners are a team that likes to run the ball. It is part of head coach Kyle Shanahan’s DNA. That effort is hampered a bit this week with the absence of Elijah Mitchell, a seventh-round draft pick who has been something of a revelation as a rookie.

But the Niners have an outstanding offensive line, featuring the likes of six-time Pro Bowl center Alex Mack and future Hall of Fame tackle Trent Williams. So they are going to run, regardless of who they have. And Jeff Wilson was able to step in and run for 110 yards in a 31-13 win over Atlanta. Shanahan has made a move in putting Pro Bowl wide receiver Deebo Samuel in the backfield. And that has provided another dimension for opponents to prepare for.

Quarterback Jimmy Garropolo has been a substantial asset after his team took Trey Lance with the third overall draft pick. Currently he leads the NFL in yards per attempt and yards per completion. And his Niners are the best team in the league in converting red zone appearances into touchdowns (73.8%).

They have won and covered five out of their last six games, and scored at least 30 points in four of the last six. Between these two teams, they are the one with its act together on the offensive side. And that rates them the edge here.

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