Lions host Titans in what looks like a lopsided matchup of 5-1 and 1-5 teams
Tennessee (1-5) at Detroit (5-1)
Sunday, 1 p.m. EDT, Fox
BetMGM NFL Odds: Lions by 11.
Against the spread: Titans 1-5; Lions 5-1.
Series record: Titans lead 10-3.
Last meeting: Titans beat Lions 46-25 on Dec. 20, 2020, in Nashville.
Last week: Titans lost 34-10 to Bills; Lions beat Vikings 31-29.
Titans offense: overall (31), rush (21), pass (32), scoring (T-25).
Titans defense: overall (1), rush (7), pass (3), scoring (21).
Lions offense: overall (2), rush (4), pass (3), scoring (3).
Lions defense: overall (18), rush (5), pass (27), scoring (9).
Turnover differential: Titans minus-9; Lions plus-6.
Titans player to watch
RB Tony Pollard. With QB Will Levis likely getting another week off to rest his shoulder, Mason Rudolph is expected to make his second straight start and may lean on Pollard. He ran for 61 yards on 16 rushes last week and has 400 yards rushing in the first six games of a season for the first time in his career.
Lions player to watch
QB Jared Goff. He has joined Aaron Rodgers (2011), Kurt Warner (1999), Roger Staubach (1971) as the only players in league history to have a passer rating of 140 or better in three straight games. Goff has a chance to become the first to have a passer rating of 140 or better in four games in a row.
Key matchup
How the Titans’ top-ranked defense fares against one of the league’s best offenses will be pivotal. Tennessee forced the Bills to go three-and-out on their first three drives, allowing just 18 yards, then they scored 34 unanswered points. Goff has helped Detroit average 40 points over the past three games, directing a balanced offense.
Injuries
Titans coach Brian Callahan said he’s likely to give Levis a second straight game off to further heal the sprained AC joint in his right, throwing shoulder that was hurt Sept. 30 at Miami in Tennessee’s lone win of the season. The Titans listed Levis as questionable Friday. … The Titans ruled out CB L’Jarius Sneed (quadriceps) and OT Jaelyn Duncan (hamstring), may be headed to injured reserve. … RB Tyjae Spears might return from the injured hamstring that sidelined him last week. … Detroit ruled out DL Josh Paschal, who missed all week with an illness.
Series notes
This will be the Titans’ third game at Ford Field and first since 2016. They won their first two games there and have won six straight going into this game. That’s Tennessee’s longest active winning streak against any opponent. This franchise has lost at Detroit only once, when the then-Houston Oilers lost 24-13 on Oct. 5, 1986.
Stats and stuff
Callahan was quarterbacks coach for the Lions in 2016 and 2017. … The Titans held Buffalo to 74 yards rushing last week, the fewest they’ve allowed this season. … The struggling Titans do one thing very well on offense by holding the ball for an average of 31:17 per game, ranking among league leaders in time of possession. … The Titans have lost three games by a touchdown or less. … Titans WR Calvin Ridley has had at least 40 yards receiving in two of three road games this season. … WR Tyler Boyd had a season-high five catches for 43 yards last week. … TE Chig Okonkwo had season-high 50 yards receiving last week. … OLB Harold Landry has a TFL in five of six games this season and a sack in two of three road games. … The defending NFC North champion Lions pulled into a first-place tie in the division with Minnesota and matched the best record in the conference with last week’s win. … The Lions are 5-1 in consecutive seasons for the first time since leaving Portsmouth, Ohio, in 1934 and have a chance to start 6-1 for the first time since 1956. … Detroit is the only team since the merger to have more offensive touchdowns (18) than incomplete passes (16) in a four-game span. … RB Jahmyr Gibbs is Detroit’s first player to average at least 5 yards a carry in five straight games with at least 10 rushing attempts. Gibbs is the first Lion to have 600 or more yards from scrimmage and six touchdowns in the first six games of a year since Hall of Famer Barry Sanders did it in 1991. … Brian Branch is the first safety to have 10-plus passes defended and four INTs in the first five games of a season since 1999. … Branch and Kerby Joseph are the first pair of players to have four INTs through the first six games of a season for the franchise since Hall of Famer Joe Schmidt and Bob Long did it for the Lions in 1958. … Jack Fox ranks second among NFL punters all-time with a 48.48 gross average and fourth with a net average of 42.74 yards.
Fantasy tip
Lions WR Amon-Ra St. Brown has caught a TD pass in four straight games and may get even more targets this week with WR Jameson Williams serving a two-game suspension.
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