Will Levis and Titans labeled underdogs in all but one 2024 NFL season game according to major sports books
It's no secret that the Tennessee Titans struggled in 2023. The team finished 6-11, tied for the sixth worst record in the NFL. However, general manager Ran Carthon and the Titans brought in a completely new coaching staff led by Brian Callahan (most recently the offensive coordinator with the Bengals) and signed a massive free […]
It's no secret that the Tennessee Titans struggled in 2023. The team finished 6-11, tied for the sixth worst record in the NFL. However, general manager Ran Carthon and the Titans brought in a completely new coaching staff led by Brian Callahan (most recently the offensive coordinator with the Bengals) and signed a massive free agent and draft class of players who should make a significant difference right away.
Calvin Ridley and Tyler Boyd should be major upgrades alongside DeAndre Hopkins at wide receiver. L'Jarius Sneed and Chidobe Awuzie are the highest paid cornerback tandem in the league. The offensive line is completely revamped. Will Levis is entering year two, and will now have a full offseason to prepare as the starter.
So why is it then, that the Titans are still considered underdogs according to every major sports book in 16 of 17 games for the 2024 NFL season? It's hard to tell, but Titans fans are already confident that the betting world is wrong.
Titans underdogs in nearly every game
When John Glennon, long-time Titans media member, shared some initial betting odds that released this week for all 17 games on the Titans' schedule it shocked many fans. According to the betting source Glennon used, the Titans ranged anywhere from 1.5 to 7.5-point underdogs. The only team Vegas and major sports books had Tennessee favored in was their home game against the Patriots, who are going through a complete rebuild right now.
Fans were shocked that the Titans were underdogs to teams like the Jets, Commanders, and a couple division rivals even at home. But surely odds shifted more in favor of the Titans after the initial opening lines settled, right?
Updated Titans Betting Odds by Game
The Titans betting lines surprisingly haven't moved much at all since the full slate of opening lines released for the 2024 season, but here's where Weeks 1-18 stand as of today according to a composite of multiple major sports books like Bet MGM, Draft Kings, and more:
- Titans +4.5 @ Bears
- Titans +4 vs. Jets
- Titans +3.5 vs Packers
- Titans +6.5 at Dolphins
- BYE
- Titans +1.5 vs. Colts
- Titans +7 @ Bills
- Titans+ 7 @ Lions
- Titans -2.5 vs. Patriots
- Titans +4 @ Chargers
- Titans +1 vs Vikings
- Titans +6 @ Texans
- Titans +1.5 @ Commanders
- Titans +1.5 vs. Jaguars
- Titans +4.5 vs. Bengals
- Titans +4 @ Colts
- Titans +4 @ Jaguars
- Titans +3 vs. Texans
There isn't a single NFL team who is favored by more than a touchdown as of this writing, but the Titans are still considered an underdog in 16 of 17 games. And to make matters worse, considering most books give about 2.5 or 3 points to the home team by default, the Titans wouldn't even likely be favored against the Patriots on a neutral field according to the consensus betting odds right now.
Titans fans saving the receipts already
The Titans will almost certainly win more than one game this season, but it seems the betting markets aren't exactly bullish on the two-tone blue this year. That hasn't deterred the fervor Titans fans feel for their team. In fact many are already saving receipts to circle back with when the Titans do better than any of the national media believe.
ESPN's new NFL Football Power Index (FPI), which expresses how many points each team should be given or favored by against the league average squad was slightly nicer to the Titans, but garnered even more public disdain from fans. Rich Cimini's ESPN Analytics post below lays it out clearly: the Titans are rated 27th in the league and "should" be field goal underdogs to an NFL average team, according to their calculations.
That didn't sit well with Titans fans at all. One post immediately blew up on reddit this week, highlighting the fact that Titans fans welcome the hate: "Underestimate us. We like it like that."
It seems that the entire NFL and football betting world doubts the Tennessee Titans have what it takes to compete this season. It will be up to Will Levis and new head coach Brian Callahan to prove the haters wrong here soon. Ran Carthon has certainly done his part this offseason bringing in tons of talent to build a winning roster. It's just a matter of the team gelling together quickly with many new moving parts.
Be looking for more Tennessee Titans and NFL coverage here at A to Z Sports all year long! Follow me (@FF_TravisM) on X (Twitter) for all the latest football news!
