Panthers-Titans prediction, odds, pick, how to watch NFL Week 12 game
We're back with our predictions and picks for NFL Week 12 as we head into the home stretch of regular season action. Struggling teams in the South will meet as the Carolina Panthers (1-9) visit the Tennessee Titans (3-7). Both teams are desperately trying to break their losing streak. Check out our NFL odds series for our Panthers-Titans prediction and pick.
The Carolina Panthers are currently last in their division and have just one win to show for on their season. Following their first win over the Texans four weeks ago, the Panthers have lost three consecutive games by a total of 40 points heading into this one. They're already looking ahead towards next season, but they stand a chance as slim underdogs against the underwhelming Titans.
The Tennessee Titans are last in the AFC South and their playoff hopes keep slipping with each passing loss. It hasn't been the season they'd hoped for and it's clear that both injury and age have caught up to what this team was a few years ago. Their last two losses to the Buccaneers and Jaguars were especially tough, so they'll be needing this win desperately to avoid complete ruin on the rest of their season.
Here are the Panthers-Titans NFL odds , courtesy of FanDuel.
NFL Odds: Panthers-Titans Odds
Carolina Panthers: +3.5 (-110); ML (+154)
Tennessee Titans: -3.5 (-110); ML (-184)
Over: 36.5 (-110)
Under: 36.5 (-110)
How to Watch Panthers vs. Titans Week 12
Time: 1:00 p.m. ET/ 10:00 a.m. PT
Stream: fuboTV ( Click for free trial ), NFL Sunday Ticket if out-of-market
Why The Panthers Could Cover The Spread
Last week, the Dallas Cowboys made sure they didn't underestimate the Carolina Panthers and kept their foot on the gas through all four quarters. The Panthers had the massive task of going up against the NFL's best defense and they expectedly created at least one turnover from rookie quarterback Bryce Young. It was a tough day all-around throwing the ball for Young as he managed just 123 yards through the air. Their ground attack hasn't been consistent either as Miles Sanders continues to miss time due to injury and we see Chuba Hubbard taking a bigger role in their rushing. Adam Thielen has been seeing a career resurgence this season, but he's been about the only bright spot of this offense.
To have a chance at winning this game, the Panthers will have to sell out and move the ball through the air in this one. The Titans defense has been bad all year in stopping the passing attack, so Carolina would benefit from opening up the playbook and finding some opportunities down the field. They're going to be missing some key playmakers in TE Hayden Hurst and S Jeremy Chinn, so they can't afford to try and grind this game out with stops on defense and third-down conversions. To win this game, the Panthers have to find big plays on offense.
Why The Titans Could Cover The Spread
Quarterback Will Levis had one of his cleaner games as a starter against the Jaguars going 13-17 on his passes and scoring two touchdowns with no interceptions. It seems as though he's finally settling into the offense and he's doing a great job at limiting his mistakes with a compromised offensive line in front of him. They'll continue to have a number of injuries to their Offensive Tackle spot, so Levis will have to once again command the pocket and escape if he has to. We've seen upside from him as a scrambler, so using his legs could become a familiar theme as this season carries on. If he can stand in the pocket and find his receiver against the depleted Carolina secondary, he should notch another win as the starter.
The Tennessee Titans will be relying heavily on Derrick Henry to be successful in his rushing attack. While we knew he'd be handling a lighter workload throughout this season, his rushing totals on the carries he's getting aren't up to par with his previous seasons. Over the last two games, Henry has combined for just 62 yards on the ground as their offense struggles equally when he does. Their last win came against the Atlanta Falcons where Henry surpassed 100 yards rushing in that game. For them to be successful on offense, it starts with the production of Derrick Henry.
Final Panthers-Titans Prediction & Pick
The Titans will have the longer injury report ahead of this game and they're hurting on both sides of the ball. Carolina doesn't have much to play for at this point, nor do they have much to lose, which makes them a dangerous team. If they air the ball out and try to catch this Titans team early, they could come away with their second win of the season.
However, this seems like a get-back game for Derrick Henry as he's been rather quiet. I expect him to have more than 20 touches and find the hole for some big gains a number of times. Ultimately, expect Derrick Henry to control the game through the ground as the Panthers try to keep up. Let's take the Titans to win this game at home.
Final Panthers-Titans Prediction & Pick: Tennessee Titans (-184)
