Tag: no_yh

Steelers open as 6.5-point underdogs in season opener vs Bills

Pittsburgh opens the season as road underdogs.

[mm-video type=video id=01f4n4se3xqwnt48hv68 playlist_id=none player_id=none image=https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/video/thumbnail/mmplus/01f4n4se3xqwnt48hv68/01f4n4se3xqwnt48hv68-5ab9342a52ddab68af8844c97093642b.jpg]

Last season the Pittsburgh Steelers season completely fell apart down the stretch. After starting the year 11-0, the wheels fell off and Pittsburgh finished 1-4 including a 25-15 loss in Buffalo to the Bills on December 13.

Now the Steelers get a chance for some payback right out of the gate. Pittsburgh returns to Buffalo for the opening game of the 2021 NFL season and opens as 6.5-point underdogs to the Bills on the road according to BetMGM.

The full schedule for the Steelers and all 32 NFL teams will be released on Wednesday night.

[vertical-gallery id=489547]

[listicle id=489498]

Texans open as home underdogs against the Jaguars in Week 1

The Houston Texans open as home underdogs to the Jacksonville Jaguars in Week 1 of the 2021 NFL season.

The 2021 Houston Texans will be like Rodney Dangerfield: they can’t get no respect.

According to BetMGM, the Texans are opening up as 1.5-point underdogs to the Jacksonville Jaguars in Week 1 at NRG Stadium on Sept. 12.

The odds are similar to what the New York Giants face as they host the Denver Broncos in Week 1. The Giants are also 1.5 dogs at MetLife Stadium.

Other home underdogs in Week 1 include the Cincinnati Bengals, who are 2.5-point dogs to the Minnesota Vikings, or the Las Vegas Raiders, who are 5.5-point dogs to the Baltimore Ravens. The biggest home underdogs for Week 1 are the Detroit Lions, at a full 7.0 points to the San Francisco 49ers.

In 2020, the Texans were underdogs in five of their eight home games. Overall, the Texans were 4-6 as an underdog against the line in 2020.

For more information on the rest of the NFL and college football, please check out our sister site, the Sportsbook Wire.

Gannett may earn revenue from audience referrals to betting services. Newsrooms are independent of this relationship and there is no influence on news coverage.

Titans are early favorites over Cardinals for Week 1 game

The Titans open as favorites over the Cardinals for Week 1.

As we await the rest of the 2021 NFL schedule to be released, we do know that the Tennessee Titans will open their season at Nissan Stadium in Nashville against the Arizona Cardinals.

And for that game, the Titans have emerged as the early favorite. According to BetMGM, Tennessee (-3) is a three-point favorite over the Cardinals (+3). There is no over/under posted yet, though.

Tennessee is coming off a season in which it won its first division title since 2008 after going 11-5. But while that was a step in the right direction, the Titans went backwards overall following an early exit from the playoffs.

Meanwhile, the Cardinals took their latest step in the right direction in 2020 following a campaign in which they went 8-8 following a 5-10-1 season in 2019.

Arizona’s season didn’t come without some disappointment, though, as the Cardinals looked like a playoff team after starting off 6-3 before going 2-5 down the stretch and ultimately missing the postseason.

Kyler Murray and Co. will be a great test for the Titans’ new-look defense, which is hoping to be vastly improved after a putrid showing last season.

The Titans and Cardinals have met 11 times during their respective histories, with Arizona emerging victorious in seven of them.

The last meeting between these two teams came in 2017, when the Cardinals won an offensively-explosive contest, 12-7, their third win in the last four matchups with Tennessee. The Titans last beat Arizona in 2009, 20-17.

The history between these franchises dates all the way back to 1970 when the Titans were the Houston Oilers and the Cardinals played in St. Louis.

Gannett may earn revenue from audience referrals to betting services. Newsrooms are independent of this relationship and there is no influence on news coverage.

[vertical-gallery id=63443]

Watch: Titans’ Logan Woodside works out with Anthony Firkser, Mason Kinsey

All three will be competing for roles with the Titans in training camp.

Tennessee Titans quarterback Logan Woodside is entering his fourth season in the NFL since being drafted back in 2018 by the Cincinnati Bengals, and the second in which he stands to be the lone backup quarterback to Ryan Tannehill.

However, nothing is set in stone yet. The inexperienced Woodside, who has only played mop-up snaps during his career and has thrown just three passes in total, stands to have competition from DeShone Kizer, and quite possibly Rookie Minicamp invite, Brady White, in training camp.

Woodside is already hard at work preparing for the battle, as evidenced by this video of him working out with tight end Anthony Firkser and wide receiver and 2020 Titans UDFA, Mason Kinsey.

Woodside isn’t the only one of this trio set to compete in training camp, as Kinsey will be trying to earn a spot at the bottom of the depth chart, while Firkser is trying to cement himself as the team’s No. 1 tight end over Geoff Swaim, and anyone else the Titans might bring in down the road.

We were in a similar spot last year with Woodside, wondering if the Titans would bring in a more experienced option to possibly take the job. We’ll see if Tennessee opts to do, or if Woodside will just compete with those signal-callers already on the roster.

[lawrence-related id=63113,63395,63389]

[vertical-gallery id=63005]

Tennessee Titans agree to terms with DB Quenton Meeks

The Titans have added another camp body to their roster.

The Tennessee Titans announced the addition of a new cornerback on Tuesday, revealing they have agreed to terms with Quenton Meeks.

Meeks was originally signed as an undrafted free agent out of Stanford by the Jacksonville Jaguars back in 2018. He played in eight games (one start) for the Jags in 2018, and then another four games for them in 2020.

In between his two separate stints with the Jags, Meeks also spent time on the Los Angeles Chargers’ practice squad and appeared in two games for them in 2020.

For his career, Meeks has eight combined tackles and two passes defensed, all of which came in his rookie year. He has played the majority of his NFL snaps on special teams.

With Tennessee’s secondary already pretty crowded, Meeks is a massive longshot to make the roster out of training camp. Instead, he’ll be a camp body vying for a spot on the practice squad.

[lawrence-related id=63408,63395,63389]

[vertical-gallery id=63301]

Heat at Celtics: Prediction, point spread, odds, over/under, betting picks for Tuesday

Our prediction and best bet for Tuesday’s Heat-Celtics game.

The Boston Celtics host the Miami Heat on Tuesday night, and if you’re looking to do some last-minute betting research, you’re in luck! We’ll give you the latest point spread, moneyline odds and over-under number, as well as the information you’ll need to make the smartest bet on BetMGM.

The game tips off at 7:30 p.m. ET and can be seen on TNT.

The Celtics will be without Jaylen Brown, who is out for the rest of the season with a torn wrist ligament. Robert Williams will also be out for the Celtics, while Victor Oladipo is out for the Heat.

The lines, courtesy of BetMGM

  • Point spread: Heat -1.5
  • Money line: Heat -125 / Celtics +105
  • Over-under: 224.5

Place your legal, online sports bets in VA, CO, IA, IN, NJ, PA, TN and WV at BetMGM.

Advice and prediction

The Celtics have hit the over in seven of their last eight games. The Heat have hit the over in nine straight games. This is an easy one, and we’re going to play the trends. Take the over 224.5.

Prediction: Heat 122, Celtics 117

Get more betting analysis and predictions at Sportsbook Wire.

Gannett may earn revenue from audience referrals to betting services. Newsrooms are independent of this relationship and there is no influence on news coverage.

Saints schedule ranked among 10 toughest based on projected win totals

The New Orleans Saints have one of the toughest 2021 strength of schedules based off of projected win totals, but they’ll be ready for it.

[mm-video type=playlist id=01eqbyahgz6p2j3xp7 player_id=none image=https://saintswire.usatoday.com/wp-content/plugins/mm-video/images/playlist-icon.png]

The NFL is preparing to put on a show for its 2021 schedule release in prime time on Wednesday night, but the New Orleans Saints already know their opponents. And it’s a tough slate: seven of their 17 games will be played against 2020 playoff teams, including two divisional matchups with the Super Bowl champion Buccaneers (plus tilts with the Bills, Titans, Packers, Seahawks, and Washington). And four of those games will be played away from the Superdome.

Pro Football Network crunched the numbers and found that the Saints are tied with Washington for the seventh-toughest strength of schedule in 2021. But New Orleans is well equipped for the challenge. Of the teams ranked within the top ten, only the Rams (tied for ninth) are projected to win more games than the Saints.

BetMGM has the Saints with nine projected wins, which places well amongst their peers. It’s worth remembering that while the Saints do have a challenging schedule ahead of them, they’ll be a tough out for every other team they face, too.

Gannett may earn revenue from audience referrals to betting services.  Newsrooms are independent of this relationship and there is no influence on news coverage.

[vertical-gallery id=44594]

Titans’ QB situation lands in ‘very good’ tier of USA TODAY rankings

The Titans are in a great spot with their QB situation for 2021.

[mm-video type=playlist id=01eqbyh7crnrcs3ypf player_id=none image=https://titanswire.usatoday.com/wp-content/plugins/mm-video/images/playlist-icon.png]

Since taking over the starting job in 2019, quarterback Ryan Tannehill has provided stability and then some for the Tennessee Titans at a position that was unstable before he landed in Nashville.

As a result of Tannehill’s immense success the past two seasons, which has helped take Tennessee to new heights offensively and a pair of playoff appearances, the Titans are in great shape under center for 2021.

And USA TODAY’s Mike Jones agrees. He puts the Titans’ quarterback situation in the “Very Good” tier, which is the second-best tier in his rankings.

Ryan Tannehill just repeatedly gets the job done. After going 7-3 as the starter his first year in Tennessee and 11-5 last season, he has solidified himself as one of the top quarterbacks in the league after looking like a bust with the Adam Gase-led Dolphins. 

Other quarterbacks that appear in Tannehill’s tier are the Dallas Cowboys’ Dak Prescott, the Los Angeles Rams’ Matthew Stafford, and the Atlanta Falcons’ Matt Ryan.

While the Titans received some flack at the time for signing Tannehill to a four-year, $118 million deal last offseason, the move looks better and better when you consider some recent quarterback contracts, especially Prescott’s.

Both Ryan and Prescott have more guaranteed money and annual average salary in their deals than Tannehill, while Stafford’s is worth more in total value but falls short in guaranteed money and annual average.

The Titans might be set under center for the next few years, but they still need to help Tannehill out with a pass-catcher or two, which we expect them to do in the days and weeks ahead.

[lawrence-related id=63375,63313,63284]

[vertical-gallery id=63250]

Tennessee Titans waive 3 players in Monday roster moves

The Titans made a trio of minor moves on Monday.

The Tennessee Titans made three roster moves on Monday, waiving tight end Parker Hesse, long snapper Matt Orzech and defensive end Nate Orchard, all of whom spent time with the team either on the practice squad or active roster during the 2020 campaign.

Orzech was originally signed off the Miami Dolphins’ practice squad last season as an insurance policy at long snapper.

Orchard was signed by Tennessee in January to provide some depth on the practice squad. While he didn’t see any action in Nashville, Orchard did see three games with Washington earlier in the season.

Hesse was one of several tight ends on Tennessee’s current roster and figured to have a chance to compete for a spot on the 53-man squad but was always a long shot to due his limitations in the passing game.

All three players figured to be long shots to make the roster, so none of these moves are particularly surprising.

[lawrence-related id=63355,63341,63313]

[listicle id=63359]

UFC 262: Make your predictions for Charles Oliveira vs. Michael Chandler

We want your predictions for Saturday’s UFC 262 event in Houston.

We want your predictions for Saturday’s UFC 262 event in Houston.

Our staff picks feature includes the consensus picks from MMA Junkie readers. Simply cast your vote for each bout below, and we’ll use the official tallies that are registered by Thursday at noon ET (9 a.m. PT).

Those MMA Junkie reader consensus picks will be part of the UFC 262 main card staff predictions we release Friday ahead of the event. UFC 262 takes place Saturday at Toyota Center in Houston. The main card airs on pay-per-view followingn prelims on ESPN and early prelims on ESPN+.

Make your picks for the fights below.