MNF Betting – Battle of Elite Running Backs on Monday Night

An AFC South clash between two of the four teams tied for the division lead is on tap for you MNF Betting pleasure. One thing is certain about Monday`s clash – the winner of the game will be in first place in the division! Tennessee and Jacksonville are unlikely tenants at the top of the standings. Maybe Monday night will give us a bit of justification as to why they occupy that spot.

TENNESSEE TITANS (3-2) vs. JACKSONVILLE JAGUARS (3-2)
Monday, October 18, 8:30 PM ET
Jacksonville Municipal Stadium
Jacksonville, Florida
Broadcast: ESPN

MNF Betting Lines:

Tennessee: -3 (+105)
Jacksonville: +3 (-125)

Moneyline: Tennessee -140: Jacksonville +120

Total: 45 ½ points

The Tennessee Titans have, for my MNF Betting dollar, one of the best coaches in the NFL and they also posess one of the biggest weapons in the game – Chris Johnson. So why is it a surprise that they are battling for top spot in the AFC South? One name – Vince Young!

[Off topic: by the way, do you want to get a 55% bonus on your first deposit here at BetOnline? If so JOIN NOW.]

The Titans have been OK offensively this season and currently rank 28th in passing offense and 7th in rushing offense. Vince Young has been rather unspectacular but the coaching staff has seen enough in him to finally open up the play book and let him attempt more passes. The fact that Young has not thrown a pick in his last three games justifies the coach’s decision.

Chris Johnson is once again the driving force behind the offense and will once again be a huge factor on Monday night. Although he has had two games under 60 yards this season, Johnson has eclipsed 125 yards twice in his last three games and has scored four touchdowns over that span.

Tennessee’s defense is hot and cold. They lead the league in sacks with 22 but are ranked a miserable 27th against the past and a respectable 12th against the run. This unit had six sacks and three interceptions last week against Dallas.

The Jaguars are, for my MNF Betting dollar, the worst 3-2 team in the NFL. They are one of very few teams that scores (21.4 points per game) less than they give up (27.4 points per game)

The offense has been OK but David Gerrard is not the reason why. The Jags passing game is currently ranked 26th and they lack any consistent pass catchers. The running game ranks 4th thanks to Maurice Jones-Drew. Not unlike the Titans, the Jaguars will lean heavily on their running game on Monday night.

The Jacksonville defense is once again a sore spot. They are 29th ranked in passing yards allowed and are a respectable 14th against the run. Everybody is throwing on this team, and most are finding at least moderate success on the ground versus the Jaguars.

MNF Betting Outlook:

Tennessee is 11-4 S/U in their last 15 games overall, 5-1 S/U in their last six on the road and 5-2 S/U in their last seven games against Jacksonville.

Jacksonville is 3-6 S/U in their last 9 games overall, and is 5-12 ATS in their last 17 games overall. They are 7-3 S/U in their last 10 at home but are just 5-15 ATS in their last 19 home games.

Jacksonville is 5-2 both S/U and ATS in their last seven games against Tennessee.

This game will showcase all that Chris Johnson has to offer. On National Television, this game will be dominated by CJ2. The winning team in the series has won the rushing battle in eight of the last nine games. I like Johnson to outgain Jones-Drew by a wide margin in this one making this an easy pick.

MNF Betting Pick: Tennessee Titans -3

Don’t forget to stop by the Sportsbook to view all of the latest NFL Betting Lines!