Denver Broncos at Tennessee Titans: What to watch for

Who: Denver Broncos (8-4) at Tennessee Titans (6-6)

What: NFL Week 14

When: 11 a.m. MST, Sunday, Dec. 11

Where: Nissan Stadium; Nashville, Tenn.

TV: CBS

Announcers: Ian Eagle, Dan Fouts

Radio: KOA (850 AM), The Fox (103.5 FM)

Odds: Titans -1, O/U 43.5

Notable:

• Including the postseason, the Titans/Houston Oilers lead the all-time series 22-17-1, but the Orange & Blue have won four of the five meetings since the franchise relocated to Tennessee in 1996. The last game was a 51-28 Denver win on Dec. 8, 2013.
• The game is the start of a brutal four-game closing stretch for the Broncos, whose remaining four opponents are all .500 or better and own a combined record of 36-14 (.720) – easily the toughest in the NFL
• At 6-6, the Titans actually have a share of their division lead while the 8-4 Broncos are in third place and 1.5 games off the pace in the AFC West and are on the wrong side of the most important tiebreakers as well. That might have something to do with the fact that AFC West teams are a combined 11-2 so far this season against AFC South foes, including a 3-0 mark for the Broncos and an 0-2 record for the Titans.
• Denver is a point-spread underdog for the 11^th time since the start of last season. The Broncos, though, have won eight of those previous 10 games, losing only to the host Steelers (34-27) in Week 15 last season and Raiders (30-20) in Week 9 this year.
• Oh, and don’t worry about the 11 a.m. (MT) start. The notion of the Broncos struggling in morning games is purely a myth as Denver is 11-1 when playing in the early window since 2012, losing only to the Rams (22-7) in Week 11 of the 2014 season.

What to Watch For

• QB or not QB? – Trevor Siemian has practiced all week and looks like he’ll give it a go Sunday. Even if so, he won’t be near 100 percent, but then again that will surely be better than what Broncos Country saw from rookie Paxton Lynch in a decidedly poor offensive performance last week in Jacksonville. Speaking of the Jaguars, though, the Titans are not them, and Siemian and the offense are going to have play near-turnover free and likely at least generate 20 points or more with Tennessee averaging 30.8 points per outing over its last eight games (see No. 3 below).
• Again, the ground game – It would a big-time help to whoever’s under center if the Broncos could pump some life into a moribund ground game, which ranks 24^th in the league at 100.2 yards per contest and 28^th at 3.64 yards per carry. Since busting loose for a season-high 190 rushing yards in the Week 7 win over the Texans, the Orange & Blue have averaged only 84.2 yards per game while rookie starter Devontae Booker averaging all of 2.8 yards per carry during that span. Kapri Bibbs at least provided some big-play potential over the last month, but now he’s on injured reserve and the Broncos have turned to Ravens and Lions castoff Justin Forsett for some help. Expect him to see some immediate action, but Forsett, though, is 31 and that also happens to match his yards per carry on 44 rushes this season. No matter who’s toting the rock, though, it would help immensely if the offensive line could provide more push up front.
• Bad matchups for the Denver ‘D’ – With one of the top defenses in the league, the Broncos would seem to be positioned to stymie the Titans, but the matchups within the matchup definitely favor the home team. Behind DeMarco Murray and rookie Derrick Henry, Tennessee features the league’s third-ranked rushing attack (141.5 yards per game, 4.77 yards per carry), while the Denver D ranks 28^th in surrendering 122.8 rushing yards per outing and will be without one of their top tacklers in LB Brandon Marshall. And instead of a wide receiver pitted against the league’s top cornerback tandem in Aqib Talib and Chris Harris Jr., the Titans’ leading pass-catcher is tight end Delanie Walker who will pose a coverage challenge between the numbers. And running the show is dangerous dual-threat QB Marcus Mariota, who has accounted for 23 TDs (21 passing) while tossing only three interceptions since Week 5. So Blake Bortles, Mariota is not.