CSC Week 9 Thursday Night Football preview and props

Week 9 of NFL action kicks off with a game between two hard-hitting and perennial powerhouses. The Tennessee Titans visit the Pittsburgh Steelers. Both teams will be ready for this matchup between two of the best coaches in the league. It is likely that each team will want to use their skill position players and defenses to hide their weakness at quarterback. This game has a point total of just 37 so do not expect an offensive explosion to start week 9 of the NFL regular season.

Each week, Canal Street Chronicles will preview the props and wagers for all Thursday games. Thank you to our friends over at DraftKings Sportsbook for the wagering lines for the CSC Thursday Night Football preview and props.

Thursday Night Football best bets

Titans game line +3.5(-139)

Will Levis looked pretty good in his first NFL start, but he is going to have a much tougher matchup against the Steelers in week 9. The Titans will look to slow down the game and play hide-the-quarterback. The Steelers should be familiar with this game plan since they have been doing the same since last year with Kenny Pickett. Not a lot is expected in this game offensively, which means a close game with field goals being swapped between both teams. In this case, always take the points if the line is above three. A short week game between two well-coached teams feels like a 16-13 finish, which covers the spread for the Titans.

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Tyjae Spears over 19.5 rushing yards(-115)

No need to overcomplicate this prop. The Titans have been trying to keep Derrick Henry fresh so they are giving rookie Tyjae Spears the ball several times per game. On a short week, Spears could see even more action as well in what should be a great matchup. The Steelers are vulnerable to the rush, giving up the sixth-highest yards per rush in the league. This has been a consistent weakness for the Steelers this season as they also surrender the sixth-most yards per game. Spears is the more elusive running back in the Titans backfield and could go over 20 yards in a single carry, making this prop the best bet of the night.

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Diontae Johnson over 4.5 catches(-150)

The front seven of the Titans is fearsome, but the secondary leaves something to be desired. On the year, they surrendered the fourth-highest catch rate of any team in the NFL. Diontae Johnson should feast in this favorable matchup. Kenny Pickett knows to feed Johnson, who is one of the best route runners in the league. The Steelers are likely to focus on Johnson, but he will get open against this secondary. The yardage prop might be too much for a Thursday night game so just look at the catch total for Johnson who should go over the five.

Long shot of the night

Titans + Steelers zero touchdowns scored(+2000)

The longest of the long shots hits this week’s prop articles. At +2000, this is by far the longest odds ever listed in this series. The first set of cold weather games has started and these two familiar, hard hitting, and well coached teams face each other on a short week. There is no rhyme or reason for it happening but sometimes defenses step up and take over games. Would it surprise the NFL world if the storied Steelers defense completely shuts down rookie Will Levis in just his second career start? Would it be a shocker if a Mike Vrabel team found a way to blank the struggling Kenny Pickett? Both of these are completely believable and could happen on a short week. At these odds, it might be worth a shot on the prop sheet.