Falcons vs. Titans NFL Week 8 odds, props: Rookie Will Levis likely to start at QB for Tennessee; favored to be lowest-scoring team Sunday

Has Ryan Tannehill taken his final snap as the Titans' starting quarterback? The team was widely expected to move on from Tannehill this offseason, and he's expected to miss at least Sunday's home matchup vs. Atlanta with a high ankle sprain and could be out for longer. Tennessee took Kentucky signal-caller Will Levis in the second round of this year's draft with the idea that he would be Tannehill's long-term replacement, and Levis is expected to start Sunday if Tannehill. Holdover Malik Willis will also get some snaps. The Falcons are -3 on the SportsLine consensus.

DraftKings lists this matchup as the +400 favorite to be Sunday's lowest-scoring game, which makes sense considering it has the lowest total on the board at 36, a half-point lower than Jets-Giants. Tennessee is the +900 favorite to be the lowest-scoring team, just ahead of the Giants at +1000. The Titans have an over/under of 16.5 team points.

Tannehill didn't practice Wednesday and high-ankle sprains often are a 4-6 week injury. He was hurt in the team's 24-16 loss to Baltimore in London in Week 6 (the Titans were on bye in Week 7). The injury is similar to the initial ankle sprain Tannehill suffered last season that kept him out for two games. A second injury to the same ankle eventually required season-ending surgery.

Willis, a 2022 third-round pick out of Liberty, relieved Tannehill in Week 6 and was 4-for-5 for 74 yards with four sacks taken. He was near-unplayable in three starts for an injured Tannehill in 2022, going 1-2. Levis has not yet taken the field in a regular-season game. A thigh injury in mid-August wiped out valuable preseason reps, though he was 9-of-14 for 85 yards, an interception and took four sacks in 30 plays in his lone preseason outing vs. the Bears. Levis has a big arm but was interception-prone at Kentucky.

Regardless, Titans coach Mike Vrabel said he expects both Levis and Willis to play Sunday. There are no props out yet, but I will be very curious to see the over/under passing yardage total for Levis (if it's even posted) or the total Titans passing yards between the two of them. I can almost guarantee it will be below 200 yards.

Tennessee is 2-11 since Week 12 last year, tied for the second-worst mark in the NFL. If the Titans lose Sunday to fall to 2-5, the fire sale could be on with Derrick Henry positioned as a potential major chip, and it would make little sense to start Tannehill again.

In fact, the fire sale may already have started. The Titans traded starting safety Kevin Byard on Monday to the Philadelphia Eagles for a fifth and sixth-round pick in next year's draft along with veteran safety Terrell Edmunds. Byard is in the final year of his contract.

Atlanta snapped an eight-game road losing streak with a Week 7 win at Tampa Bay. Falcons coach Arthur Smith was on the Titans coaching staff for 10 seasons from 2011-20, serving as offensive coordinator is his final two seasons. This is his first game against Tennessee since leaving.

Via SportsLine oddsmakers: Will Ryan Tannehill be on the Titans' roster Week 1 of the 2024 season?

• No -350
• Yes +250

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