NFL Week 6 Underdog Report: 49ers and Titans look to keep party going

Week 5 was for the underdogs, with nine NFL teams overcoming favored opponents. Two of those teams have a great chance to pull another upset in Week 6.

San Francisco 49ers at Tampa Bay Buccaneers (-2.5)

The 49ers roster is clearly greater than the sum of its parts. San Francisco entered last Thursday’s game against the Los Angeles Rams as an 8.5-point underdog, thanks to a host of injuries that included quarterback Brock Purdy, tight end George Kittle and wide receivers Jauan Jennings and Ricky Pearsall.

Backup quarterback Mac Jones, who started the last two games as Purdy deals with a toe injury, responded with 342 yards and two touchdowns. The first went to tight end Jake Tonges, who has impressed with 10 catches, 99 yards and two scores over his past two games. 

The second went to running back Christian McCaffrey, who also caught two touchdowns while averaging 12.8 yards per catch in his last two games. Kendrick Bourne couldn’t find the end zone, but the veteran receiver more than made up for the loss of Jennings and Pearsall with 10 receptions for a career-high 142 yards.

The Buccaneers scored an upset of their own against the Seattle Seahawks, winning 38-35. They did so without the services of starting running back Bucky Irving, who missed the game with shoulder and foot injuries. All-Pro wide receiver Mike Evans also missed his second straight game with a hamstring injury, and both are unlikely to play on Sunday.

Only four teams gain more yards per game (375.8), and no team averages more yards through the air (290.6) than the Niners. With cornerbacks Jamel Dean and Benjamin Morrison both listed as questionable for the game, the 4-1 Bucs could have trouble with the 4-1 49ers, even at home.

Tennessee Titans at Las Vegas Raiders (-4.5)

The Raiders lost to the Indianapolis Colts, 40-6, on Sunday in a game Colts starters finished early. Meanwhile, the Titans, perhaps inspired by the comments of rookie quarterback Cam Ward, won their first game of the season, beating the Arizona Cardinals by a score of 22-21. 

It took a careless play by Cardinals running back Emari Demercado and a wild interception-turned-fumble-recovery by wide receiver Tyler Lockett to get past Arizona, but unlike Vegas, losers of four straight games, Tennessee finally has something to build on.