Rookie QBs face off as Saints visit the Titans in their home finale

New Orleans (5-10) at Tennessee (3-12)

Sunday, 1 p.m. EST, CBS.

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New Orleans Saints head coach Kellen Moore stands on the sideline during the second half of an NFL football game against the New York Jets, Sunday, Dec. 21, 2025, in New Orleans. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)

Tennessee Titans defensive tackle Jeffery Simmons (98) celebrates after tackling Kansas City Chiefs running back Kareem Hunt for a safety during the first half of an NFL football game, Sunday, Dec. 21, 2025, in Nashville, Tenn. (AP Photo/John Amis)

New Orleans Saints wide receiver Chris Olave celebrates hands the ball to a fan after scoring a touchdown during the second half of an NFL football game against the New York Jets, Sunday, Dec. 21, 2025, in New Orleans. (AP Photo/Ella Hall)

Tennessee Titans quarterback Cam Ward passes during the first half of an NFL football game against the Kansas City Chiefs, Sunday, Dec. 21, 2025, in Nashville, Tenn. (AP Photo/John Amis)

New Orleans Saints quarterback Tyler Shough celebrates after a touchdown during the second half of an NFL football game against the New York Jets, Sunday, Dec. 21, 2025, in New Orleans. (AP Photo/Ella Hall)

BetMGM NFL odds: Saints by 2 1/2.

Against the spread: Saints 7-8, Titans 7-8.

Series record: Titans lead 9-7-1.

Last meeting: Saints beat Titans 16-15 in New Orleans on Sept. 10, 2023.

Last week: Saints beat Jets 29-6; Titans beat the Chiefs 26-9.

Saints offense: overall (26), rush (30), pass (19), scoring (29).

Saints defense: overall (9), rush (22), pass (5), scoring (14).

Titans offense: overall (31), rush (29), pass (31), scoring (30).

Titans defense: overall (20), rush (18), pass (21), scoring (T-26).

Turnover differential: Saints minus-3; Titans minus-4.

Receiver Chris Olave’s 10 catches for 148 yards and two TDs against the Jets last week increased his season totals to 92 catches for 1,044 yards and eight TDs — all career highs.

QB Cam Ward. The No. 1 overall pick in this year’s draft has started a franchise-record 15 games as a rookie. He is coming off his best back-to-back games by passer rating with a 122.3 rating last week as he completed a career-best 75% of his passes. He has been intercepted only once over the past seven games with eight TDs in that span.

The Saints’ pass rush against an improved Titans’ pass protection. Ward is no longer the NFL’s most-sacked quarterback, and he has been sacked three times combined over the past three games. New Orleans ranks 12th with 37 sacks.

Saints: Defensive tackle Bryan Bresee (knee) and tight end Foster Moreau (ankle) both will likely be out for at least one game. Alvin Kamara (knee and ankle) has missed the past four games and missed more practice time this week. Guard Cesar Ruiz (ankle) also missed practice Wednesday.

Titans: LB Cedric Gray, their leading tackler, cleared concussion protocol and will be back after missing last week. TE Gunnar Helm (toe) will play. CB Marcus Harris (knee), WR Bryce Oliver (knee) and OLB Femi Oladejo (fibula) are all out.

The previous two games between these NFC and AFC teams have been decided by a combined three points with the home team winning each time. The Titans won 23-21 in Nashville in 2021, while the Saints won 16-15 in the 2023 season opener in New Orleans.

The Saints have won three straight with rookie QB Tyler Shough 4-3 since taking over as the starter. … Shough threw for 308 yards and a TD pass last week. … QB Taysom Hill threw a 38-yard TD pass, ran for 42 yards and had 36 yards receiving last week. He is the first player in the Super Bowl era and fourth all time with at least 1,000 yards passing, 1,000 yards rushing and 1,000 yards receiving for his career. … RB Alvin Kamara needs 52 yards receiving to become the fifth player all time with 5,000 yards rushing and 5,000 yards receiving for his career. … TE Juwan Johnson had 89 yards receiving last week. … DE Chase Young had a sack and recovered a fumble last week. … DE Cameron Jordan had two sacks last week. … DT Nathan Shepherd had a sack and his first career forced fumble last week. … CB Alontae Taylor had seven tackles and a sack last week. … Rookie S Jonas Sanker had his second career interception last week. … The Titans’ next win will be the franchise’s 500th all time, including the postseason. … Ward leads all rookies with 2,866 yards passing and is tied for the most TD passes with 13. Ward has thrown two TD passes in the past three games. … RB Tyjae Spears had a team-high 105 yards from scrimmage last week with a rushing TD. … RB Tony Pollard has the NFL’s longest active streak of 100-yard rushing games at three straight. … WR Elic Ayomanor had a career-high 58 yards receiving last week. He and Chimere Dike are the only rookie teammates with at least 350 yards receiving and two or more TD catches. … Four-time Pro Bowl DT Jeffery Simmons is tied for sixth in the NFL with 16 tackles for loss and had his first career safety last week. … LB James Williams had a team-high nine tackles and his first career sack last week.

Pollard. The veteran has put together three consecutive 100-yard rushing performances for the first time in his career with Tennessee leaning on the run over the past month. The Saints are giving up 122.6 rushing yards a game.

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New York Giants (2-13) at Las Vegas (2-13)

Sunday, 4:05 p.m. EST, CBS.

BetMGM NFL Odds: Raiders by 1½.

Against the spread: Giants 6-8-1, Raiders 6-9.

Series record: Raiders lead 9-6.

Last meeting: Raiders beat Giants 30-6 on Nov. 5, 2023, at Las Vegas.

Last week: Giants lost to the Vikings 16-13; Raiders lost to the Texans 23-21.

Giants offense: overall (17), rush (7), pass (20), scoring (23).

Giants defense: overall (29), rush (31), pass (20), scoring (28).

Raiders offense: overall (32), rush (32), pass (29), scoring (32).

Raiders defense: overall (15), rush (17), pass (17), scoring (25).

Turnover differential: Giants minus-5; Raiders minus-5.

LB Brian Burns has been their best player all season, and he’s the key to the pass rush making an impact, even with Kayvon Thibodeaux on injured reserve. Burns has a career-high 15 sacks, second in the NFL to only record-chasing Myles Garrett, and has shown no signs of slowing down.

QB Geno Smith. He is tied for the league high in interceptions with 15, but over the past eight games has five picks to go with 13 touchdown passes. If he produces similar numbers over the final two games, the Raiders have a good chance to win both weeks.

Giants offensive line vs. Raiders defensive front. New York’s line has struggled recently because of injuries and absences to protect QB Jaxson Dart. Maxx Crosby and the Raiders defensive front is capable of disrupting opposing offenses, and the game’s outcome could be decided on how well the Giants block those defenders to give Dart time to throw as well as establish an effective running game.

Giants: LT Andrew Thomas (hamstring), C John Michael Schmitz (hand) and CB Cor’Dale Flott all are uncertain to play after getting hurt last weekend. … EDGE Kayvon Thibodeaux is out for the rest of the season after going on IR because of a lingering shoulder issue.

Raiders: LT Kolton Miller (ankle) is practicing again this week, but whether he plays is yet to be decided. … TE Brock Bowers (knee) and S Jeremy Chinn (back) were placed on season-ending injured reserve on Wednesday.

The teams have alternated winning the past four matchups. … This is the Giants’ second trip to Las Vegas in three years. The Raiders won the previous meeting. … Be it Las Vegas, Oakland or Los Angeles, the Raiders are 6-2 at home in this series.

The Giants and Raiders have each lost nine in a row. … This is the fourth time the teams with the two outright worst records have met in the final two weeks, according to Sportradar. The previous time occurred in 1981 between the 1-14 Baltimore Colts and 2-13 New England Patriots. … New York is 0-5 since Mike Kafka took over as interim coach following the firing of Brian Daboll. … Giants rookie QB Jaxson Dart was 7 of 13 for 33 yards in the loss to Minnesota. All are his lowest totals among his first 10 starts in the league. His interception went off the hands of Theo Johnson. … Dart was sacked five times, which made the team’s net yards passing just 13. … Dart has thrown for three touchdowns and been picked off twice in three games since returning from concussion protocol. … WR Wan’Dale Robinson is 99 yards away from reaching 1,000 in a season for the first time in his four-year pro career. … DT Dexter Lawrence had one tackle for loss and two penalties on 52 snaps against the Vikings. … Rookie LB Abdul Carter’s offside penalty last week negated what would have been a 96-yard pick-6 by Jevon Holland. … The 16 points Minnesota scored were the fewest the Giants have allowed this season, and the defense produced their only touchdown on Burns’ strip-sack of J.J. McCarthy that Tyler Nubin returned 27 yards to the end zone. … The Raiders have a point differential of minus-169, worst in the NFL. … DE Maxx Crosby’s five straight Pro Bowl selections is second in Raiders history to P Ray Guy’s six in a row. … RB Ashton Jeanty is one of five rookies with at least five rushing and five receiving touchdowns and just the second since 1965. … Las Vegas has committed 35 offensive penalties, second fewest in the league. The Los Angeles Chargers have committed 30. … The Raiders have held opponents to zero or negative yards on 93 rushing plays, best in the league. Brock Bowers has 176 receptions, the highest number for any tight end through his first 29 games. His 1,874 yards receiving are third, behind Pro Football Hall of Famers Mike Ditka (1,992) and Kellen Winslow (1,920). … A victory would give Las Vegas coach Pete Carroll 173 for his career, which would move him into a tie for 16th with Jeff Fisher. Carroll is currently tied with Bill Parcells.

RB Ashton Jeanty is coming off the best game of his rookie season with 128 yards rushing, a 51-yard touchdown run and 60-yard TD catch. Given the Giants’ defense is second to last against the run, this may be an opportunity for him to build on that performance.

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