Frequent preseason combatants the Green Bay Packers and the Tennessee Titans will meet for the ninth time in a preseason game since 2000 on Saturday, the most for the Packers against a single team during that span.
The Packers are looking to establish their might anew not only in the division but in the conference. As for the Titans, even a preseason game against a powerhouse like Green Bay would serve as an acid test for a team with a new coach.
Green Bay Packers vs. Tennessee Titans Betting Preview and Prediction
Where: Lambeau Field, Green Bay
When: Saturday, August 9, 8:00 PM ET
Line: Green Bay Packers (+1) at Tennessee Titans (-1); total 37.5 – see all NFL lines
Why This Game Matters
[sc:NFL240banner ]Aaron Rodgers’ injury aside, the biggest issue for the Packers last season was their porous defense. The Packers aren’t taking any chances this season, acquiring new players on defense to mend its many holes. Whether those moves are enough will be partially answered when the Packers take on the Titans, who’ll start life without running back Chris Johnson and under new coach Ken Whisenhunt. This game will center around whether these two teams’ offseason preparations are producing strong results on the field.
Betting on the Green Bay Packers
Aaron Rodgers will see little action in the Packers’ first preseason game, which is a typical move for a quarterback who’s assured of the starting job. Since there is no question about Rodgers’ role in the team, Mike McCarthy would rather use the preseason game as part of his assessment of who between Scott Tolzien and Matt Flynn will be the backup this coming regular season.
Last season, Matt Flynn took over as the starter after Rodgers’ backup Seneca Wallace also got injured. Flynn went 2-2 in four games, helping Green Bay hold on to the top spot of the NFC North until Rodgers returned in Week 17. In five games overall for Green Bay last season, Flynn passed for an average of 208.8 yards per game for 1,146 total passing yards with seven touchdowns.
Tolzien, on the other hand, played three games in 2013, and showed he has an NFL arm and the talent to be considered the team’s second string QB. Tolzien averaged 230.3 yards per game for 717 total passing yards with a TD.
Over the offseason, the Packers fortified their rickety defense from last season by drafting safety Ha Ha Clinton-Dix in the first round and signing defensive end Julius Peppers. With Morgan Burnett injured, Clinton-Dix is expected to play with the starters on Saturday, and will likely stay on the field longer than more veteran players.
Mike McCarthy’s focus through this preseason will be getting the new names comfortable with in-game action, while keeping them fresh for the regular season.
After finishing with a 7-9 SU record to go along with a 6-8-2 ATS slate in 2013, the Titans decided to part ways with Mike Munchak, eventually hiring former San Diego offensive coordinator Ken Whisenhunt as his replacement.
At Tennessee, Whisenhunt will have to work with an offense orchestrated by Jake Locker, whose ability to stay healthy remains one of the major concerns in the team. When he’s healthy, Locker plays like a franchise savior. He led the Titans to a surprising 3-1 SU start last season, but then he was injured and had to sit out nine games to up his total of missed games to 14 over the last two seasons.
With the threat of Locker’ body breaking down anytime, Whisenhunt will have the preseason games to find out who among the backups will handle the ball-slinging chores should Locker go down again. That’s going to be between rookie and former LSU Tiger Zach Mettenberger and Charlie Whitehurst.
Aside from Mettenberger, rookie running back Bishop Sankey will get to display the stuff that made him finish with 1,870 rushing yards – fourth most in the FBS – last season while playing his final year as a Washington Huskie. The void left by erstwhile star running back Chris Johnson is a big one, forcing the Titans to opt for a running game by committee, which will feature Sankey, Shonn Greene, and former Kansas City Chief, Dexter McCluster.
Writer’s Prediction
The Titans give Ken Whisenhunt his first win as their coach, albeit in a preseason game, and the Titans keep their starters on longer and make more plays early.
