Minnesota Vikings vs. Tennessee Titans Preview
Where: Nissan Stadium, Nashville
When: Sunday, September 11, 1:00 PM ET
Line: Minnesota Vikings (-2.5) at Tennessee Titans (+2.5); total: 41.0 – view all NFL lines
TV Broadcast: FOX
Writer’s Pick: Minnesota (-2.5)
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Betting on the Minnesota Vikings (-2.5)
To address the gaping hole at their quarterback position, the Vikings decided to acquire veteran Sam Bradford from Philadelphia. That trade came at a huge price, though, for the Vikings as they sacrificed not only their first-round pick for 2017 but also their fourth-round pick for the 2018 NFL Draft.
Bradford has completed 60.1 percent of his passes for 78 touchdowns and 52 interceptions in five NFL seasons. That being said, Bradford is far from a sure thing for the Vikings. Since 2010, 20 quarterbacks have attempted at least 2,000 passes in the league. Among that elite group, Bradford ranks 18th in completion percentage, 20th in YPA and 20th in passer rating.
Regardless of that fact, the Bradford move will help appease star running back Adrian Peterson. Bradford was a redshirt freshman at Oklahoma in 2006, when Peterson finished runner-up in the Heisman voting. Peterson will look to improve on a 2015 season which saw him rush for a league-leading 1,485 yards. He will fancy his chances against a Tennessee defense that allowed 112.3 yards per game on the ground last season, 18th in the NFL.
The Vikings are 7-0 ATS in their last seven road games. They are pegged at +1,200 to win the NFC Championship this season.
Betting on the Tennessee Titans (+2.5)
Growing pains aside, quarterback Marcus Mariota made a sound first impression as the Titans’ signal caller last season. 2,818 yards in the air for 19 touchdowns and 10 interceptions in 2015 is nothing special, but the Oregon product’s rookie campaign proved to be more promising than Tennessee’s past QB options (Zach Mettenberger or Jake Locker, anyone?).
Mariota even got a nice, big gift over the offseason in the form of center Ben Jones. The former Texan should help fortify a Tennessee offensive line that gave up a league-leading 54 sacks in 2015. Jones will provide the leadership that that unit so badly needs. If that wasn’t enough, the Titans also shored up their rushing department by signing DeMarco Murray and reigning Heisman Trophy winner Derrick Henry. They will help boost a Tennessee offense that averaged just 92.8 yards per game on the ground last season, eighth-worst in the NFL.
Expect Tennessee’s defense to be aggressive in taking down Bradford who’s still in the process of learning Minnesota’s offensive schemes. In spite of not having a star player in its defensive unit, Tennessee surprisingly still ranked 12th in the league last season in sacks (39).
Leading the way for Tennessee’s defense is linebacker Avery Williamson. He had 102 total tackles in 2015 with 63 of them all to his own. Williamson, who already has 6.5 sacks over his first two seasons, is expected to thrive in Dick LeBeau’s clever pass-rush package.
Tennessee is 2-8 SU and 1-8-1 ATS in its last 10 games overall. The Titans are pegged at +10,000 to win the Super Bowl this season.
Writer’s Prediction
The Titans keep things close, but the Vikings (-2.5) still prevail with a 20-17 victory.
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