It’s back to the drawing board for the Tennessee Titans and Minnesota Vikings. Both teams are expected to play a majority of backups when they continue the preseason against each other Saturday (8 p.m. ET) at U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis.
That means we should again see a lot of Malik Willis and rookie Will Levis at quarterback for Tennessee, with Nick Mullens taking most of the reps under center for Minnesota.
Read on as we break down the Titans vs Vikings Week 2 preseason game.
Titans vs Vikings Odds
NFL odds used for this Tennessee vs Minnesota preview were found at DraftKings Sportsbook and are current as of Tuesday, Aug. 15, at 1 p.m. ET.
- Moneyline: Titans (-135) • Vikings (+114)
- Spread: Titans -2 (-110) • Vikings +2 (-110)
- Total Points: Over 37.5 (-110) • Under 37.5 (-110)
- Implied Score: Titans 19.25, Vikings 17.25
Titans vs Vikings Predictions
Score Pick: Titans 24, Vikings 19
The Titans alternated Willis and Levis at quarterback to start Sunday’s 23-17 loss to the Chicago Bears, allowing them to simulate being a backup.
Neither was overly impressive — Willis threw for a team-high 189 yards on 16-of-25 passing, while Levis was 9-of-14 for 85 yards — but both displayed enough poise to suggest they can be competent options should they need to replace Ryan Tannehill on a moment’s notice.
Tennessee is slated to turn to them again this weekend, affording Tannehill and several other veteran starters — including running back Derrick Henry and newly signed receiver DeAndre Hopkins — more rest.
On the other sideline, Minnesota is likely to play it conservative too. We’ll see a mix of Mullens and rookie Jaren Hall under center in place of Kirk Cousins.
The Vikings remain winless in four preseason games under head coach Kevin O’Connell and have dropped eight straight since 2019. That may be a bit coincidental. After all, these are just glorified scrimmages.
Still, I’m giving the edge to the Titans, who have a bit more to iron out ahead of the regular season.
Titans vs Vikings Best Bets & Props
Over 37.5 (-110)
DraftKings Sportsbook • WAGER: 1 Unit
Picking winners in the preseason can be a fruitful endeavor. Victories take a backseat to learning and development. Plus, only both coaching staffs truly know how playing time will shake out. Therefore, I’m going with the Over as the better option here.
Nine of last week’s 16 games went over 37.5 points. That bucked a trend in which preseason totals higher than 37 had gone Under 56.% (512-387) of the time since 2010.
Take the teams covering the projected point total as our NFL bet of the day.
Titans Win by 1-13 Points (+160)
FanDuel Sportsbook • WAGER: 1 Unit
Preseason games tend to be closer. Winning comes secondary, so teams are usually reluctant to go deep into their playbooks for games that don’t really matter. Plus, the starters rarely play.
Last weekend, 68.7% of the games were decided by 13 points or fewer. I’m going to stick with that trend continuing while giving an edge to the Titans.
Titans -2 (-110)
DraftKings Sportsbook • WAGER: 1 Unit
Both head coaches are keeping their starters’ playing time close to the vest. That said, based on how they’ve utilized them in the past — keep in mind, neither Tannehill nor Cousins threw a single pass last summer — it’s safe to assume nobody of prominence will play more than a series or two, if at all.
This, like practically every preseason game, will be decided by the third- and fourth-stringers.
In this case, I like the Titans, who may be a bit more aggressive while trying to figure out what they have behind Tannehill in Willis and Levis.
Titans vs Vikings Same Game Parlay
Titans vs Vikings SGP (+232)
DraftKings Sportsbook • WAGER: 1 unit
- Titans Moneyline (-135)
- Over 37.5 (-110)
The spread, of course, offers slightly better odds at -110, but preseason games often follow abnormal scripts. Thus, taking the moneyline gives us some leeway if the Titans fail to cover.
Tennessee scored just 17 points last week, but it did air it out 39 times, nearly twice more than its opponent. That aggressive approach should continue, with the Titans still determining what they have behind Tannehill. That makes 37.5 points a reasonable total to target.
