NFL Week 1 Predictions: Minnesota Vikings vs. Tennessee Titans 9/11/16

Vikings vs. Titans Prediction

Despite plenty of questions at quarterback, can the Minnesota Vikings go on the road and beat the Tennessee Titans on Sunday at 1PM ET?

According to the oddsmakers at Bovada.lv, Minnesota is a slight road favorite against the Titans, as the Vikings are getting odds of -2 points. The over/under total has been set at 41 points. These two teams haven’t met since the 2012 season when Minnesota won 30-7. The Vikings have covered in four of their last five against the Titans.

Bet on Vikings vs. Titans

After winning the NFC North in 2015 with an 11-5 record, expectations were high for the Vikings entering this season. However, things took a bad turn a week ago when Teddy Bridgewater injured his knee severely in practice. He’s out for the season, which forced Minnesota to trade for Sam Bradford, but the team hasn’t declared if they will play him or Shaun Hill given Bradford’s limited time with the offense. Either way, expect Minnesota to turn to Adrian Peterson often in this game. He’s coming off a 1,485-yard season with 11 touchdowns. Minnesota will also rely on its defense, which allowed just 18.9 points per game last season.

The Titans were just 3-13 last season, but the team has some hope for this year as Marcus Mariota had a respectable rookie season at quarterback. Mariota threw for 2,818 yards and 19 touchdowns with 10 interceptions while also rushing for 252 yards. He will be expected to take a step forward this season. The Titans had one of the worst rushing games in 2015, averaging just 92.8 yards per contest. The team addressed that by signing DeMarco Murray and drafting Derrick Henry to improve the run game. They also drafted tackle Jack Conklin with the eighth overall pick. Tennessee actually had a pretty good defense last season. They allowed a lot of points, 26.4 per game, but they ranked 12^th in total yards allowed.

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The Vikings face a tough situation. I would be surprised to see Bradford start this game with just a week in the playbook. Hill is a veteran backup that has been with the team for over a season and should be able to handle duties. However, he faces a good Titans’ defense in Tennessee. Mariota will also have a challenge against the Vikings’ defense, but the Titans are going to look to grind things out with their new running back tandem and their strong-nosed defense. Don’t look for Minnesota to have much success on offense, which will allow the Titans to sneak out a home win.

 

NFL WEEK 1 PREDICTION: TENNESSEE TITANS +2