Minnesota Vikings vs Tennessee Titans Prediction, Odds and Picks for Sunday, 11/17/24

The Vikings won in Week 10, but I’m not so sure it felt like it. They were in Jacksonville to take on the Jaguars who were missing Trevor Lawrence. With their QB1 out, it was time for the backup which is none other than former-Patriot Mac Jones. Jones had only appeared in 2 games prior to Week 10 so there was certainly some rust to shake off. He finished the game 14/22 with 111 yards and 2 interceptions and also 8 rushing yards and a touchdown on 5 carries. It was a pretty normal stat line from Jones based on his past, but with a line like that, you would think that the Vikings ran away with the game. However, Sam Darnold threw 3 interceptions and no Minnesota player found the end zone. Instead, John Parker Romo was responsible for all 12 points as field goals. It was a weird win for the Vikings considering they won yet couldn’t execute when they got in the red zone. Fortunately for Minnesota, they will take on another struggling team in Week 11 – the Titans.

Tennessee got their QB1 back in Week 10 after a multi-week absence and he looked great. Will Levis returned just in time to face the best defense in the NFL and it didn’t seem to phase him. Levis finished 18 for 23 for 175 yards and 2 touchdowns. More importantly, it broke his streak of 5 consecutive games with an interception. The Titans finished with 17 points as they lost by 10 to Justin Herbert and the Chargers. The good news is that the elite Tennessee secondary held Herbert to just 164 yards, but the bad news is that they couldn’t stop J.K. Dobbins, Gus Edwards, or Herbert on the ground. I’m expecting to see a heavy dose of Aaron Jones on the ground against a Titans defensive line that has struggled against the run this year. I’ll happily grab the Vikings to bounce back by covering this 5.5 point spread in Week 11.

Vikings vs Titans prediction: Vikings -5.5 (-12o) available at time of publishing. Playable up to -6.

This game has the lowest total of the entire Week 11 slate. I’m not too surprised by it considering the Vikings have allowed the 3rd fewest points per game and the Titans have allowed the fewest passing yards per game. But the difference between these two teams is that defense is Tennessee’s identity whereas the Vikings have a superb offense with Justin Jefferson, TJ Hockenson, and Aaron Jones. With that said, Minnesota’s best strength on offense plays right into Tenenssee’s defensive strength. The Titans secondary is the best in football and is going to try to limit Jefferson’s impact on the game. That’s going to restrict Darnold’s opportunities downfield and utilize more checkdowns instead.

The Vikings defense has allowed 20 total points in their last 2 games. The Minnesota secondary is decent, but the pride of the defense is their defensive line. They are allowing the 2nd fewest rushing yards per game, just behind the Ravens. That’s going to limit Tyjae Spears and Tony Pollard’s impact on the game and put Levis into difficult situations. I’m not too confident in the Titans offense even with Levis back, so I’m taking the under and expecting an approximate score of 24-13 in favor of the Vikings.

Vikings vs Titans prediction: Under 39.5 (-110) available at time of publishing. Playable at that number.