Tennessee Titans, Minnesota Vikings: Game preview, betting odds, injuries

Battle of the Run Games

Both the Tennessee Titans and Minnesota Vikings predicate their offensive game plan behind their dynamic running backs in Derrick Henry and Dalvin Cook, respectively. After both running backs signed massive extensions, each has had a quiet start to the season.

Henry has racked up 200 yards rushing, currently placing him second in the league. While he has put up the yards, it has come at the cost of league-high 56 attempts and a below-average 3.6 yards a carry. Henry has not shown his explosiveness or his tackle-breaking ability so far, reflected in his season-long 14-yard carry. That isn’t a reason to panic long term, but it probably won’t be fixed this week either.

Despite last season’s leading rusher off to a slow start, the Titans have found their success in the pass game. Quarterback Ryan Tannehill has continued his hot streak from last year. He is completing 70% of his passes and he already has 6 touchdowns while utilizing the wide receivers and tight ends.

Corey Davis showed improvement in the passing game and an increased connection with Tannehill. That has helped the team keep the offense open despite missing A.J. Brown to injury last week. The rise of Jonnu Smith has forced opposing defenses to start matching up against the Titans tight ends.

While the Titans have found success in the passing game, the Vikings on the other hand have struggled mightily to move the ball. Quarterback Kirk Cousins has been anemic to start games, and after opening the season with only five pass attempts in the first half, he closed the game 256 yards and two touchdowns in garbage time. Last week, Cousins finished the game with only 113 yards and three interceptions.

Much of the Vikings struggles can be attributed to the struggling run game. Cook, who had 1135 yards rushing in 14 games last season, has only racked up 113 yards in two games. Cook is a dynamic and speedy running back that can run between the tackles and exploit opposing defenses in the passing game.

Lucky for Cook, the Titans have shown a complete inability to stop running backs thus far. The Titans gave up 107 yards rushing to the Broncos with Melvin Gordon getting 78 yards on 15 carries. Last week, the Titans let Jags accrue 165 yards on the ground with James Robinson getting 102 yards on 16 carries.

If the Titans want to leave Minneapolis with a victory, it will come down to getting Derrick Henry going and stopping Dalvin Cook. If Henry can find some gains against the porous Vikings defense, the Titans will be able to keep Cook off the field while racking up points. The Titans defense needs to focus their energy on Cook. By slowing down Cook, it’ll force the Vikings to play through Cousins, who has struggled in games when his number is called.

Based on the earlier season success and failure of each team, the Titans have a good chance to come out of the game 3-0. The Titans will need this victory as they face a daunting stretch against the Steelers, Bills, and Texans in the next three weeks. This is a must-win game for the Vikings if they want to remain in the playoff picture. The Titans need to be aware and prepared against a well-coached and desperate team.