Vikings vs Titans ( MIN -6, 39.5)
NFL ODDS, NFL PREDICTIONS, NFL PREVIEWS
Minnesota vs. Tennessee | Sunday, November 17, 2024
Dare I say, this is a game between the turnover kings? Will Levis may have avoided throwing an
interception against the Chargers on Sunday, but he has thrown seven this season, matching
his seven touchdowns. This week, he will be going up against Sam Darnold, who has thrown
five interceptions over his last two games, taking his tally to 10 on the season. There is no doubt
that Darnold has been the far better quarterback this year, turning out some very impressive
performances, evidenced by his 2,141 yards and 17-touchdown stat line. Nevertheless, the last
couple of weeks have showcased the vulnerability in his game and why the Vikings' opponents
are always in with a shot.
While Tennessee’s season is already over, thanks to a 2-7 record, they have been surprisingly
impressive on the defensive side of the ball. Their 273.6 yards conceded per game is the fewest
in the NFL, thanks mainly to the fact they are allowing just 156.7 passing yards per game, which
ranks first in the league. This means things are not going to be easy for Sam Darnold, although
he does benefit from the ultimate cheat code of Justin Jefferson, whose 831 receiving yards
rank second-most in the NFL this year. It will be interesting to watch him go up against this
stingy unit.
Darnold is also benefiting from the return of tight end TJ Hockenson, who had eight catches for
72 yards against the Jaguars last week, many of them on third down. With Hockenson
controlling the middle of the field, Jefferson doing his thing on the outside, and Jordan Addison
adding another explosive element to this passing attack, Darnold has everything he needs to
move the ball each and every week. The question is, can he cut out the mistakes and turnovers
that keep the other team in the game?
One man who knows exactly how much damage turnovers can do is Will Levis, who was
benched after making a few too many earlier in the season. He did also suffer an injury, but it
was clear that head coach Brian Callahan was getting fed up with his sophomore quarterback.
This is clearly a lost year for the Titans, and one that will probably end with the team looking for
a new quarterback. There was hope that Levis would be able to take steps forward as a
sophomore, but with the team ranked 27th for both points and yards per game, he’s not been
good enough.
Tony Pollard has at least been a bright spot on the ground, with his 666 yards and three
touchdowns, and Calvin Ridley has improved a lot since DeAndre Hopkins was traded away,
collecting 300 yards and two touchdowns over his last three performances.
Brian Flores’ defense has been confusing quarterbacks all year long, helping contribute to the
team conceding just 17.4 points per game, which is third-best in the NFL. His clever schemes
have produced a league-leading 2.2 takeaways per game and a league-high 29.1% pressure
rate, which is why it’s surprising that teams have also been able to pass for 231.9 yards per
game against the Vikings, which is the 6th most in the NFL. This suggests that we could see
Will Levis at his most volatile—almost guaranteed to produce a turnover, but also likely to rack
up some passing yardage. Honestly, who knows what to expect, but there’s a good chance we’ll
get some fireworks and highlights.
J.A. Cavalier NFL Triple Crown 6-0 NFL Guarantee. 3 straight, 3 parlays. One Week NFL $99 must go 6-0 or entire NFL season free. Straight through Super Bowl.
Get free NFL Picks and NFL Predictions for the top games on the weekly 2024 NFL schedule from JA Cavalier, one of the industry's premier expert NFL handicappers. J.A. Cavalier has been bringing the NFL betting community the best NFL free picks and predictions for nearly three decades. Visit daily for the best NFL moneyline and run line odds and game totals.
Junior Free PICK
Vikings -5.5