The New England Patriots will wrap up their preseason schedule when they visit the Tennessee Titans on Friday night.
The Patriots held off the Green Bay Packers 21-17 last weekend to get their first preseason win. The Titans also rebounded from a loss to beat the Minnesota Vikings 24-16 last week.
Both teams are likely to rest their star quarterbacks in the finale, though one coach has left the door open to playing his starter and NFL odds reflect that. We’ll break down the matchup in our free NFL picks and predictions for Patriots vs Titans on August 25.
Patriots vs Titans odds
Patriots vs Titans predictions
According to reports on Thursday, the New England Patriots are strongly considering sitting starting quarterback Mac Jones on Friday. That’s not because he couldn’t use the reps, or because New England doesn’t want to see him get in some real game situations against stronger competition before the season begins.
The problem, instead, is the New England offensive line. At least two starters – Mike Onwenu and Cole Strange – will be out again this week, leaving a patchwork offensive line to protect Jones for what would normally be his playing time in the preseason finale.
That’s a problem for the Patriots, who have already seen what that can lead to. Last week, Jones was sacked twice, took multiple hits on other plays, and was generally hounded by the Green Bay defense. That greatly increases the chance of injury, and New England likely feels that the risk isn’t worth the reward a few series might give Jones heading into the regular season.
Does that give the Tennessee Titans an edge? Possibly. Tennessee head coach has opened the door to playing Ryan Tannehill on Friday, though it’s unclear if this will actually happen or for how long. The only real reason to do so would be to give Tannehill a little game experience with the starting offensive line, which has changed significantly since last season.
Most likely, we’ll see more of Malik Willis and Will Levis for the Titans, while the Patriots play some combination of Bailey Zappe, Trace McSorley, and Malik Cunningham. None of those are names that figure to move the ball all that well.
However, that’s not a big problem for Tennessee, which has relied on the ground game and performed well doing so in the preseason. Last week, Julius Chestnut ran for 98 yards and a touchdown on 13 carries, while Willis and Tyjae Spears both averaged over eight yards per carry. Overall, the Titans ran for an impressive 281 yards against the Vikings.
Meanwhile, the Patriots will struggle with their makeshift offensive line no matter how they choose to approach Friday’s game. That not only impacts the first unit – for as much time as some starters may be on the field – but also their overall depth up front, something that’s critical in these preseason matchups.
The Titans have the better, more proven approach to offensive success in this game, and they are playing at home. That’s enough for me to predict a Tennessee win on the moneyline here, with added value as we’re betting on a slight underdog.
My best bet: Titans moneyline (+115 at Caesars)
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