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The Tennessee Titans and the Atlanta Falcons will open their preseason on Friday night. It's time to continue our NFL odds series and make a Titans-Falcons prediction and pick.
The Titans enter this preseason as the favorite to win the AFC South. They've built a deadly offense with three of the best offensive players in the league in Derrick Henry, AJ Brown, and Julio Jones. Anything but a playoff appearance would be a disappointing season for Tennessee. The Falcons are at a far different point than the Titans are. Atlanta looks like they're in the early stages of a rebuild, so a five or six-win season would be considered a decent campaign for the Falcons.
Here's how the bookmakers have set the odds for Friday night's matchup.
NFL Odds: Titans-Falcons Odds
Tennessee Titans ML (-105)
Atlanta Falcons ML (-115)
Over 38 points (-110)
Under 38 points (-110)
Spread – Pick'em
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Why The Titans Could Cover The Spread
The Titans are known as one of the league's best offenses for good reason, but their depth on the defensive side may be what wins them this game. They have several intriguing depth pieces throughout their roster, but the front seven is particularly interesting.
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Rookie inside linebacker Monty Rice was one of the most underrated players in this past draft. He's a tough-nosed guy who specializes in cutting down opposing running backs, but he has enough coverage ability to stay on the field on third down. Fellow rookie Rashad Weaver is another intriguing piece. He was a great edge rusher at the University of Pittsburgh, and he should show off those abilities against Atlanta's subpar reserves along the offensive line. These two Titans rookies should lead Tennessee's defense to a successful outing.
Tennessee's offense is based around a strong run game, and they have the running backs to maintain that standard even without Derrick Henry. Backup halfback Darrynton Evans was a highly-regarded mid-round pick in the 2020 draft who didn't have much of a chance to get on the field behind Henry. Fellow backups Brian Hill and Jeremy McNichols have each played a significant number of regular season snaps, so they should be able to keep the ground game moving, especially when considering how shallow the Falcons are in the front seven.
Why The Falcons Could Cover The Spread
An offense is typically only as good as the quarterback who runs it, and the Falcons certainly have the upper hand when it comes to backup signal-callers. AJ McCarron is likely to make the start for the Falcons in this one. McCarron is one of the most experienced backups in the NFL, earning himself plenty of regular season snaps throughout his seven seasons of action. His presence alone should give Atlanta's offense a huge leg up on Tennessee's defense.
The Falcons may have a weakness in their front seven, but their depth in the secondary is solid. Backup cornerbacks Isaiah Oliver and Fabian Moreau each have plenty of starting experience under their belts, making this matchup with the Tennessee backup receivers an easy one. Safeties Erik Harris and Jaylinn Hawkins are both regarded as decent backups, proven by their combined 32 games started in the regular season. This secondary should be more than good enough to torture whichever below-average backup quarterback the Titans choose to deploy.
Final Titans-Falcons Prediction & Pick
Football is a game that revolves around the quarterback position, and that's what makes this pick an easy one. The Titans don't have a single competent backup signal-caller, which gives Atlanta a huge advantage. It would be a surprise to see Tennessee get in the end zone more than once, so the Falcons should be able to take this one home.
FINAL PICK: Atlanta Falcons ML (-115)
