It may be Week 1 when it comes to the 2016 NFL season but the number that looks interesting when it comes to both the Minnesota Vikings and Tennessee Titans is five.
That’s how many games the 11-5 NFC North champions lost this past season. Unfortunately for the Titans, they are a less-than-memorable 5-27 the past two years combined.
But for what it is worth, Tennessee has been a team that has gotten out of the gate strong each of the last two seasons. In 2014, they opened at Kansas City and came away with a surprising 26-10 win. A year ago, they ruined the debut of Buccaneers quarterback Jameis Winston as Marcus Mariota and company rolled to a 42-14 victory.
Alas, the rest of the season unfolded in both instances and it’s easy to do the math when it comes to those other 30 contests.
But let’s focus on the positives here. When it came to the Vikings in 2015, they were a money-making proposition for the vast majority of the year. According to The Gold Sheet, the club went a gaudy 14-3 against the spread, which included that bitter 10-9 home loss to the Seattle Seahawks in the NFC Wild Card Playoffs. The three games in which they failed to cover were all lopsided losses by 17 points or more to the 49ers (20-3), Packers (30-13) and Seahawks (38-7).
What’s interesting about this week’s contest is that Minnesota is not only a 2-point favorite (thanks to Odds Shark) but that the OVER/UNDER for this contest is a tepid 41. That’s a pretty intriguing figure considering that the Titans closed out 2015 by allowing 30 or more points in each of their final five outings. Then again, the new-look Tennessee running game featuring DeMarco Murray and Derrick Henry should help keep the club’s defensive unit off the field more often.