The Tennessee Titans (0-1) will spend extended time with the reigning NFC North champion Minnesota Vikings (0-1) this week, traveling to the Twin Cities for joint practices on Wednesday and Thursday and a preseason matchup on Saturday. Kickoff for the game at U.S. Bank Stadium (capacity 67,202) is scheduled for 7 p.m. CDT on Aug. 19.
The Titans are scheduled to arrive in Minnesota on Tuesday. Practices on Wednesday and Thursday will take place at Twin Cities Orthopedics Performance Center (2600 Vikings Circle, Eagan, Minn.) and begin at noon CDT.
THE BROADCAST
This week's contest will be televised regionally on the Titans Preseason TV Network, including flagship WKRN-News 2 in Nashville. Play-by-play announcer Paul Burmeister and analyst Charles Davis will call the action, and Cory Curtis will report from the sidelines.
During the preseason, fans in the Nashville market are able to livestream the broadcast on their mobile devices from the Titans Mobile App (iOS and Android), as well as on desktop computers and mobile web at TennesseeTitans.com. Restrictions apply.
Additionally, fans outside of Nashville can access live Titans preseason games with NFL+, which offers access to all out-of-market preseason games across all devices, live local and primetime regular season and postseason games (phone and tablet only), live local and national audio for every game, and more.
The Titans Radio Network and Nashville flagship 104.5 The Zone carry all Titans games across the Mid-South with the "Voice of the Titans" Mike Keith, analyst Dave McGinnis, sideline reporter Ramon Foster and gameday host Rhett Bryan.
LAST WEEK AT CHICAGO
The Titans opened the preseason last week at Chicago. Malik Willis and Will Levis split the quarterback duties for the Titans with starter Ryan Tannehill sitting out, but it was Bears starter Justin Fields who provided the game's biggest passing plays. Fields connected on scoring strikes of 62 yards to wide receiver DJ Moore and 56 yards to running back Khalil Herbert, helping the Bears prevail by a final score of 23-17.
Willis, embarking upon his second NFL preseason, received the starting nod and led the offense on seven possessions. He completed 16 of 25 passes for 189 yards with one interception. He also rushed for 22 yards, including a two-yard touchdown to cap the first series of the afternoon.
Levis, a second-round draft choice making his NFL preseason debut, alternated playtime with Willis throughout the game and was on the field for six drives. His final statistics included nine completions for 85 yards and one interception on 14 attempts.
In addition to Tannehill, many of the team's regular starters did not play in the preseason opener. Out of the 91 players on the roster, 67 saw action.
THE VIKINGS
The Vikings won their division last year under first-year head coach Kevin O'Connell, who served as offensive coordinator for the Los Angeles Rams prior to being hired to his current post. O'Connell led his team to a 13-4 record during the regular season before being defeated by the New York Giants in a wild-card playoff game.
Quarterback Kirk Cousins is entering his 12th NFL season and his sixth campaign with the Vikings. In 2022, he was selected to his second consecutive Pro Bowl and fourth overall after passing for 4,547 yards, the second-highest total in franchise history. Cousins ranks third all-time for the franchise with 20,934 career passing yards, trailing only Fran Tarkenton (33,098) and Tommy Kramer (24,775).
Cousins' primary target for the past three campaigns has been wide receiver Justin Jefferson. The former Louisiana State University standout led the NFL in 2022 with 128 receptions and 1,809 receiving yards.
Minnesota launched its preseason on the road last week at Seattle, falling to the Seahawks 24-13. Veteran Nick Mullens opened the game at quarterback, as Cousins, Jefferson and several other starters were held out.
