Minnesota Vikings vs. Tennessee Titans Betting Odds, Analysis, NFL Pick

The Minnesota Vikings are expected to start Shaun Hill at quarterback against the Tennessee Titans in their season opener Sunday despite acquiring Sam Bradford from the Philadelphia Eagles in a trade last week. The Vikings opened as small favorites for the game and went down to a pick'em after Teddy Bridgewater tore his ACL before coming back up to small chalk.

Point spread: Vikings opened as three-point favorites; the total was 42.5 early in the week, according to sportsbooks monitored by Odds Shark. (Line updates and matchup report)

NFL pick, via Odds Shark computer: 18.4-17.9 Titans (NFL picks on every game)

Why the Vikings can cover the spread

Minnesota's desperate move to pick up Bradford showed that this team wants to win now regardless of Bridgewater's season-ending injury. While Bradford is not the starter yet because he just joined the team, Hill knows the offense well and should be able to help the Vikings take advantage of a weak Tennessee defense – even if they're projected to score almost three points less per game with Hill playing in place of Bridgewater according to website PredictionMachine.com.

The Titans have lost 12 of their past 13 home games straight up, and they have also gone 3-12-1 against the spread in their past 16 games following consecutive losses, according to the Odds Shark NFL Database. Those numbers obviously favor the road team in this situation.

Why the Titans can cover the spread

It is a new season for Tennessee, which means a fresh start for head coach Mike Mularkey, who took over after Ken Whisenhunt was fired last year after a 1-6 start. Mularkey replaced Whisenhunt on an interim basis before he was hired as the full-time head coach, and he brings a lot of experience from previous stops in Tampa Bay, Pittsburgh, Buffalo, Miami, Atlanta and Jacksonville.

The good news for the Titans too is that the visiting team is just 2-9 SU in the previous 11 meetings between these two teams.

Smart pick

Minnesota simply cannot afford to lose this game right away and has a huge coaching edge with Mike Zimmer, who led the team to the NFC North title last season. Zimmer's coaching helped the Vikings become the best team ATS a year ago at 14-3, and they have covered seven in a row away from home and five straight overall.

Zimmer will not let Minnesota get upset in this spot, especially with the Green Bay Packers on deck to open U.S. Bank Stadium next week. Take the Vikes to win and cover easily here.

Betting trends

The Titans are 1-12 SU in their last 13 games at home.

The Vikings are 7-0 ATS in their last seven games on the road.

The total has gone under in six of the Vikings' last seven games in September.

All NFL betting lines and point spreads data courtesy of Bleacher Report’s official odds partner Odds Shark. All quotes gathered firsthand unless otherwise noted. Check out Twitter for injury and line movement updates and Odds Shark YouTube for picks and analysis, or download the free odds tracker app.