NFL Preseason: How Do the Minnesota Vikings Fare Against the Tennessee Titans?

On Friday, preseason football will officially begin with a bout between the Seahawks and Chargers. After the long summer under the lockout, NFL fans of any team affiliation will flock in front of televisions everywhere to finally see some football.

With all of the free-agent signings across the league, the shortened training camps only make things more intriguing as teams scramble to put together a winning recipe.

For teams with various personnel changes, as well as new coaching staffs, the tightrope becomes thinner with each passing day until the season begins. That being said, the Minnesota Vikings are riding a unicycle across the tightrope.

Not only do the Vikings have a new quarterback in Donovan McNabb, they have a new offensive coordinator and a new offense as well. As if that wasn't enough, they also have no clear No. 1 receiver after losing Sidney Rice to the Seahawks in free agency.

Still, the Vikings have taken some serious strides in training camp and will no doubt be ready for their preseason opener Saturday against the Tennessee Titans.

The biggest benefit the Vikings have in this matchup is that the Titans are facing all of the same challenges that face Minnesota and possibly worse.

Let's take a look at how the Vikings will fare against this AFC South foe.

Minnesota's Run Defense vs. Titans Run Game

Chris Johnson is one of the best running backs in the NFL (but you will never, ever, get me to say that he's better than Adrian Peterson). He usually provides the Titans with an excellent running attack that would be hard for any team to stop.

Too bad for the Titans, Chris Johnson isn't folding on his hold-out for a new contract that caused him to miss all of training camp. Oh and by the way, the Vikings defensive line has finished in the top 10 run-stoppers for years.

Even though the Vikings lost both DE Ray Edwards and DT Pat Williams, they still have one of the best defensive lines in the NFL. The Likely starters include Jared Allen, Kevin Williams, Remi Ayodele and Brian Robison, all of whom are capable of causing some havoc in the backfield and at the line of scrimmage.

Even once you get down past those starters, the Vikings defensive line is exceptionally deep, and even the rookies are disciplined enough to plug up the line of scrimmage and track down the ball-carrier.

According to the Titans website, Javon Ringer is the second string RB behind CJ2K. The only thing I have to say to Ringer, good luck.

With Chris Johnson, the Titans would have had a chance to compete. Because Johnson thinks he's Darelle Revis, however, the Titans run game stands no chance.

Prediction: Titans' RBs score zero touchdowns

Minnesota's Run Game vs. Titans Run Defense

The Titans have not had a strong run defense since Albert Haynesworth's departure, and the more recent loss of Jason Babin isn't going to do them any favors either. The Titans don't have much to work with to begin with, but that's even before they play the Vikings.

Adrian Peterson is the kind of player that teams will use their entire defensive strategy to try to stop. Fortunately for Minnesota, that doesn't work very often, but that's just something you come to expect from the best RB in the NFL (and the No. 3 overall player if you're asking the other players).

Peterson is every bit as explosive as ever and will be running even harder trying to not only make a playoff push but make a push for a massive new contract as well.

Behind Peterson, the Vikings have former Heisman Trophy Finalist Toby Gerhart and a dynamic runner in Lorenzo Booker.

Another player to watch out for would be FB Matt Asiata, a undrafted rookie from Utah. Asiata has been dominating the fullback position in Vikings training camp since day one. He could eventually become an asset to the team, and preseason games are the perfect opportunities to prove that.

In the end, the Vikings will do to the Titans what they've done to so many teams for years: run the ball and stop the run.

Prediction: Vikings' RBs score two touchdowns

Minnesota's Pass Defense vs. Titans Pass Offense

The Vikings defensive secondary is probably the most concerning area on the entire team.

Though most of the starting roles are already locked up, the team is full of first- and second-year players that will likely compete for some supporting roles. They will need to really step up to keep up with the rest of their division.

The Titans' passing offense is the team's only remotely intimidating facet in my opinion.

Though they share our problem of not having any clear No. 1 receivers, they did happen to land a solid starting quarterback in free agency, just like the Vikings.

Kenny Britt could face suspensions for arrests during the lockout, but for the preseason, he will likely be on the field against Minnesota.

Matt Hasselbeck proved in Seattle that he doesn't need spectacular receivers to help his team win ball games.

The fact that the Vikings secondary has so little experience should be an area of concern against the Titans, though it could go either way.

Prediction: Titans' Passing offense results in 17points (two TD, one FG)

Minnesota's Pass Offense vs. Titans Pass Defense

The Vikings passing offense is another area of concern. Like I said on the introduction slide, a new QB and a new OC could make it more difficult to find success during an already abbreviated pre-season.

Another thing the Vikings have working against them is a new Left Tackle that is still struggling to find his niche on the offensive line. Charlie Johnson has a lot of potential and could eventually become a long-term solution to the massive hole left by Bryant McKinnie.

Yes, Johnson has struggled against Jared Allen in practice, but then, it's Jared Allen and Johnson will be playing against a team he faced twice last season.

I think that this matchup could go either way, hopefully the new Viking settles in before Saturday and keeps Donovan McNabb upright long enough to get the ball to a receiver.

I don't have too many concerns about McNabb, himself, but I am concerned about the low level of talent in the group of receivers that he can throw to.

Percy Harvin is a shoo-in for the starting spot, but many of the other receivers are unproven and could struggle against the Titan's defense, that is pretty decent at defending the pass.

Prediction: Vikings produce 17points through the air (two TD, one FG)

Conclusion

Vikings fans, have no fear. Your team should have no problem downing the Titans in their first preseason match-up of 2011.

I think that, sticking to the strategies that make the Vikings play well, Minnesota is in a higher class than the Titans who will struggle as long as their star RB continues to hold out.

Don't get me wrong, the Vikings have a long way to go before they can be considered for playoff contention, but don't rule anything out.

This game will show a lot about the team in regards to how the team chemistry has meshed together thus far, but don't expect a season-ready team until the third or fourth preseason games.

Final Score Prediction: 31-17 Vikings over Titans