Tennessee Titans vs Minnesota Vikings: Our scouting report, score prediction, betting odds

The difference between having the NFL's best defense and being the NFL's best defense will be on display at Nissan Stadium on Sunday.

The Tennessee Titans (2-7) host the Minnesota Vikings (7-2) on Sunday (noon, CBS). The matchup pits a Titans defense that's allowing the fewest yards per game and fewest pass yards per game in the NFL against a Vikings unit that ranks No. 1 in takeaways and pass pressures. One approach is clearly more successful than the other ; the Titans rank 29th in scoring defense and 22nd in percentage of drives that end with points allowed while the Vikings rank No. 3 and No. 2 in those areas.

Minnesota has been one of the NFL's most impressive surprises this season, pairing that stifling defense with an efficient and risk-averse offense. The Titans, meanwhile, would have the third pick in the 2025 NFL Draft if the season ended after 10 weeks.

Here are The Tennessean's scouting report and score prediction for Sunday's game.

Tennessee Titans offense vs Vikings defense: Can Will Levis handle turnovers, pressures? Titans quarterback Will Levis played his cleanest game of the year in last week's loss to the Los Angeles Chargers. But he was still sacked seven times, and that was against a defense that ranks 31st in pressures per pass attempt. Now he's facing a Vikings defense that's averaging a pressure on 29.1% of dropbacks, best in the league. And oh yeah, that defense has also logged a league-leading 15 interceptions and 20 takeaways.

The smooth assuredness Levis showcased against the Chargers is replicable. Ball-control-focused passing attacks led by Jared Goff, Brock Purdy and Matthew Stafford have completed 75 of their 95 pass attempts against Minnesota's defense this year, good for a 78.9% completion percentage. If Levis can play the take-what's-open game instead of forcing bad balls into tight windows, there's room for the Titans to drive. But given how poorly the Titans have handled pressure this year, especially with Levis behind center, it's tough to imagine those long, sustained drives happening more than two or three times.

Titans defense vs Minnesota Vikings offense: Who slows down Justin Jefferson? The Vikings aren't shy about trying to get Justin Jefferson, their star receiver, involved. Only six NFL receivers have been targeted more than Jefferson this season, and only one has more receiving yards. Jefferson ranks top 10 in targets on deep shots and on intermediate routes and is No. 12 in targets on passes behind the line of scrimmage. The Vikings use him every which way, and that strategy usually works.

With a healthy L'Jarius Sneed, this is a concern but not a back-breaking one. The Titans were the only team that didn't allow a wide receiver to catch a touchdown in the first five weeks of the season. Counting the game in which Sneed was injured, the Titans have given up six touchdowns to receivers in the last five games. In their matchup last year, Sneed held Jefferson to two catches for 14 yards, so a fully-healthy Sneed could be an X-factor.

Titans vs Vikings betting odds The Vikings are six-point favorites to win per BetMGM odds . You can bet the Vikings' moneyline at -250 and the Titans' moneyline at +200. The over-under points total is set at 39.5 points.

Titans vs Vikings predictionsOffensive Titan of the Game: JC Latham. For all the struggles on the Titans' offense line, the rookie left tackle has mostly been immune. Expect him to show up in a big way against a top-line pass rush.

Defensive Titan of the Game: Jeffery Simmons. Minnesota's center and right guard both rank in the top 10 among interior offensive linemen in pressures allowed this season. Simmons should have some opportunities to make a big push.

Score prediction: Minnesota Vikings 33, Tennessee Titans 20 Don't be shocked if the Titans register some pressure, hit on a couple of big plays and generally look good for half the game. But the Vikings play the exact kind of football to take advantage of the Titans' tendency toward mistake-making, and that'll be too much for the Titans to overcome.

Nick Suss is the Titans beat writer for The Tennessean. Contact Nick at . Follow Nick on X, the platform formerly called Twitter,