Point Spread: Patriots Slight Favorite Over Titans in Preseason Finale

The New England Patriots are in Nashville to take on the Tennessee Titans at Nissan Stadium on Friday night in the final preseason game of the summer for both teams. It's the Patriots who are a slight favorite, which is something of a surprise for a lot of good reasons. Here are all the gambling numbers, and several reasons to lean in one direction.

NASHVILLE — For the first time this season, the Tennessee Titans are back home in the friendly confines of Nissan Stadium on Friday night, playing the New England Patriots in the final preseason game of the summer.

After exhibition road games in Chicago and Minnesota, this is the final warm-up for the Titans, who open the regular season on Sept. 10 at New Orleans.

The Patriots are a slight favorite on Friday night, according to the BetMGM gambling website. New England is a 1-point favorite as of 1 p.m. CT, and the over/under is 38.5. The line has dropped a good bit during the day. It was 2.5 points earlier in the day. 

So far, both teams are 1-1 in the preseason, and both have covered once and failed to cover the other time.  

Here's what the Titans have done so far against the spread in August:

• Aug. 12 — lost at Chicago 23-17 as a 3.5-point underdog.
• Aug. 19 — won at Minnesota 24-16 as a 2.5-point favorite.

And here's what the Patriots have done so far against the spread.

• Aug. 10 — lost at home to Houston 23-17 as a 3-point underdog.
• Aug. 19 — won at Green Bay 21-17 as a 2-point favorite.

It's not really a surprise to me that this line has been moving in the Titans' direction. Here are three things to know about what's going on Friday night, and why the lean seems to be on taking the Titans.

1. How engaged are the Patriots in playing this game?

It's been a rough week and change for the Patriots. They traveled to Green Bay last Tuesday, then had joint practices with them on Wednesday and Thursday. They played a preseason game on Saturday night, but it was called off early in the fourth quarter after rookie cornerback Isaiah Bolden was knocked unconscious and rushed to the hospital.

Instead of flying to Nashville for a week of work with the Titans, the Patriots chose to go home and not bang heads through two days of workouts. Bolden, as it turned out, was OK and left the hospital soon enough to fly home with the team.

Still, I wonder how much they are buying in to this final preseason game. The guess? Probably not too much.

2. No Mac Jones for the Patriots either?

Reports from New England say that New England quarterback Mac Jones probably won't play at all on Friday night either. And the reason is interesting. The Patriots are dealing with a lot of injuries along their offensive line, and the backups have not looked good in their two preseason games. 

The thought, reports say, is that the Patriots don't want to risk getting their starting quarterback hurt in what it basically a meaningless game. They'd rather keep him healthy for their regular-season opener, a huge home game on Sept. 10 against the NFC champion Philadelphia Eagles.

So look for New England backups Bailey Zappe, Trace McSorley and rookie Malik Cunningham to take all the snaps.

3. A boost of home cooking for the Titans?

The Titans haven't really had any chance to engage with their own fan base yet this summer after two straight road games, so a first trip to Nissan Stadium might give them a little mental edge.

We don't know the plan yet in regards to how much — if at all — that several Titans starters will play, but coach Mike Vrabel hinting on Wednesday that he wouldn't mind seeing veteran starting quarterback Ryan Tannehill play with the first-string offensive line in some live action.

That will likely be a game-time decision, but it's also nice to get that feel of getting dressed for a game and doing all the pregame routine. A series or two for Tannehill night not be a bad thing. I wrote earlier in the week that this Titans offensive line has shown a lot of improvement in the past month, and they've done some good things in both preseason games.

Getting a little work with Tannehill would be good. Otherwise, it's another full game with Malik Willis, since it looks like rookie quarterback Will Levis will miss his second straight game with an apparent thigh injury.

Related Titans stories

• HOW TO WATCH: Here's everything you need to know on how to watch — and stream Friday night's game between the Titans and Patriots. For many DirecTV customers, it's still a pain. CLICK HERE
• NO LEVIS FOR FRIDAY'S GAME?: Tennessee Titans rookie quarterback Will Levis has been dealing with an injury for more than a week and it will reportedly keep him out of Friday's preseason finale against the New England Patriots. CLICK HERE
• TOM BREW COLUMN: The most important thing the Tennessee Titans had to do to be better in 2023 was to make improvements along the offensive line. Based on performances the past few weeks, it looks like they've done that — and that's a good thing. CLICK HERE