Tennessee Titans vs Atlanta Falcons odds, picks, line and spread - August 13 | NFL preseason 2021
The Tennessee Titans and Atlanta Falcons will face off on Friday night at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in the first preseason outing for both teams. There will be some familiar faces for both teams on the opposing sidelines.
Wide receiver Julio Jones was just traded earlier this summer from the Falcons to the Titans. For the Atlanta Falcons, Arthur Smith will be making his head coaching debut on Friday night against the team he climbed the coaching ranks with since 2011. Smith was the offensive coordinator for the Titans in 2019 and 2020.
Smith will look to bring his winning ways from Tennessee to Atlanta in hopes of changing the course of the franchise. The Falcons haven't made the playoffs since 2017 and finished the 2020 season at just 4-12. Smith clearly has his work cut out for him.
Tennessee Titans at Atlanta Falcons: Betting odds
The Atlanta Falcons will enter their first preseason game of the 2021 season with a slight advantage of being the -1-point favorites over the Tennessee Titans.
The over/under for this game is 38 points.
Tennessee Titans at Atlanta Falcons: Picks
Falcons first-round pick Kyle Pitts will make his NFL debut on Friday night and, although he won't see a sustained stretch of playing time, his presence should be be quite a boost for the franchise. It will be interesting to see how backup quarterback A.J. McCarron runs the offense in the absence of starting quarterback Matt Ryan, who will miss the first preseason game.
For the Titans, Ryan Tannehill won't take the field in this game, but the competition to be his backup will be on full display. That spot will either go to Matt Barkley or Logan Woodside, who will split time against the Falcons. It will be a test for the Titans' new offensive coordinator Todd Downing, who took over from Smith.
Tennessee Titans at Atlanta Falcons: Money line
Tennessee Titans (+100)
Atlanta Falcons (-120)
Tennessee Titans at Atlanta Falcons: Spread
It's a tight one-point margin for the Falcons to get a home-field victory over the Titans. This is unlikely to be a high-scoring game, considering neither starting quarterback will be in action. It will be a competition of backups and a way for both coaching staff to set up their depth charts heading into the season.
The Falcons should be able to cover the spread over the Titans, especially with the offense under the control of Arthur Smith, who made quite an impact with the Titans the last few seasons.