NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- The Tennessee Titans (0-3) conclude their preseason schedule this week against the reigning NFC North Champion Minnesota Vikings (2-1). Kickoff at Nissan Stadium (capacity 69,143) is scheduled for 7 p.m. CDT on Thursday, Aug. 30.
THE BROADCAST
The game will be televised regionally on the Titans Preseason TV Network, including flagship WKRN-News 2 in Nashville. Play-by-play announcer Dan Hellie and analyst Charles Davis will call the action, and Cory Curtis will report from the sidelines.
This year, for the first time ever, fans in the Nashville viewing area are able to stream Titans preseason games at the team's website, TitansOnline.com. Fans outside the Nashville viewing area can stream live preseason games and replays of every game by subscribing to NFL Game Pass.
The Titans Radio Network, including Nashville flagship 104.5 The Zone, will carry the game across the Mid-South with the "Voice of the Titans" Mike Keith, analyst Dave McGinnis, gameday host Jonathan Hutton and sideline reporter Amie Wells.
FINAL TUNEUP BEFORE MIAMI
The contest with the Vikings is the Titans' fourth and final preseason contest before kicking off the regular season. They open in South Florida on Sept. 9 against the Miami Dolphins.
Less than 48 hours after their matchup with the Vikings, the Titans must make significant roster reductions. Per NFL rules, the current 90-man roster must be trimmed to 53 players by 3 p.m. CT on Saturday, Sept. 1. Players on reserve lists such as injured reserve and reserve/physically unable to perform do not count towards the 53-player limit. Teams are permitted to form a 10-man practice squad beginning Sunday, Sept. 2.
Last week the Titans traveled to Pittsburgh for their third preseason game and fell to the Steelers by a final score of 16-6. With Titans starters on both sides of the ball playing into the second quarter, the Steelers took the lead with a touchdown on their second series. The score remained 7-0 until late in the first half, when the hosts added a field goal.
The Titans' lone score at Pittsburgh came at the end of an 11-play, 82-yard drive. Quarterback Blaine Gabbert found first-year tight end Anthony Firkser for a three-yard touchdown after the pair connected earlier in the drive on a 33-yard completion.
THE VIKINGS
The Vikings won a division title last season for the second time under head coach Mike Zimmer, who was hired in 2014 and led the team to the NFC North crown a year later.
Zimmer's defense ranked first in the NFL in 2017, allowing opponents an average of only 275.9 yards per game. The Vikings ranked second in the league in both rushing defense (83.6) and passing defense (192.4).
During the 2018 offseason, the Vikings signed one of the NFL's prized free agents, reaching a deal with quarterback Kirk Cousins. The seventh-year veteran spent his first six seasons in Washington, where he became the Redskins' all-time career leader in completion percentage (65.5%) and passer rating (93.7).
TitansOnline.com looks back at the all-time series between the Tennessee Titans and Minnesota Vikings. (AP Photos)
FILE - In this Sept. 11, 2016, file photo, Tennessee Titans running back DeMarco Murray (29) dives over Minnesota Vikings cornerback Terence Newman (23) to score a touchdown on a 6-yard pass reception in the first half of an NFL football game in Nashville, Tenn. Thanks to the trade bringing him from Philadelphia to Music City, Murray is coming off a 100-yard rushing performance and leads all running backs in receptions with his next challenge coming Sunday in Houston.(AP Photo/Weston Kenney)
Tennessee Titans quarterback Marcus Mariota (8) passes against Minnesota Vikings safety Harrison Smith (22) in the first half of an NFL football game Sunday, Sept. 11, 2016, in Nashville, Tenn. (AP Photo/Mark Zaleski)
Tennessee Titans running back Derrick Henry, right, gets past Minnesota Vikings safety Harrison Smith, left, in the first half of an NFL football game Sunday, Sept. 11, 2016, in Nashville, Tenn. (AP Photo/Mark Zaleski)
Tennessee Titans offensive tackle Jack Conklin (78) ready in his stance as he awaits the snap of the football during a week 1 NFL football game against the Minnesota Vikings, Sunday, Sept. 11, 2016, in Nashville. The Vikings won 25-16. (Scott Boehm via AP)
FILE - In this Sept. 11, 2016, file photo, Tennessee Titans running back DeMarco Murray (29) dives over Minnesota Vikings cornerback Terence Newman (23) as Murray scores a touchdown on a 6-yard pass reception in the first half of an NFL football game, in Nashville, Tenn. The Jaguars face the Titans in an NFL game on Thursday night in Nashville. (AP Photo/Weston Kenney, File)
Tennessee Titans quarterback Marcus Mariota (8) passes the football during a week 1 NFL football game against the Minnesota Vikings, Sunday, Sept. 11, 2016, in Nashville. The Vikings won 25-16. (Scott Boehm via AP)
Minnesota Vikings and Tennessee Titans players line up at the line of scrimmage prior to the snap of the football during a week 1 NFL football game between the Minnesota Vikings at the Tennessee Titans, Sunday, Sept. 11, 2016, in Nashville. The Vikings won 25-16. (Scott Boehm via AP)
Minnesota Vikings and Tennessee Titans players line up at the line of scrimmage prior to the snap of the football during a week 1 NFL football game between the Minnesota Vikings at the Tennessee Titans, Sunday, Sept. 11, 2016, in Nashville. The Vikings won 25-16. (Scott Boehm via AP)
FILE - In this Sept. 11, 2016 file photo, Tennessee Titans tight end Delanie Walker enters the field before an NFL football game against the Minnesota Vikings, in Nashville, Tenn. Turning in a career season makes a tight end a marked man for defenses. Walker is seeing just that after he caught 94 passes for 1,088 yards and went to the Pro Bowl as an alternate and expects more when Tennessee visits Detroit on Sunday. (AP Photo/Mark Zaleski, File)
FILE - In this Sept. 11, 2016, file photo, Tennessee Titans quarterback Marcus Mariota (8) greets Titans owner Amy Adams Strunk, center, before an NFL football game against the Minnesota Vikings, in Nashville, Tenn. The NFL slapped Tennessee’s ownership with a “six-figure fine†for how the team’s ownership is structured. No owner has more than 33 percent, including the controlling owner Amy Adams Strunk who confirmed the fine Sunday, Sept. 18, to The Tennessean after the Titans 16-15 win in Detroit. (AP Photo/Mark Zaleski, File)
Tennessee Titans running back DeMarco Murray (29) talks with Minnesota Vikings cornerback Captain Munnerlyn (24) and running back Adrian Peterson (28) after an NFL football game Sunday, Sept. 11, 2016, in Nashville, Tenn. The Vikings won 25-16. (AP Photo/Weston Kenney)
Tennessee Titans wide receiver Tajae Sharpe (19) celebrates after catching a pass against the Minnesota Vikings in the second half of an NFL football game Sunday, Sept. 11, 2016, in Nashville, Tenn. (AP Photo/Mark Zaleski)
FILE - In this Sept. 11, 2016, file photo, Tennessee Titans running back DeMarco Murray (29) dives over Minnesota Vikings cornerback Terence Newman (23) to score a touchdown on a 6-yard pass reception in the first half of an NFL football game in Nashville, Tenn. It's only November and The Associated Press NFL individual awards won't be handed out until the NFL Honors show on Feb. 4. That doesn't stop us from evaluating the field halfway through the schedule. (AP Photo/Weston Kenney)
