Praeterists don’t need an excuse - we just believe what the Bible says. I cannot understand why folks who claim to be literalists on everything else do not believe Jesus when He says the present generation will see it all. And Josephus has documented everything which Jesus predicted.
Literal? Jerusalem is a literal city. Not destroyed. It is the home to a million + Jews. It currently straddles 5 ridges, not 7 hills. Not ever.