Mike Vrabel shrugged off the importance of this week’s matchup against his former team, but the Patriots’ blowout victory vs the Titans clearly meant something to his team.
“He downplayed it all week, which we appreciate,” Drake Maye told reporters postgame. “He was focused on us and worried about us, and that’s what matters. I know it feels good for him.”
New England came out of the gates slow, but quickly turned things around en route to a commanding win and their fourth straight win and third on the road.
Josh McDaniels‘ offense benefitted from an early injury that knocked Jeffery Simmons out of the game, but they looked unstoppable at times. New England held the ball for 37:12, played turnover-free for the second consecutive week, and went 2-3 in the red zone. The unit went 5-12 on third downs, but converted both of their fourth down attempts.
Zak Kuhr’s defense held Cam Ward to a 92.2 passer rating, intercepting the rookie and turning a fumble into six points. They also allowed a season-low 39 yards on the ground.
The Patriots needed to prove they could overcome the emotions of playing in Tennessee, where several players and staffers once called home, and beat up on a bad team. That’s exactly what they did, and Vrabel’s squad was rewarded with their fifth win of the season, holding onto 1st place in the AFC East.
Here’s the good, the bad, and the ugly from New England’s 31-13 win over the Titans.
Drake Maye is beginning to make history every week.
The second-year passer went 21-23 for 221 yards and two touchdowns in Tennessee, becoming the first Patriots player with a +90% completion rate on 20+ attempts. Maye also scrambled eight times for 62 yards, becoming the fourth player in the Super Bowl era with two passing touchdowns, two or fewer incompletions, and 60+ rushing yards in a single game, joining Robert Griffin III (2012), Lamar Jackson (2019), and Walter Payton (1983).
Much of Maye’s success came on vertical throws, including two completions to Kayshon Boutte. The emerging wide-out seemed to break off a go route to beat Cover 2, then later extended for his second deep score during two-minute in as many weeks. Austin Hooper also found the end zone for his first score of the season, making the catch of the day by Mossing L’Jarius Sneed.
Stefon Diggs turned a pair of targets in space into big gains, and he showed late hands on a perfectly-placed go ball. DeMario Douglas had two clutch receptions, reeling in an errant 4th & 1 throw with one hand shortly after getting open for Joshua Dobbs on a 3rd & 5 while Maye was being evaluated for a concussion. Mack Hollins had a season-high 49 yards while catching both of his targets, moving the chains on Maye’s second hole shot and a glance route off play-action.
While it took a couple of drives for the pass game to get going, Maye and company showed how difficult they are to stop when they aren’t in their own way. This was another confidence-building performance from New England’s passing attack offense, which could be big with the Browns’ top-tier defense coming up next Sunday.
The Patriots’ ground game showed signs of much-needed improvement in Tennessee. Running backs combined for their first 100-yard game (111) on a season-high 25 carries, looking unstoppable in the 1st half.
“I think being able to run the football helped us out today,” Maye said. “I’m proud of the guys up front. It was an emphasis all week to be able to run the football.”
Rhamondre Stevenson averaged 4.9 yards on 18 carries, including three of 10+ yards. Those were the backfield’s first explosive runs since Week 4 against the Panthers. Most of that production came outside the tackles, though Stevenson also took a few runs inside for solid gains.
The Patriots looked dominant on the ground in the 1st half, but began running into walls in the 2nd. Stevenson had three carries for loss or no gain from the 3rd quarter on, largely on carries inside or to the left, and his longest 2nd-half carry went for 7 yards. TreVeyon Henderson was also quiet in a reduced role, gaining five yards on just two carries, but Terrell Jennings popped a couple of times in garbage time.
Today was undoubtedly a step in the right direction for the run game, but they’ll need to improve quickly with the Browns and Buccaneers coming up.
The Patriots’ pass rush didn’t do enough to affect the game early on, leading to big gains for Cam Ward and the Titans’ passing offense, but they tightened up significantly after allowing a 38-yard touchdown.
New England held Ward to 19-27 for 154 yards and an interception from the 2nd quarter on, sacking him five times. Milton Williams recorded multiple stops, including a timely sack, and Christian Barmore’s presence was felt despite a lack of numbers.
Harold Landry benefited from the attention drawn by Barmore, but he and fellow edge rusher K’Lavon Chaisson also made their share of plays. Chaisson had his second impactful performance in a row, scoring on a fumble after getting quick pressure and getting to Ward twice.
The linebacking corps also made plays, continuing what’s been a nice bounce back for the group. Christian Elliss also got pressure on a pair of blitzes and made two stops, and Marte Mapu got his hands on a pass before making a 4th down tackle for a stop. The Patriots’ defensive front also continues to dominate on the ground, holding an opponent without an explosive run for the third week in a row.
Like the pass game, it may have taken a quarter for New England’s defensive line to wake up, but the group showed its overwhelming potential after catching its stride.
The Patriots’ pass blocking took a step back today.
Maye was sacked four times in Tennessee, with all but one falling on his protection. Despite many excellent reps, the Titans managed to confuse at crucial times with line games and blitzes, leading to some big hits on the quarterback.
Jared Wilson seemed to be the main culprit, but the linemen flanking him also seemed to miss assignments. Wilson has shown elite flashes in protection, but mental mistakes have also been a trend. Miscues are to be expected with rookies, but they must be kept to a minimum against Maliek Collins and Myles Garrett.
Each of the Patriots’ cornerbacks had down moments in what was otherwise a dominant performance.
Chimere Dike pulled away from Marcus Jones (and Craig Woodson) on the Titans’ long touchdown, though Jones later capitalized on a tipped ball for an interception.
Carlton Davis slipped while covering Elic Ayomanor on an explosive gain, and he drew his latest pass interference penalty after wrapping up at the top of a route.
Christian Gonzalez gave up 15 yards to Van Jefferson over the middle, and he was in the area on an 18-yard completion to Dike–though it was on a tight-window throw against zone.
These are admittedly nitpicks, but the standard for this group is high. Gonzalez providing tighter coverage on in-breakers, Davis cutting down the penalties, and Jones reigning in the deep losses will go a long way in improving the defense’s coverage.
The Patriots gave up a deep score, but it was Tennessee’s last explosive play of the day. The offense didn’t commit a turnover-worthy play (at least upon initial viewing), and the defense was lockdown for most of the game.
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