FOXBOROUGH – ‘It’s just another game.’
That’s been the consistent message this week as Mike Vrabel prepares his Patriots to take on his former Tennessee Titans team. The head coach, his players, and coaching staff has been steadfast in their messaging this week.
“We’re not trying to win one for the Gipper here,” Vrabel said. “We’re just trying to make sure that these guys are focused on improving, and I think that they are. I think they’re locked in. And hopefully we can get them as prepared as we possibly can between now and Sunday.”
Whether they’ll say it or not, this is a chance for Vrabel to make a statement against a team that fired him not long ago. The timing of this game is also noteworthy as the Titans fired coach Brian Callahan on Monday. Now, Vrabel gets a chance to show the organization what they’re missing with his 4-2 Patriots.
Winners of three straight, the Patriots have a chance to win their fourth game in a row. If that happens, it’ll be the first time it’s happened in New England since the 2021 season.
Here are five things to watch:
Vrabel’s defense
Vrabel is a defensive-minded coach. His unit should control this matchup on Sunday. Tennessee enters this week ranked 31st in the NFL in scoring, averaging 13.8 points per game. The Titans will start a rookie quarterback, Cam Ward, without their best receiver, Calvin Ridley, against the Patriots on Sunday. There’s no reason why Vrabel’s defense shouldn’t dominate.
The Titans are ranked 32nd in total offense, 31st in rushing, and 31st in passing. They’re giving up sacks on 12.4% of their dropbacks. That ranks them 30th in the league. The Patriots are tied for seventh in the NFL in scoring defense, allowing 20.0 points per contest.
Drake Maye
Drake Maye is continuing to establish himself as a top-10 quarterback in the NFL. He entered this week ranked second in completion percentage, fourth in passer rating, fifth in passing yards, and tied for ninth in passing touchdowns.
Maye has a chance to put his name in the record books.
The second-year quarterback has five consecutive games of at least 200 passing yards and a passer rating of 100 or higher. Maye can become the third player, under 24, to extend this streak to six games. If that happens, he’ll join Dan Marino (six games) and be one away from the record, Patrick Mahomes (seven games)
Patriots offense
The Patriots look bound for an offensive explosion this weekend. The Titans enter this game ranked 26th in the NFL in scoring defense, allowing 26.8 points per game. The Patriots are tied for 11th in the NFL in scoring, averaging 25.0 points per game.
The improvement under Josh McDaniels has been eye-opening. The Patriots finished last season ranked 30th in the NFL in scoring (17.0). In 2023, it was even worse. The Patriots finished that season tied for last in the NFL in scoring (13.9). This marks the best Patriots scoring average since 2021 - the previous time McDaniels was the offensive coordinator. The team has a good chance to raise that average on Sunday.
Run game
The Patriots offense is much improved. However, they could be even better with a competent run game. The Patriots enter this week ranked 27th in the NFL in rushing offense, averaging 91.5 yards per game. They rank 31st in the NFL, averaging 3.47 yards per carry. Is this the week that the running back group turns it around?
The Titans’ best player is defensive tackle Jeffery Simmons. That’s a tough matchup for any offensive line. However, Tennessee ranks 25th in the NFL in rushing defense. They’re allowing 133.7 rushing yards per game. The Titans have allowed over 125 rushing yards in five of six games. The Patriots have yet to rush for 125 yards in a single week.
Mike Vrabel
He’s not going to say it, but it would probably feel nice for Vrabel to stick it to his former organization. The Titans are 4-19 since dismissing the head coach. Now, Vrabel’s team has as many wins this season as his former organization since he left town.
This season, we’ve seen big performances from different Patriots in familiar locations. Stefon Diggs went off against his former Buffalo Bills team two weeks ago. Last weekend, Kayshon Boutte caught two touchdowns in his first game in his home state. Now, Vrabel has a chance to beat and run up the score against the team he used to coach in a game that comes less than a week after the owner fired the man they hired to replace him.
Prediction: Patriots 33, Titans 13
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