NASHVILLE – Mike Vrabel was all smiles as he walked onto the field at Nissan Stadium, a place he spent six seasons as the head coach of the Tennessee Titans.
Before the game, a sign hung on the wall near the visitor’s stadium entrance. It read, “We’re sorry for firing you, and we deeply regret it.”
The Patriots’ first-year head coach entered this week having won four games in New England. Meanwhile, his former organization fired his replacement, Brian Callahan, on Monday after having won just four games since firing Vrabel two years ago.
The stage was set for Vrabel and his team to make a statement in Tennessee.
Although it didn’t happen at the start of Sunday’s game, it wasn’t long before the floodgates opened. The Titans took an early lead and then briefly led, 13-10, with 1:48 left in the first half. After that, Vrabel’s team awoke from its Nashville slumber to score 21 straight points.
After the slow start, the Patriots made a statement against Vrabel’s former team in this 31-13 win. The Patriots improve to 5-2 and have now won four straight games for the first time since the 2021 season.
Here’s what happened:
Titans strike first
The Patriots defense didn’t start fast on Sunday. Although they bent, they didn’t break.
The Titans’ first series saw rookie quarterback Cam Ward connect with tight end Gunnar Helm for 11 yards and receiver Elic Ayomanor for 20 yards. Those first two plays put Tennessee into field goal range and led to an early Titans 3-0 lead when kicker Joey Slye hit a 49-yard field goal at 12:20 of the first quarter.
Patriots run, but stall in red zone
The Titans entered this week ranked 25th in rushing defense, allowing 133.7 rushing yards per game. The Patriots entered this game struggling to run the ball, averaging 91.5 yards per game.
In their first drive, Vrabel’s team went run-heavy. Led by Rhamondre Stevenson, the Patriots averaged 8.8 yards per carry in their first series. The six rushes for 53 yards brought the Patriots to the 12-yard line, but that’s where they stayed. The offense didn’t convert in the red zone, and Andy Borregales hit a 36-yard field goal to tie the game, 3-3, at 6:46 of the first quarter.
Drake Maye was sacked on second and third down, leading to the field goal attempt.
The Patriots pass game looked out of sync in the first quarter. Maye was 3-of-4 for 8 yards through two series. The offense punted the second time they took the field.
Patriots defense breaks
The Patriots defense has bent plenty this season. On Sunday, they broke in the first quarter.
After allowing an opening drive field goal, it got worse for Vrabel’s unit as the Titans scored a touchdown three plays into their second series. Ward connected with Chimere Dike for a 38-yard touchdown at 5:04 of the first quarter.
The rookie quarterback moved the chains after hitting Dike for an 18-yard pass. The receiver then burnt the Patriots secondary again to give Tennessee a 10-3 lead.
Austin Hooper soars
Following the defense’s first stop, the Patriots offense scored its first touchdown thanks to a handful of highlights from Maye and the passing game.
The offense started on the opposing 7-yard line as Maye quickly hit Hunter Henry for 12 yards and then took off for a 19-yard run. On second-and-12, Maye connected with Kayshon Boutte for 16 yards. Two plays later, he had a phenomenal throw to Mack Hollins for 22 yards.
That set up a first-and-goal from the 9-yard line. Three plays later, on third down, Austin Hooper jumped over Titans cornerback L’Jarius Sneed for a 3-yard highlight-worthy touchdown. That tied the game, 10-10, at 5:34 of the second quarter.
Titans receivers burn Patriots corners
The Patriots defense struggled to contain the Titans receivers, who were without their best player in Calvin Ridley.
After being beaten by Dike, Van Jefferson gave the Patriots fits at the end of the second quarter. Jefferson beat Christian Gonzalez on third down for a 15-yard gain before taking a screen pass on first down for 12 yards.
Those pass plays set up a 50-yard field goal by Slye, and the Titans led, 13-10, with 1:53 left in the first half.
Boutte shines, again
The Maye to Boutte connection looks very real.
Coming off a two-touchdown game in New Orleans, the Patriots receiver was at it again in Tennessee. On Sunday, Boutte hauled in a 39-yard touchdown with 49 seconds left in the first half.
This came after the Titans retook the lead. It took Maye’s unit three plays to travel 60 yards. Boutte burnt the Titans secondary to give the Patriots a 17-13 lead. It marked his third touchdown in two weeks.
Drake Maye briefly leaves
The Patriots offense was quickly moving at the start of the second half, but then disaster struck as Maye was briefly removed from the game.
The quarterback completed passes of 24 yards to Stefon Diggs and 27 yards to Hollins. On a first-down run, however, Maye landed on his head and was removed from the game at 12:27 of the third quarter.
The quarterback was in the blue medical tent, going through a concussion test, when Joshua Dobbs came on the field. The backup completed a 12-yard pass to DeMario Douglas on third down to keep the drive alive. Dobbs was in the game for three snaps before Maye came back on the field.
On fourth-and-1, Maye kept the drive alive by throwing a 5-yard pass to Douglas. On the next play, Stevenson ran in a 4-yard touchdown to give the Patriots a 24-13 lead at 7:31 of the third quarter.
The floodgates opened
The Patriots didn’t slow down after Stevenson’s touchdown. On the next Titans drive, the Patriots defense stepped up with a turnover and score of their own.
On the first Tennessee play of the next series, K’Lavon Chaisson strip-sacked Cam Ward, recovered the fumble, and scored a 4-yard touchdown. The score happened 11 seconds after Stevenson’s touchdown, and the Patriots led 31-13 at 7:20 of the third quarter.
The next Titans series ended with a punt thanks to a Milton Williams sack.
Chaisson’s big day
Last season, Chaisson set a career-high in sacks in Las Vegas with five. They all came in the final six weeks of the 2024 regular season. That led to the Patriots signing him to a 1-year, $5 million contract this offseason.
It seems like Chaisson’s momentum from 2024 has carried over to this season.
On Sunday, Chaisson had two sacks to go with his forced fumble and first-career NFL touchdown. The edge rusher now has 4.5 sacks in seven games with the Patriots.
Run game returns
The Patriots had hoped for their run game to be more efficient. That happened on Sunday against a struggling Titans defense.
Stevenson entered this game, running for 157 yards and averaging 3.1 yards per carry. The last two weeks had been rough for the veteran. He ran for 18 yards, averaging 1.4 yards per carry in New Orleans. The week before, he ran for 14 yards, averaging 2.0 yards per rush.
Stevenson turned it up a notch in Tennessee. The 27-year-old ran for a season-high 88 yards, averaging 4.9 yards per carry. He was the Patriots lead back as rookie TreVeyon Henderson had two carries on Sunday.
Maye also had one of his most efficient days as a runner, rushing for 62 yards on eight carries. That marked the second-highest rush total of the quarterback’s NFL career.
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