AFC TITANS AT PATRIOTS
USA TODAY’s Nate Davis previews the AFC divisional playoff matchup between the Tennessee Titans and New England Patriots When: Saturday, 8:15 p.m. ET, CBS Where: Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Mass.
Line: Patriots by 13
Injuries: Titans RB DeMarco Murray (knee) was ruled out again. The Patriots’ issues seem to run a bit deeper. RBs James White (ankle) and Rex Burkhead (knee) missed the final two games of the regular season and are listed as questionable. RB Mike Gillislee (knee) is up in the air after missing most of the season’s second half, but WR Chris Hogan (shoulder) was removed from the injury report and could play for the second time since Week 8. TE Rob Gronkowski is full speed ahead. THREE THINGS TO KNOW
1. Patriot nay? This game almost feels like a sidebar given the drama that’s enveloped New England after ESPN’s report alleging dysfunction among owner Robert Kraft, coach Bill Belichick and QB Tom Brady recently. Spygate didn’t keep the Patriots from going
16-0 in the regular season or reaching the Super Bowl in 2007, and Deflategate didn’t derail their bid for a fourth championship during the 2014 playoffs (or a fifth in 2016 when Brady finally served his four-game suspension).
2. Brady hunch: The ESPN story also floated the notion that Brady’s longawaited decline might have begun. The
40-year-old’s case as the greatest quarterback in NFL history is essentially airtight at this point. But he didn’t look like himself in December, when his less-than-stellar play (6 TDs, 5 interceptions, 81.6 passer rating) might have cost him a third league MVP award. However, Brady’s “struggles” have coincided with a revitalized New England ground game, which exceeded 190 yards in three of the past six games (all three were wins). Dion Lewis has accumulated 366 yards and five TDs from scrimmage in the last three games while also handling kickoffs. But daylight could be harder to find against a Tennessee defense that ranks fourth against the run. 3. So you’re saying there’s a chance? Tennessee was a prohibitive underdog against the Chiefs, and the Patriots are almost two-TD favorites. Still, the Titans possess some elements that could make this a game. Derrick Morgan, Brian Orakpo, Jurrell Casey and Erik Walden are largely unheralded yet form a quartet of pass rushers that could generate the type of pocket pressure that’s key to beating Brady. RB Derrick Henry and a mauling offensive line could crack a Patriots defense that allowed more yards than all but three teams in 2017. QB Marcus Mariota and the Titans can’t afford to fall into a deficit that forces them to stray from a balanced approach.