The Patriots went into the matchup against the Titans with doubts about their credentials even after a five-game winning streak. The critics felt that the teams the Patriots beat were not elite, the quarterbacks they faced were average, and they would fold in the next four weeks against the Titans, the Bills twice, and the Colts. However, after week 1 of this tough stretch, the Patriots had an impressive performance against the Titans. The teams played a back and forth first half with a slender lead of 16-13. However, the Patriots took control of the game by forcing turnovers, the offense took advantage by scoring, and in the end, the scoreline was a rout. Here are my five takeaways from the game.
1. Mac Jones completely outplayed Ryan Tannehill- Mac Jones made all the right reads and was accurate with the football. He made quick throws that negated the Titans pass rush and made big throws to Myers and Bourne down the field. The first touchdown to Bourne was incredible because the ball was in the air before the receiver broke out of the route. He finished the game completing 22 of 32 passes, 310 yards, and two touchdowns. On the other hand, Tannehill played the game without Julio Jones and A.J. Brown but he did get help from the run game. The loss should not be solely on the signal-caller but he failed to inspire his team to a win. Ryan completed the game with 11 of 21 passes, 93 yards, one touchdown, and one interception.
2. Bourne Supremacy-earlier this season when Kendrick Bourne burned Trevon Diggs on a 75-yard touchdown pitch and run, I felt that play was Kendrick’s “Bourne Identity” moment for the Patriots. It was a reference to the Blockbuster movie starred by Patriots fan, Matt Damion. In this game, Bourne took his game to another level and starred in the sequel. Bourne was able to shake himself free in the red zone for his first touchdown. On the second touchdown, he made a defender player miss the tackle, got a pick from Myers to block another defender, and then stiff-armed the third defender before scoring the TD. Kendrick is getting more comfortable in this system and we are sure he will star in some big upcoming games.
3. JC Jackson is a big-time ball-hawk- Can anyone remember that the Patriots traded Stephon Gilmore after a week six loss to the Cowboys? JC Jackson has played like a number one shutdown corner in this six-game winning streak. He has a knack for always being around the ball and taking the ball away. He made the momentum turning play of the game early in the third quarter when the score was 19-13. D’Onta Foreman took the ball from Tannehill burst through the line of scrimmage and surged through the Patriots’ secondary. However, Jackson never gave up on the play and chased Foreman down to punch out the ball. Then, the ball was scooped by Jalen Mills before it went out of bounds. Jackson capped his performance with an acrobatic interception in the end zone after a tipped pass. Jackson now has seven interceptions this season, and his play makes the defense a tough matchup for opponents.
4. The defense bends but does not break-if you didn’t watch this game and looked at the scoreline, you would think the Titans got dominated on both lines of scrimmage. However, it is concerning that the Patriots’ defense gave up 270 yards rushing yards with Hillard and Foreman going over a hundred yards. As a result, the Titans led the time of possession 31:02 to the Patriots 28:58. The defense made up for the yards allowed by forcing four big turnovers. The critical stat for Belichick’s defense is the points allowed, and the Patriots shut out the Titans in the second half holding them to 13 points for the game. However, Bill will want to address his run defense because a good team could take advantage of the big yardage.
5. Nick Folk impresses again but red zone conversion is still an issue-If there was another area of concern for the Patriots from this game, is the inconsistent performance in the red zone. The Patriots converted only 2 of 5 chances in the red zone, and Nick Folk had an impressive tally going 5 for 6 on his field goals. If the Patriots converted 1 or 2 more of those drives, it would have caused the lead to be even bigger. It is another area for the coaching to improve as another showdown awaits them against the Bills on the road on Monday Night Football.
