Tennessee Titans vs New England Patriots Predictions, Odds, Picks

• Titans QB Ryan Tannehill threw 4 interceptions in their Week 11 loss to the Texans
• Bill Belichick’s New England Patriots are back atop the AFC East by a game
• Tennessee has come out winners in their last five games as underdogs

Titans vs Patriots Odds

Now that injured running back Derick Henry (foot) is out for the season, the Tennessee Titans must rely on backups Adrian Peterson, Dontrell Hilliard, and D’Onta Foreman out of the backfield, but when quarterback Ryan Tannehill throws four interceptions to just one touchdown pass like he did in their Week 11 loss to the Texans, it doesn’t matter how good the run game is.

After a slow start to the season, Bill Belichick’s New England Patriots are back atop the AFC East by a game after their rookie quarterback Mac Jones led them to five straight wins in a row and thanks to their top-3 defense that allows opponents to score just 16.1 points per game, these Pats are looking more and more like they are ready for some wins in the postseason.

These two AFC rivals have played each other 44 other times (including 4 postseason games), with the New England Patriots winning 25 of those games and the Tennessee Titans winning 18 of the games, plus there has been one tie.

Tennessee Titans vs New England Patriots Predictions

Can Titans Backup Running Backs Make Up for the Loss of Henry?

Once last season’s rushing yards leader, Derrick Henry, was lost for the season with a broken foot, backup Titans RBs Adrian Peterson, Dontrell Hilliard, and D’Onta Foreman became the focus of the Titans run game, a trio of talented playmakers who are up for the challenge.

Adrian Peterson has been in the league since the 2007 season when he played with the Vikings, a speedy and tough back who has averaged 4.6 yards per carry throughout his career and who has been in the endzone 119 total times, a scorer who can also earn first downs.

Hilliard is in this fourth NFL season, and he is a dual threat who can both run routes and carry the ball, and Foreman is also a fourth-year back who this year has had 26 total touches for 147 yards from scrimmage but with no touchdowns.

Can the Patriots Top-3 Defense Neutralize the Titans’ Playmakers?

The Patriots’ defense is ranked third in the league right now after allowing opponents to gain just 313 total yards of offense each game, their suffocating coverage keeping enemies to just 16.1 points a game, the lowest in the league by a point and a half.

The Patriots are sixth best against the pass and eighth best against the run, a defensive squad that features excellent tacklers like linebackers Matt Judon and Donta Hightower and excellent pass coverage by cornerbacks like Jalen Mils and JC Jackson.

Head coach Bill Belichick has handed over the reigns of this defense to his son, Steve, and Jarod Mayo, so except them to do what they do best against the Titans, which is keep the other offense off the field for as long as possible.

Titans Key Player: (WR) AJ Brown

What a receiving threat Titans A.J. Brown has become after just three seasons in the league, the 6’ 1” 226 pound Mississippi alum with the speed to get open and the size to make him difficult to tackle after the catch.

This year, Brown has been targeted 78 times and has caught 46 of those passes for 615 yards and 3 touchdowns, and he has been available for ten of their eleven games and gives quarterback Ryan Tannehill a great set of reliable hands to target.

Expect Brown to draw coverage from the Pats’ best cornerbacks with some double teams by the safeties, attention that allows his other teammates to find open field, making A.J. a valuable part of the game plan even when he doesn’t touch the football.

Patriots Key Player: (WR) Jakobi Meyers

The New England Patriots have a passing attack ranked 16th in the league, but that squad is being led by a rookie, quarterback Mac Jones, so they are improving with every game and rep that the young playmaker gets to have.

Helping Jones learn the NFL passing ropes is young receiver Jakobi Meyers, a third year pro who prides himself in solid route running and dependable hands, so far this year grabbing 54 receptions for 522 yards and a touchdown, his first score ever in the NFL.

Meyers’ size – 6’ 2” and 200 pounds – makes him difficult to tackle and his speed and agility make him tough to cover, so expect him and Jones to challenge the Titans pass defense which is ranked 24th in the league right now

How to Watch Titans vs Patriots