The New England Patriots finally get back to football on Saturday night as they take on the Tennessee Titans in the Divisional Round of the playoffs.
The New England Patriots have been off for nearly two weeks after beating the Jets in week 17 of the NFL season. That win gave them the #1 seed in the AFC and they were afforded a bye last week, so they got to sit back and watch the Wild Card games.
The Tennessee Titans completed a comeback over the Kansas City Chiefs last weekend and the Jaguars beat the Bills, so Tennessee got the game in Foxboro. Saturday night at 8:15 PM, the Titans will clash with the Patriots in the Divisional Round of the 2017 NFL Playoffs, and these are New England’s 5 keys to victory.
5. Win the turnover battle
The Patriots were 11th in the NFL this season with a +6 turnover differential. They turned the ball over 12 times (8 interceptions, 4 fumbles), but they were able to force 18 turnovers of their own. The defense got their hands on 12 interceptions and 6 fumbles.
Tennessee was closer to the bottom of the league in terms of turnover differential, tied at 23rd at -4. Marcus Mariota threw 15 interceptions in the regular season and he had another against the Chiefs last weekend.
New England’s defense will have to take advantage of all of their opportunities to force turnovers on Saturday, and not just with the classic 4th quarter Duron Harmon takeaway. Stephon Gilmore and Malcolm Butler both will be in favorable matchups against Eric Decker and Rishard Matthews. The Titans top-threat through the air is tight end Delanie Walker, and safety Patrick Chung should lock him down. If the front seven can rattle Mariota, the turnovers could come drive after drive.
4. Keep Brady upright
Keep Tom Brady upright. Keep Tom Brady comfortable.
If New England’s offensive line can achieve those two tasks, they will have no problem destroying the Titans on Saturday night. The key to beating the Patriots is to rattle TB12, and Tennessee will aim to do just that. From the tackles to the center, the Patriots will have to make sure they counter any blitz and is able to overcome pressure from Titans linebackers Derrick Morgan and Brian Orakpo.
Tennessee is also able to generate pressure right through the middle with defensive tackle Jurrell Casey. He had 6 sacks in the 2017 regular season and will look to add to his total against the Patriots.
In 2017, the Patriots allowed 2.2 sacks per game. If they can limit that to 1 sack or no sacks on Saturday, Tennessee has no chance. Offensive line coach Dante Scarnecchia should be one you look for on the sidelines when the cameras pan that way. His words and coaching to the line will go a long way towards New England’s success on Saturday night.
3. Feed the Beast: Gronk
A healthy Rob Gronkowski for the New England Patriots in the playoffs? Oh, happy day! Last season, the Patriots found a way to win Super Bowl LI without him, but it’s clear that they’re a better team when Gronk is on the field.
In the 2017 regular season, Gronkowski played in 14 games (his most since 2015). He hauled in 69 receptions for 1,084 yards and 8 touchdowns on his way towards becoming an All-Pro. Now, he will look to improve upon his playoff numbers. In 10 career playoff games, Gronk has 52 catches, 754 yards, and 9 touchdowns. Saturday night seems like a game in which he could record over 150 yards and 2 scores.
Tennessee simply does not have a player that can cover Gronkowski, but most teams don’t. Gronk went without a catch, or a target, in week 17, so you know he’s eager to get his hands on the football once again. The Gronk Spike has been brewing for weeks now, and you’re going to see a lot of it against the Titans.
2. Keep Mariota in the pocket
Tennessee Titans quarterback Marcus Mariota is not elite, but as NFL fans saw last week he has the ability to make plays. At his very best, Mariota could possibly keep up with the Patriots scoring, but he doesn’t have enough weapons around him. He gets even better on the run though.
New England has struggled with mobile quarterbacks, so they could be tested on Saturday. Patriots defenders know just how important it will be to keep Mariota in the pocket.
"“It’s not like if he stays in the pocket he can’t make throws, but when he escapes outside the pocket and he has the ability to run and throw, you honestly really don’t have a shot to stop him,” said safety Devin McCourty. “We’ve played quarterbacks like this where we do want to try to keep him in the pocket, but I think that’s just the beginning part of it. We also, when we’re man coverage or zone coverage, we’ve got to be able to play our zones or our man tight and not allow windows or not allow a great pocket for him to sit back there and throw because he’s a good enough passer that he’ll make all the throws on the football field.”"
The front 7 will have to be at their best to keep Mariota contained as the secondary runs step for step with the Titans receivers. A scrambling Mariota is a dangerous one, so when the pressure is there the defenders need to wrap up and secure the tackle. Allowing him to get away and make a play could prove costly.
1. Contain Derrick Henry
Of course, the New England Patriots top priority defensively should be to stop running back Derrick Henry. He will once again be the Titans lone feature back as DeMarco Murray is officially listed as OUT for the game.
Last week, Henry ran all over the Kansas City Chiefs and he was a huge reason why the Titans were able to come back and win. Tennessee wants to control the clock with long drives that will keep Tom Brady off of the field. In order to do so, they will rely on Derrick Henry to run the ball for positive yards. He will almost always run to the left side behind tackle Taylor Lewan, and New England must find a way to take advantage of that tendency.
Next: C&C site picks for the Divisional Round
The Patriots must find a way to limit Derrick Henry to 75 yards or less so that they can control this game. Tennessee and New England will kick off in Foxboro at Gillette Stadium at 8:15 PM on Saturday. The winner will advance to the AFC Championship Game and will face either the Jacksonville Jaguars or Pittsburgh Steelers. The NFC matchups this weekend pit the Atlanta Falcons against the Philadelphia Eagles and the New Orleans Saints against the Minnesota Vikings. Either of those 4 teams could make it to the Super Bowl.