Everything You Need to Know about Patriots vs. Titans Week 9
By Ryan Bunton
The Nuts and Bolts: Start Time, How to Watch, Etc.
- Home: Tennessee Titans
- Road: New England Patriots
- Venue: Nissan Stadium — Nashville, Tenn.
- Date: Nov. 3, 2024
- Time: 1 p.m. Eastern
- TV Coverage: FOX
- Radio: 98.5 FM The Sports Hub
Patriots vs. Titans Prediction
For fans looking for offense, this likely isn't the game for them. The Patriots and Titans rank 31st and 32nd in passing yards per game, 32nd and 30th in yards per game, and 28th and 29th in points per game – all respectively.
The availability of Drake Maye will be a significant variable in projecting this game. Maye was hit in the helmet on a scramble play late in the first quarter of New England's Week 8 game and entered the NFL's concussion protocol. Per head coach Jerod Mayo, the rookie quarterback was limited to 30 minutes of practice on Wednesday, indicating that Maye is in phase three of the NFL's five-step return-to-play protocol.
The Patriots offensive line has looked far more like an NFL-representative line in the past few games – partially aided by the find of Ben Brown off of the Las Vegas Raiders practice squad. Vederian Lowe has shown improvement at left tackle, although he did appear in Wednesday's injury report after playing 100 percent of New England's offensive snaps on Sunday. Suffice to say, if Jacoby Brissett does start against Tennessee, then he will be doing so behind a far better line than what he was exposed to while he was the starter.
The Titans had their doors blown off on Sunday by the Lions by a score of 52-14, but the game was far more perplexing than the score suggests. Tennessee and Detroit were tied twice and the Titans' poor special teams (262 return yards and a touchdown allowed) and turnovers consistently gifted the Lions a short field. Detroit had touchdown drives of 23, 70, 25, 12, 22, and 26 yards. The 70-yard drive was on one play – a 70-yard touchdown run by Jahmyr Gibbs. The Titans outgained the Lions by 191 yards and possessed the ball for over 10 minutes more. If Tennessee can simply prevent giving New England a short field, they should be more competitive than what they showed in Detroit.
In last week's game, Tennessee receiver Calvin Ridley caught 10 passes for 143 yards, so star New England corner Christian Gonzalez will undoubtedly line up opposite him. Explosive Patriots punt returner Marcus Jones – who ranks second in the NFL in yards per punt return – will also be looking to take advantage of the 190 yards that the Titans allowed last week on punt returns.
Assuming Maye plays, it should be a competitive game (with the talent advantage to Tennessee). The 3.5-point spread is about right – don't be surprised if it is a one-possession game in the Music City.
Prediction: Titans 24, Patriots 20