The New England Patriots’ so-called revenge tour begins in the first round of the postseason against a Tennessee Titans team coming off a dominant 35-14 win over the division rival Houston Texans.
But the Titans aren’t short of star power on either side of the ball, and have a rejuvenated offense with quarterback Ryan Tannehill under center.
Coach Bill Belichick knows the Patriots are up against a tough team to take down.
“This is a really good football team,” he said this week. “They do a lot of things well – very, very explosive on offense and a tough group to stop. We’re looking forward to the opportunity and the challenge, and as I said, we’ve got a couple more days here to wrap things up and we’re going to use all of our time – we need it – and try to put everything together the best that we can to be ready to go.”
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The last time the two teams met in regular season action, it was the Titans who came out on top, snagging the momentum early and keeping it the whole way through to secure a 34-10 home win.
It’s easy to argue the Titans are an even better team this time around, with new players like A.J. Brown taking the field.
Cornerback Stephon Gilmore has appreciation for what the rookie wideout brings to the table.
“I just look at what I see on film because that’s the only thing that matters,” he said. “He [A.J. Brown] is a good receiver, he makes big plays, he can run and he’s strong. So, he’s having a good year for a reason.”
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The Titans and Patriots are set to kick off at 7:15 p.m. CST on Saturday in Gillette Stadium.