As expected, the Titans were handled by the Patriots today in Foxborough.
No Derrick Henry, no Julio Jones, no Bud Dupree, no A.J. Brown — the list goes on and on. Injuries have killed the Tennessee Titans lately, putting them in a really tough spot going on the road to face the hot Patriots this afternoon.
New England got the scoring started with a Mac Jones touchdown pass to Kendrick Bourne in the first quarter, but the Titans quickly answered with an impressive drive of their own. It was Nick Westbrook-Ikhine cashing in, but Randy Bullock missed the extra point.
Bullock would miss a field goal attempt later in the half, while Nick Folk connected on three for the Patriots. A 13-6 lead for New England turned into a 16-6 lead following a Dontrell Hilliard fumble.
Hilliard immediately made up for that mistake though. The former practice squad member took it 68 yards to the house before halftime, an unexpected outcome as the Titans were likely just trying to add three before the break.
It was more of the same for the Patriots to open the third quarter. A promising drive ended in another three points, as Mac Jones misfired and was nearly picked off in the redzone. Folk hit his fourth of the day, bringing the score to 19-13.
Just as the Titans were set to challenge for the lead, D’Onta Foreman broke a huge run up the middle, but proceeded to fumble as he was tackled.
Shortly after, Kendrick Bourne would break this game wide open. A simple drag route turned into a 41 yard touchdown pass as Bourne tiptoed down the sideline. It was some pathetic tackling by the Titans, which gave the Patriots a 13 point advantage.
Despite going over 200 yards rushing on the day, Tennessee was down 13 points to start the fourth quarter. A slow, methodical drive ended in a fourth and goal to go, which the Titans were unable to convert. Ryan Tannehill was picked off in the endzone, keeping the score at 26-13. The Titans looked good getting inside of the five, but then fell apart.
The Patriots officially put this one away with a Damien Harris touchdown late.
Tennessee now gets to the bye week — mercifully — with a chance to heal after a long opening stretch to start the year. The Titans just don’t have the bodies to compete right now, but still are in good shape at 8-4 on the year.