-Energized by the offensive score and the playoff crowd, the defense would force a three-and-out on the Titans next possession as Adam Butler would get up and bat Ryan Tannehill’s third-down pass down. The Patriots would pick up one first down on their next drive but a fullback handoff to Elandon Roberts on third-and-1 would be stopped well short and they’d be forced to punt it back to the Titans.
-The Patriots defense pitched another three-and-out and it all started by holding Henry to just a one-yard gain on first down. Without Patrick Chung the defense couldn’t use their lighter 3-4 front featuring Chung at LB and Simon at DE, so they tacked to their 2-4-5 front and got aggressive, with Simon and Jamie Collins attacking the line of scrimmage.
-The Patriots offense came back on the field and put together another excellent drive, going down the field with confidence as the Titans defense was on their heels and unsure of what was coming next. But three straight runs would stall out inside the Titans five-yard-line and they’d have to settle for a field goal that extended the lead to 13-7. Despite not getting into the end zone it was a well-balanced 10-play drive. This was as good a first half as we’ve seen from the 2019 Patriots offense but the lack of red zone finish was huge as it had been all season.
-With just over two minutes before the half, the Titans took over and got a 29-yard run by Henry on the first play to kick start a drive. They’d get a 22-yard screen pass to Henry a few plays later that got them inside the one-yard-line and then Henry would take it in to give the Titans the lead. It was the second week in a row of terrible situational football at the end of the first half. To get stopped on the goal line then give up a touchdown-scoring drive before the half was a key turning point in the game. It could’ve been 17-7 Patriots, instead the Titans took a 14-13 lead into the locker room.
-The defense would come out and start the third quarter with an impressive defensive stand, forcing a punt and avoiding a two-score hole. It was a much-needed rebound and again, it started with success on first down. The Titans formula wasn’t hard to figure out but it was hard to stop.
-It looked like the Patriots got a huge 38-yard play to Ben Watson on the next possession, but Shaq Mason was flagged for being downfield. It came late in the down as Brady scrambled so it wasn’t a surprise to see the flag but it was a big turning point after it appeared the Patriots were on their way toward taking back the lead. Jake Bailey wouldn’t help matters with a 29-yard punt that set the Titans up at their 43-yard-line.
-A first-down stumble by Henry had the Patriots in good position, but an 18-yard pass interference penalty on Jonathan Jones took the Titans into New England territory. The defense would recover, after a Kyle Van Noy forced fumble that Tannehill recovered himself set the Titans back and then J.C. Jackson got a pass defense on third down to force a Titans punt. It was a nice defensive stand, the second by the defense in the quarter. After ending the first half on a down note the defense came to play in the second half and started making plays.
-Despite a pretty third down laser from Tom Brady the offense couldn’t put a drive together on their next possession and would be forced to punt.
https://www.patriots.com/news/game-observations-titans-close-out-patriots
2020-01-05 06:13:23Z
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