New England Patriots team grades vs Tennessee Titans Divisional Round

The Patriots used the bye week to rest and get healthy as much as they did to prepare. The rest looked like it paid off, as the Patriots rushing defense got the job done against Tennessee.

Derrick Henry presents a problem given his combination of size and speed. The Chiefs were ran over by Henry in the Wild Card round, rushing for 156 yards on 23 carries. Henry was a key part of the Titans come from behind victory over the Chiefs. However, he found no such success against the Patriots rush defense.

New England stifled the talented Henry. Henry managed only 28 yards on 12 carries, averaging 2.3 yards per rush. He was the only running back to handle any carries, as DeMarco Murray was sidelined because of a knee injury. Given how the Patriots slowed down Henry, Murray may not have helped out much.

The only success the Titans ground game had was with Mariota. Mariota gained 37 yards on four carries. Unfortunately for them, Mariota’s running ability was stalled because of the injury. It was clear that his rushing ability was going to be a problem, as he ran for 22 yards on the Titans 95-yard touchdown drive.

Given the game flow and score, the Titans had to abandon their running game. Without a running game, the Titans offense crumbled.