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New England Patriots 4 Downs Preview: Wild Card vs Tennessee Titans

By Michael Perry

CINCINNATI, OHIO - DECEMBER 15: Head coach Bill Belichick of the New England Patriots looks on during the game against the Cincinnati Bengals at Paul Brown Stadium on December 15, 2019 in Cincinnati, Ohio. (Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images)
CINCINNATI, OHIO - DECEMBER 15: Head coach Bill Belichick of the New England Patriots looks on during the game against the Cincinnati Bengals at Paul Brown Stadium on December 15, 2019 in Cincinnati, Ohio. (Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images) /
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The New England Patriots will take on the Tennessee Titans Saturday night at Gillette Stadium in one of four Wild Card games this weekend.

The New England Patriots will be playing a game on Wild Card Weekend instead of having a bye week for the first time in a decade this season. The last time it happened was back during the 2009-2010 season, when they were beaten by the Baltimore Ravens on their home turf.

Since then, they have always earned a bye week – which has been a key component to their success in the playoffs. They have made the Super Bowl nine times, winning six times while reaching the conference championship game eight straight times.

They have gone one-and-done in the playoffs twice, and they were in back to back seasons (Ravens and New York Jets).

This has all been done under the eyes of Bill Belichick and his seemingly ageless quarterback Tom Brady. Another stat that stands out the most during this historic run of dominance is that the New England Patriots, under Belichick, have never reached the Super Bowl without a bye. They made it to the conference championship game, but never took that next step to the big game and won it all.

That is why last week’s game against the Dolphins was so important, because if they won, they would’ve earned that coveted bye week… but instead they have a game Saturday night.

The AFC South runner-up Titans make their way into Foxboro to take on the AFC East champ Patriots in what should be a tough game for both teams. New England has been riding their defense all season long, while the Titans have relied heavily on former Miami Dolphins quarterback Ryan Tannehill and standout running back Derrick Henry.

Last season these two teams met, and it was the Titans who defeated the Patriots down in Tennessee by a score of 34-10. But this is the playoffs and the game will be taking place at Gillette, where New England has only lost to two teams in the last 20 years (Ravens and Jets) in the playoffs… so the story could be different when we wake up Sunday morning.

Either the New England Patriots will be packing their bags and getting ready to head to Kansas City for a rematch of last year’s thrilling AFC title game… or the offseason will be uncharacteristically over for the New England.

Here are four key areas – or 4 Downs – to keep an eye on if the New England Patriots will live another week.

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