5 winners (and 2 clear losers) from Patriots’ satisfying win over Titans

New England Patriots linebacker K'Lavon Chaisson
New England Patriots linebacker K'Lavon Chaisson | Andy Lyons/GettyImages

For all the chatter this week around Mike Vrabel’s return to Nashville, and the New England Patriots’ soft schedule — this one sure felt good.

The Patriots took another major step forward on Sunday, shaking off a rough start on defense, and some brutal kick coverage on special teams, with a dominant second half performance in their 31-13 rout of the Tennessee Titans at Nissan Stadium.

New England won back-to-back-to-back road games for the first time in franchise history, and Patriots fans in attendance (and definitely some Titans fans, too) serenaded their head coach with chants of “Vra-bel! Vra-bel!” in the closing moments of his first game back in Nashville since getting fired by the Titans in January of 2024.

Vrabel was obviously the ultimate winner from Sunday's satisfying win, but to take a page out of his book, let’s focus on the players. The Patriots (5-2) got some big-time performances (with a couple lowlights) in a win that added some cushion over the idle Buffalo Bills atop the AFC East.

Top winners and losers from the New England Patriots’ blowout win over the Tennessee Titans in Week 7

Winner: QB Drake Maye

Just when we thought he couldn’t play any better, Maye goes and does something like this.

Maye became the first QB in Patriots history to throw at least 20 passes in a game with a completion percentage over 90. He finished 21 of 23 for 222 yards, two touchdowns, and no interceptions. His elite downfield prowess continued with a 9.7 average and a 39-yard touchdown bomb to Kayshon Boutte.

The one nitpick? Maye can’t take as many big hits as he took against the Titans. He was briefly knocked out of this game due to the NFL’s concussion protocol, and he just has to learn when to wave the white flag and avoid punishment sometimes.

Winner: RB Rhamondre Stevenson

Stevenson was coming off one of his worst games as a pro. Against the New Orleans Saints in Week 6, he rushed 13 times for 18 yards.

He ran with a purpose against the Titans, and on a windy day in Nashville, the Patriots needed it. 

Stevenson helped set the tone early with 42 rushing yards on five carries on New England’s opening drive. He finished with 88 yards and averaged 4.9 per carry for the game. Just the mere threat of a competent rushing attack helped open up the Patriots' passing game late. 

Winner: EDGE K'Lavon Chaisson

Chaisson was one of the best players on the field, and that was huge for the Patriot with Harold Landry III playing at less than 100 percent

Two of the Patriots’ five sacks in this game belonged to Chaisson, including his strip and recovery of QB Cam Ward’s fumble that he returned for a touchdown in the third quarter.

New England has found a gem in the former first-round pick of the Jacksonville Jaguars. 

Loser: CB Carlton Davis III

It might be time to have a conversation about the Patriots’ cornerback depth outside of Christian Gonzalez and Marcus Jones.

Davis has been unimpressive for a few weeks now, and that trend continued on Sunday — against Titans rookie Elic Ayomanor.

On one play in the first half, Ayomanor picked up 20 yards as Davis slipped on the turf. He was beat again later and was forced to grab Ayomanor, resulting in a pass interference call.

That’s now five penalties on the season for Davis, who entered Week 7 with two touchdowns and a 107.7 passer rating when targeted, per Pro Football Focus. Not great.

Winner: Backup QB Josh Dobbs

Chaisson’s defensive touchdown broke the game open, but New England’s ability to execute the double score with touchdowns to close the first half, and open the third quarter, was the difference in the game.

The Patriots were in danger of losing that momentum when Maye was forced off the field by spotters after his helmet slammed into the turf on a tackle by defensive back Roger McCreary. 

Dobbs came onto the field cold, and after a handoff to Stevenson, he faced a key third-and-5 from the Titans 30 with Maye still getting checked in the blue medical tent. The Titans had the play blown up, but Dobbs escaped and fired a dart to DeMario Douglas for a 12-yard pickup and first down.

Dobbs only played three meaningful snaps, but he might've made the most important play in the game for the Patriots.

Winner: WR DeMario Douglas 

Speaking of Douglas, he made a second catch on that key third-quarter drive that produced one of the best highlights of the season to date.

Back on the field (and probably still shaking off the cobwebs) Maye had a rare miss on a throw over the middle to Douglas on fourth-and-1 from the Titans 9 yard line.

His receiver bailed him out. Douglas reached back and snared the ball for the first down, and the Patriots wound up punching in a touchdown on the next play to take a 24-13 lead. 

Douglas continues to see around 15 offensive snaps per game, per PFF — and he remains a player Maye and the Patriots trust in big moments.

Loser: LG Jared Wilson

Maye was sacked four times on Sunday. According to Greg Bedard of Boston Sports Journal, three of them came through Wilson’s lane. 

The rookie showed a ton of promise throughout the preseason, but it’s been a mixed bag through his first seven games as a pro, especially over the past two weeks.

Wilson played mostly at center for the Georgia Bulldogs over his final two years of college ball. He’s learning a new position in the NFL as a rookie. But we’re now nearing the midway point of the season, and the Patriots will need to work on getting this issue fixed.

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