Patriots-Titans Week 9 news, notes, and fun facts
FOXBORO -- The New England Patriots got a much-needed win last Sunday against the New York Jets, and will look to turn that into a winning streak in Week 9 when they visit the Tennessee Titans.
The Titans sit at just 1-6 on the season and while the Patriots were beating the Jets last weekend, the Titans were getting stomped, 52-14, by the Lions in Detroit. Outside of a 30-12 win over the Miami Dolphins in Week 4, Tennessee hasn't scored more than 17 points in a game this season. They're also 0-3 at home this year.
The Titans don't give up many yards defensively, ranking first in the NFL at just 265.4 yards allowed per game. But they are giving up 28.0 points per game, which is tied for 29th in the league.
Tennessee has been in an extremely giving mood all year with 16 giveaways on the season -- the second-most in the NFL behind the Las Vegas Raiders (17). Quarterback Will Levis -- who has missed the last two games with a shoulder injury -- threw seven interceptions in his five games, while Mason Rudolph (who could be in line to start Sunday) has thrown three picks, including two last week against Detroit.
The Titans also lost two fumbles against the Lions, with wide receiver Calvin Ridley and tight end Chig Okonkwo both coughing up the ball. So the Patriots' defense should have chances to get a few takeaways this weekend.
That would greatly help the offense's cause, which will likely see Jacoby Brissett back under center with Drake Maye in concussion protocol. Brissett enjoyed a victory lap on Sunday after leading the Patriots on a game-winning drive in the final minutes against the Jets, and the nine-year vet has five touchdowns and three picks in eight career games against the Titans.
Here's everything you need to know about Sunday's Patriots-Titans matchup at Nissan Stadium.
Patriots vs. Titans
- As two charter members of the American Football League, the Patriots and the Titans/Houston Oilers have played a total of 45 times between the regular season and the playoffs. New England leads the overall series 26-18-1.
- The two teams have squared off 25 times since the AFL-NFL merger in 1970, and the Patriots own a 16-9 record -- including 2-2 in the playoffs -- over that span.
- New England is 7-11 in road games against the Titans, including 2-2 in games played in Tennessee after the team moved from Houston.
- The Patriots and the Titans last played on Nov. 28, 2021 at Gillette Stadium, which New England won, 36-13. This is the Patriots' first trip to Tennessee since a 34-10 loss on Nov. 11, 2018.
- Tennessee's offense ranks 30th in the NFL at 281.6 yards per game, while the Patriots rank 32nd at 260.9 yards per game.
- This weekend's game will feature two of the NFL's worst passing offenses, with the Titans ranking 31st at 161.9 yards per game and the Patriots 32nd at 149.9 yards per game.
- In addition to their top overall defense, the Titans are first in the NFL in passing defense, allowing an average of just 151.6 passing yards per game.
- The Patriots haven't won two straight games since the 2022 season, when they won three straight between Weeks 8-11 (with the bye mixed in).
Patriots-Titans Connections
- Kicker Nick Folk is the only former Patriot on the Titans roster. He's been good on all nine of his field goal attempts (including 3-for-3 from 50-plus yards) and all 13 of his extra-point attempts this season. Folk has connected on 38 of his 39 field goals over his two seasons in Tennessee.
- Current Patriots tight end Austin Hooper played for the Titans in 2022, and caught 41 passes for 444 yards and two touchdowns for Tennessee.
- Patriots special teams assistant Tom Quinn was a specials teams coach in Tennessee last season, and was promoted to special teams coordinator by then-head coach Mike Vrabel in early December when Craig Aukerman was fired by the team.
Other Patriots-Titans Week 9 Fun Facts
- Tight end Hunter Henry leads the Patriots with 32 receptions for 358 yards, and is on pace to finish with a career-high 68 receptions for 761 yards. He has two games with eight receptions this season -- Week 2 vs. Seattle and Week 7 against Jacksonville -- and with another, Henry will become the first New England tight end since Rob Gronkowski in 2017 with at least three games with eight or more receptions.
- Speedy Patriots return man Marcus Jones ranks second in the NFL and first in the AFC with a 13.1-yard punt return average. Gunner Olszewski was the last Patriots player to lead the NFL in punt return average when he set a team-record with a 17.3-yard average in 2020.
- Christian Elliss leads the Patriots with eight total special teams tackles. If he logs two more tackles, it will mark the seventh straight season that the Patriots have had a player reach at least 10 special teams tackles.
We'll get you ready for this weekend's Patriots-Titans clash Sunday morning with Patriots GameDay at 11:30 a.m. (which you can also stream on CBSBoston.com), and switch to TV38 after the game for full reaction and analysis on Patriots 5th Quarter!