Tennessee Titans

Patriots face familiar faces in wild-card round vs. Titans

Published Jan. 2, 2020 12:13 p.m. ET

TENNESSEE (9-7) at NEW ENGLAND (12-4)

Saturday, 8:15 p.m. ET, CBS

OPENING LINE - Patriots by 5 1/2

RECORD VS. SPREAD - Titans 9-7; Patriots 9-7

SERIES RECORD – Patriots lead 25-17-1,

LAST MEETING – Titans beat Patriots 34-10, Nov. 11, 2018

LAST WEEK - Titans beat Texans 35-14; Patriots lost to Dolphins 27-24

AP PRO32 RANKING – Titans No. 12, Patriots No. 7

TITANS OFFENSE - OVERALL (12), RUSH (3), PASS (21).

TITANS DEFENSE - OVERALL (21), RUSH (12), PASS (24).

PATRIOTS OFFENSE - OVERALL (15), RUSH (18), PASS (8).

PATRIOTS DEFENSE - OVERALL (1), RUSH (6), PASS (2).

STREAKS, STATS AND NOTES — Titans won seven of final 10 games to earn second playoff berth in three seasons, first under second-year coach Mike Vrabel. … Vrabel won three Super Bowl rings in eight seasons with Patriots as linebacker playing in 17 postseason games. ... Titans GM Jon Robinson spent 12 seasons with Patriots, last five as director of college scouting. ... Titans are 8-5 in wild-card games, 4-4 on road. … Titans won last wild-card game 22-21 in Kansas City on Jan. 16, 2018. … Titans ranked fourth in AFC with 25.1 points per game, team’s highest mark since 2003 (27.2). ... Titans Pro Bowl RB Derrick Henry led NFL in rushing with 1,540 yards in 15 games, fourth-most rushing yards in franchise history. Henry also ran for 16 TDs, second most in team history. ... Titans QB Ryan Tannehill led NFL with career-best 117.5 passer rating. Tannehill also led league averaging 9.6 yards per pass attempt. … … Titans rookie WR A.J. Brown has four TD catches of at least 50 yards. He joins Isaac Curtis (five in 1973), Willie Gault (four in 1983) and Hall of Famer Randy Moss (five in 1998) as only rookies with at least four TD receptions of 50 or more yards since 1970 merger. … Patriots playing in first wild-card round game since 2009 (lost 33-14 to Ravens). New England is 2-1 in wild-card games under Bill Belichick and Tom Brady but has never made it to Super Bowl when opening playoffs as wild-card team during their era. ... Patriots are 23-4 at home in playoffs all time and have won nine straight. ... With win New England extends its NFL record to 38 postseason victories. Pittsburgh ranks second with 36. … Patriots have been to Super Bowl in four of past five years, including victory in last year’s title game. ... New England's defense allowed 275.9 yards per game, fewest by Patriots team since 1977 (259.9). Also allowed league-low 14.1 points per game, fewest in NFL since 2008 Steelers (13.9). ... Patriots had plus-21 turnover differential during regular season, best in NFL … Brady is NFL’s postseason leader in games (40), passing attempts (1,589), completions (1,005), yards passing (11,179) and touchdown passes (73). … WR Julian Edelman’s 115 postseason receptions are second behind Hall of Famer Jerry Rice (151). Edelman (1,412) also ranks second behind Rice (2,245) in career postseason receiving yards. … With 100 receiving yards against Titans, Edelman would have seven 100-yard games in his playoff career and move into sole possession of No. 2 on NFL’s all-time list, breaking tie with Hall of Famer Michael Irvin (six). Rice (eight) owns league record.