Titans-Patriots Preview

 

VIDEO PLAYLIST

• Countdown Daily Recap: Patriots-Titans

SCOUTING REPORT

Titans-Patriots: 10 observations After breaking down film of both teams, Scouts Inc. offers 10 things to watch in this week's Titans-Patriots matchup. 1. Tennessee needs to stop the leaking in their secondary: The Titans are giving up more yards through the air than anyone else in the NFL other than the Arizona Cardinals. The good news is that teams are throwing on the Titans because they are having a hard time finding success on the ground as Tennessee is giving up just 2.8 yards per carry. After being without CB Cortland Finnegan (hamstring) and nickel back Vincent Fuller (broken forearm) the past two games, the Titans will now be without CB Nick Harper, who underwent surgery for a broken bone in his forearm and will be gone for 4-6 weeks.

· Full Scouting Report

Matchup
	W-L	PF	PA	HOME	ROAD	DIV	CONF
TEN	4-6	209	272	2-2	2-4	2-3	3-6
NWE	7-3	290	164	6-0	1-3	3-1	5-3
· Complete Standings

Individual Leaders

Tennessee Passing   CMP% YDS TD INT Collin... 54.8 1071 5 8 Young 62.9 623 3 2

New England Passing   CMP% YDS TD INT Brady 66.4 3049 20 6 Hoyer 81.8 52 0 0

Tennessee Rushing   CAR YDS AVG TD Johnso... 199 1242 6.2 8 White 61 208 3.4 2

New England Rushing   CAR YDS AVG TD Marone... 116 455 3.9 6 Taylor 45 201 4.5 2

Tennessee Receiving   REC YDS AVG TD Britt 26 393 15.1 1 Gage 22 302 13.7 1

New England Receiving   REC YDS AVG TD Moss 63 925 14.7 8 Welker 79 854 10.8 4

Full Player Stats: Tennessee | New England

TEAM AVERAGES & NFL RANKS
TEAM OFFENSE	TEAM	PER GAME AVERAGE
Total Yards	TEN	333.0
	NWE	416.0
Yards Passing	TEN	164.8
	NWE	302.3
Yards Rushing	TEN	168.4
	NWE	113.8
TEAM DEFENSE	TEAM	PER GAME AVERAGE
Yards Allowed	TEN	375.8
	NWE	296.7
Pass Yds Allowed	TEN	271.7
	NWE	187.3
Rush Yds Allowed	TEN	104.1
	NWE	109.4

HEAD TO HEAD MATCHUPS (SINCE 2001)
New England leads 4-1
Dec 31, 2006	TEN 23, @NWE 40
Jan 10, 2004	TEN 14, NWE 17
Oct 5, 2003	TEN 30, NWE 38
Dec 16, 2002	TEN 24, @NWE 7

The New England Patriots haven't exactly been thrilled with their uneven start, but they're far from the NFL's most disappointing team in 2009.

That's almost certainly the Tennessee Titans, who will have to win Sunday in Foxborough if they hope to avoid a shocking 0-6 start.

After missing last postseason, the Patriots (3-2) were hoping for a quick return to prominence this year with quarterback Tom Brady back in action following knee surgery, but they've struggled with consistency on both sides of the ball and their bid for a third straight win fell short last Sunday in a 20-17 overtime loss at Denver.

However, their problems pale in comparison with those of the Titans, who would double their loss total from all of 2008 if they lose at New England.

Tennessee (0-5) won its first 10 games last season and earned the AFC's top seed with a 13-3 mark, but is already a longshot just to return to the playoffs as its 2009 campaign continues to get worse.

"We've made our own mess," Titans coach Jeff Fisher said. "We have to find our way out of it."

After losing their first two games by a field goal each, the Titans' margins of defeat have gotten bigger each of the last three weeks, capped by a 31-9 home loss to Indianapolis last Sunday night.

"As far as a quick fix is concerned, it's not there," Fisher said. "You keep doing what you're doing. You can go back, you look at the games. You correct them. You move forward."

Tennessee's defense allowed an average of 14.6 points to rank second in the league in 2008, but with lineman Albert Haynesworth gone its opponents are nearly doubling that number this season as the Titans rank 29th in scoring defense.

The offense has also had problems, with backup quarterback Vince Young replacing the struggling Kerry Collins late against the Colts and going 0 for 3 with an interception. Collins has seven interceptions in five games -- as many as he threw all of last season -- but Fisher said he remains the starter.

Explosive running back Chris Johnson, meanwhile, was held to 34 yards on nine carries against Indianapolis, and hasn't found the end zone outside of an outstanding Week 2 performance against Houston.

"We need to run the football better. I would start there," Fisher said. "We run the football better, then all those other things happen down the field."

That may be harder against New England now that linebacker Jerod Mayo has returned from a knee injury, but Mayo couldn't help the Patriots' defense tighten up at key moments in Denver.

The Broncos tied the game with a 98-yard touchdown drive in the fourth quarter, then scored on the opening possession of overtime. New England was especially soft against the pass as Denver's Kyle Orton went 35 for 48 for 330 yards and two touchdowns.

"We have to get better than what we played against the Broncos. We have to play better, have to coach better, do a lot of things better," defensive coordinator Dean Pees said. "We had some opportunities to make some plays which could have really made a big difference in that game and we fell short."

New England may turn to a familiar face for help Sunday after signing 40-year-old linebacker Junior Seau this week, although it's unclear if he'll be in uniform.

The Patriots would like better performances from some of their other veterans -- including Brady, whose numbers have been unspectacular as he tries to round back into form after missing nearly all of last season with a knee injury.

One reason is the lack of production from Randy Moss, who has four total catches in the last two games and only one touchdown all season after catching an NFL-record 23 from Brady in 2007. He had five catches of more than 50 yards that season, but his longest reception this year is 36 yards.

"Coach hammered into us (Wednesday) that we haven't had a pass over 40 yards yet this year in five games," Brady said. "It's something that I've got to do a better job of."

The duo will try to exploit Tennessee's defense, which ranks 31st in the league against the pass. Defensive end Jevon Kearse was inactive and left the stadium last week despite not being on the injury report, and the Titans' injury-riddled secondary has been without cornerback Cortland Finnegan (hamstring).

It should also help that the Patriots could play their next two games against winless teams after their first five opponents each were unbeaten entering their meeting with New England. They face Tampa Bay next week in London.

The Patriots could be lacking left tackle Matt Light (knee) against Tennessee after he left Sunday's game and missed practice time this week. Running back Fred Taylor (ankle) will also remain out.

This will be the Titans' first visit to Gillette Stadium since a 17-14 loss in a divisional playoff game Jan. 10, 2004. New England is 3-0 at home this season.

Bills sign Simmons to help injury-ridden line

The Buffalo Bills began reinforcing their injury-depleted offensive line by signing veteran guard Kendall Simmons.

Vikings-Cards Dec. 6 game flexed to nighttime

The NFL has moved the Minnesota at Arizona game to the night slot on Dec. 6 under its flexible scheduling policy.

2009 NFL Power Rankings: Week 12

Week 12 of the latest ESPN.com NFL Power Rankings reveals a matchup of the Nos. 1 and 4 teams.

Patriots mailbag: Early thoughts on Pats-Saints

This week's Pats mailbag takes an early look at Monday's game vs. the Saints.

Vince Young: play me or let me go

If the Titans don't want him to play, Vince Young is ready to move on. The No. 3 pick of the 2006 NFL Draft told a Baltimore television station Monday that he wanted to become the starting quarterback for the Titans - regaining the job he lost last season to Kerry Collins in dramatic fashion - or find another team.

Quarterback steps out of bounds again

Will Vince Young ever get it? Just when you believe the Titans' backup quarterback is beginning to absorb the big picture of what it takes to be an NFL quarterback, he gives you reason to doubt him.

Titan sharpens focus after eye surgery

Titans cornerback Nick Harper could blame his hands for not having more interceptions last season, but the bigger problem was his eyesight.

McNair says he believes Young is maturing

Steve McNair touched on a variety of subjects at his eighth annual football camp at Goodpasture Christian School on Friday.

Nick Harper overcomes age, vision to stick in Titans' secondary

Titans cornerback Nick Harper could blame his hands for not having more interceptions last season, but the bigger problem was his eyesight.

Rodney Harrison set to tackle NBC gig

Rodney Harrison [ stats ] is ready to begin the next phase of his life. One of the most storied players in Patriots [ team stats ] history, Harrison will be introduced as the newest member of NBC's broadcast team during a conference call tomorrow, according to a source with knowledge of Harrison's plans.

Jim Donaldson: It's okay to to be optimistic about the 2009 Pats' offense, but let's be realistic

They are more than merely workouts, these sessions in which the Patriots are participating on the grass field in the southern shadow of Gillette Stadium.

Vince Wilfork a no-show again

Patriots [ team stats ] nose tackle Vince Wilfork [ stats ] is scheduled to appear at an event in support of his diabetes charity tomorrow.

Patriots.com News Blitz

Maroney talks about being healthy and Crable and Springs reflect on being back in action.

Patriots re-sign punter Tom Malone

The Patriots announced that they have re-signed punter Tom Malone today. Malone joins veteran Chris Hanson on the roster at the punter spot.