New England Patriots Beat Tennessee Titans 34-13

Mark L. Baer-US PRESSWIRE

The New England Patriots marched on to LP Field to face the Tennessee Titans for their season opener, and came away victorious. New England went down 0-3 early in the first quarter, but it was the last time they would trail all game.

Interestingly, while Tom Brady did just fine on his way to 236 yards and 2 TD’s, it was really New England’s running game that stepped up to help the Pats control the game, specifically Stevan Ridley. Ridley rushed 21 times for 125 yards, coming up big in a number of plays and running hard every time he got the ball.

For the Tennessee Titans, Chris Johnson was expected to put up big numbers to help his team, but failed to do so, rushing for only 4 yards on 11 carries, while Jake Locker led the team in rushing with 2 attempts for 11 yards. He did, however, have 47 receiving yards on 6 catches.

Jake locker showed a few flashes of brilliance, especially on a 30-yard rush that was called back for holding, but ultimately showed he still has some developing to do. He went 22 – 32 for 229 yards with 1 TD and 1 pick, but made a number of mental errors throughout the game.

Pass protection was fairly good for both teams, as Locker got sacked twice and Brady once. Tennessee showed they have a lot to work on on both sides of the ball, while the Patriots showed they may be prepared to play a more balanced style of offense this year.

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