New England Patriots: 3 X-factors to beating Titans in Wild Card Round

Before the New England Patriots take on the Tennessee Titans in the AFC Wild Card Round, here are three x-factors for the Patriots going into the contest.

With only a few days remaining ahead of the AFC Wild Card Round contests to kick off the 2020 NFL Playoffs on Saturday, the New England Patriots continue to prepare for their opening-round matchup against the Tennessee Titans.

The third-seeded Patriots will begin their attempt at securing their second straight Super Bowl title taking on the sixth-seeded Titans to begin postseason play at 8:15 p.m. ET on Saturday night in Foxborough.

The winner of the showdown between New England and Tennessee at Gillette Stadium will earn its spot in the AFC Divisional Round to take on either the top-seeded Baltimore Ravens or the second-seeded Kansas City Chiefs on the road.

Going into the playoff contest, the Patriots come into the game off of a loss to the Miami Dolphins in the final game of the regular season, concluding the year with a record of 12-4 overall.

New England, which won its 11th straight AFC East title during the season, fell to the third overall seed in the conference with the loss in Week 17 and Kansas City was able to jump up to the No. 2 spot to earn a first-round bye along with the top-seeded Baltimore Ravens in the AFC.

When it comes to the opponent for the defending champions, the Patriots will be hosting a Tennessee team that ended the year with a record of 9-7 overall, claiming the second spot in the AFC South division behind the Houston Texans (10-6 overall).

The Titans ended the regular season schedule on a nice note, winning seven of their final 10 contests to grab the second AFC Wild Card spot and a place in the playoffs.

While both teams continue to prepare for the AFC Wild Card Game on Saturday night in Foxborough, let’s look ahead at the game and pick out three X-factors for the Patriots prior to the opening kick off at Gillette Stadium.