New England Patriots: 3 X-factors to beating Titans in Wild Card Round
3. Patriots defense
Although New England has performed as one of the top defensive units throughout the entire NFL during the regular season, the Patriots will have a decent challenge in the opening round of the playoffs while squaring off against Tennessee.
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Going into the game on Saturday, the Patriots ranked near the top of the league in multiple defensive areas during the 2019 campaign. They ranked first in the NFL in total yards given up per contest (275.9), first in points given up on average (14.1) and managed to haul in a league-best 25 interceptions throughout the course of the year.
When it comes to the Titans offense that will line up on the other end of the ball in Foxborough, Tennessee doesn’t necessarily have a flashy offense, but it consists of a unit that has been fairly consistent and has stepped up during the latter portion of the season to this point.
The Titans come into the postseason averaging 362.8 total yards per game, which ranked 12th-best in the league during the regular season. They also managed to average 25.1 points per game, which was good enough to rank 10th in the NFL.
Although a bulk of New England’s success throughout the years has come via what it is able to accomplish on the offensive side of the ball, the Patriots defense will be an x-factor in the AFC Wild Card contest as they try to advance in the postseason to defend their title in the opening few months of the 2020 year.