The New England Patriots are no longer tied with the Bills in wins for the AFC East crown, as they advanced to 5-2 on the road against the Tennessee Titans. Admittedly, the beginning of the game looked shaky for New England. Chimere Dike, a fourth-round rookie wide receiver for the Titans, had by far the best day of his career, recording four catches for 70 yards and a touchdown to go along with 99 total return yards. Titans’ Cam Ward had the best spurt of his career, with a perfect passer rating after the first quarter. The Titans led 10-3 after the first 15 minutes, but things went downhill for them from there. The Patriots would go on a 28-3 run, pitching a shutout in the second half. Drake Maye had one of the best games of his career and continues his chase for the MVP. He’s currently fourth by odds. K’Lavon Chaisson’s fumble recovery returned for a touchdown also marked the defense’s first touchdown of the year.
As for the offense, Maye had an incredible game. He became the first Patriot ever to have a completion rate over 90% in a game with a minimum of 20 attempts, eclipsing Tom Brady’s best-ever 88.5% mark. While the first few games of the season looked shaky for Maye and New England, they have found their stride in a major way: in his last four games, he has eight touchdowns and no turnovers. The game opened up with a harsh running attack from the Pats, with Rhamondre Stevenson finishing the game with a season-high 88 yards on the ground. Forty-two of those yards came on their opening drive.
Stefon Diggs and Kayshon Boutte continue to be a dynamic duo at wide receiver. Diggs was the high volume target this week, racking up 69 yards from his seven catches, while Boutte snagged two balls for 55 yards and a touchdown on a deep ball at the end of the first half. Austin Hooper had his first touchdown catch of the year against his former team, a ridiculous high point grab in the back corner. Stevenson also found the endzone on a short run. Maye’s scrambling ability was on display like it was last year against the Titans — in each game he took off eight times, in 2024 for 95 yards, and this past Sunday for 62. It’s been amazing to have such a threat to run under center.
Defensively, the unit snagged their first score of the year, with Chaisson scooping up a fumble from Ward. Chaisson had an excellent day overall, while his running mate, Harold Landry, contributed a sack to the effort against his former team. Milton Williams had a meaningful third and short sack as well, while linebacker Christian Elliss graded out well by PFF’s standards for the second straight week, recording an 83.7 overall grade.
With the exception of the deep TD to Dike, the Titans offense was kept quiet. They rushed for 39 total yards, and Tony Pollard was held to 3.0 yards per carry. Van Jefferson and rookie tight end Gunnar Helm each had four catches, but rookie WR1 Elic Ayomanor was limited to just 29 yards from his two grabs. It’s hard to point out anything but good things that the defense did, but then again, they also played one of the worst offenses in football.
It must feel good for Vrabel to get a win against his former team, as well as for the plethora of former Titans the 2025 Patriots roster features. This week, the Patriots should have no issue moving to 6-2, especially given the momentum they’ll bring into the game: four straight wins.
The Pats will face off against the lowly Browns on Sunday, who just got their second win of the year against the Miami Dolphins to move to 2-5. The Browns offense was dead last in points per game going into their matchup against Miami, but between Quinshon Judkins’ three touchdown performance and a defensive score, they’ve managed to move up to 30th in the league at 16.1 PPG. The roster doesn’t feature many weapons to worry about. Judkins has had a strong rookie year, and Harold Fannin has been a mid-round gem. David Njoku has played second fiddle to Fannin given his production, and Jerry Jeudy is the only notable name at wide receiver. Dillon Gabriel has a few starts under his belt now and had a career best 72.2% completion rate on Sunday. While he is far from a stellar QB, the Patriots had some issues with the Saints and their quick passing game. If Gabriel can get the ball into the hands of Jeudy and his tight ends, the Pats could have some issues early on.
Additionally, bottling up Judkins should be priority 1A, though it shouldn’t be especially difficult. There’s no doubt the Ohio State rookie is an excellent back, but the Patriots have yet to allow any running back to have 50 yards this season. For context, they’ve played Ashton Jeanty, De’Von Achane, Rico Dowdle, James Cook and Alvin Kamara – all very good players. If they can keep him contained, don’t expect many issues with the Browns’ offense.
New England’s offense has scored at will, but the Browns defense is excellent. They rank third in pass defense, fourth in run defense and 12 in PPG. The defensive line features Myles Garrett, No. 5 pick Mason Graham and Maliek Collins. Rookie linebacker Carson Schwesinger is one of the top candidates for DROY, and newly acquired cornerback Tyson Campbell has a pick-six last game. While I’d expect the Patriots to beat the Browns by multiple scores, it likely won’t be an offensive boom. I’d expect New England to dominate defensively, but manage just 24 points, for a 24-6 final score. After a stellar performance in Nashville, I’d expect New England to move to 6-2.