NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS (7-2) AT TENNESSEE TITANS (4-4)
Sunday, November 11, 2018 at 1pm ET. Nissan Stadium (69,143)
The New England Patriots improved to 7-2 with a 31-17 win last Sunday night against Green Bay. It is the seventh-straight season that the Patriots have started the season with a 7-2 or better record and the 10th time under head coach Bill Belichick.
A win this week against Tennessee will guarantee that New England finishes with a .500 or better record for the 18th consecutive season. New England is currently tied with the Cleveland Browns (1957-73) for the second-longest streak at 17 behind the Dallas Cowboys’ (1965-85) streak of 21-straight seasons of finishing with a record of .500 or better.
17 STRAIGHT SEASONS ABOVE .500
The New England Patriots enter this week’s game with a chance to lock up at least a .500 record for the 18th consecutive season. The Patriots are the only NFL team to finish with a record of .500 or better in each of the last 17 seasons (2001-17). Each of the other 31 NFL teams has had at least one losing season since 2001. The Patriots are currently tied with the Cleveland Browns (1957-73) for the second-longest streak at .500 or better, behind the Dallas Cowboys’ (1965-85) streak of 21 straight years.
SERIES HISTORY
The New England Patriots and Tennessee Titans (formerly the Houston Oilers) will square off for the 43rd time since the two charter members of the American Football League began play in 1960. The Patriots and Oilers played twice each year from 1960-1969 and have squared off 22 times since the AFL-NFL merger in 1970. In those 22 post-merger matchups, the Patriots own a 15-7 record, including a 2-1 mark in playoff contests.
The New England and Houston/Tennessee franchises have met three times in the postseason. In 1978, The Houston Oilers beat New England, 31-14, in an AFC Divisional matchup in Foxborough. The Patriots beat the Titans, 17-14, in a 2003 postseason game to advance to the AFC Championship. Last season, the Patriots advanced to their seventh-straight AFC Championship Game with a 35-14 win in an AFC Divisional Playoff on Jan. 13, 2018, at Gillette stadium.
New England leads the all-time series 25-16-1. The Patriots have won the last seven times the two teams played. New England last played at Tennessee on opening day in 2012 and came away with a 34-13 victory.
TALE OF THE TAPE
| 2018 Regular Season | New England | Tennessee |
|---|---|---|
| Record | 7-2 | 4-4 |
| Divisional Standings | 1st | 2nd |
| Total Yards Gained | 3,488 | 2,306 |
| Total Offense (Rank) | 387.6 (9) | 288.3 (30) |
| Rush Offense | 116.1 (14) | 110.0 (16T) |
| Pass Offense | 271.4 (11) | 178.3 (30) |
| Points Per Game | 30.0 (4) | 16.8 (29T) |
| Total Yards Allowed | 3,430 | 2,668 |
| Total Defense (Rank) | 381.1 (24) | 333.5 (8) |
| Rush Defense | 106.9 (14) | 107.3 (16) |
| Pass Defense | 274.2 (26) | 226.3 (8) |
| Points Allowed/Game | 22.4 (11) | 17.6 (1) |
| Possession Avg. | 30:02 | 30:13 |
| Sacks Allowed/Yards Lost | 13/88 | 26/160 |
| Sacks Made/Yards | 13/103 | 20/102 |
| Total Touchdowns Scored | 31 | 13 |
| Penalties Against/Yards | 43/333 | 37/305 |
| Punts/Avg. | 32/45.7 | 34/47.1 |
| Turnover Differential | +4 (10t) | -1 (18T) |
PASSING PERFORMANCES
Tom Brady will face the Tennessee Titans for the seventh time in the regular season. He owns a 5-1 record and is 2-1 in games played at Tennessee. Brady has faced the Titans twice in the postseason and owns a 2-0 record in those games.
IF THE PATRIOTS WIN…
- The Patriots will improve to 26-16-1 all-time against the Tennessee/ Houston franchise. In the Belichick-Brady era, the Patriots are 7-1 vs. Tennessee, including their most recent win, a 35-14 victory in an AFC Divisional Playoff last season.
- The team will guarantee a .500 or better record for the 18th consecutive season, which is the second-longest streak in NFL history. The Patriots are the only team in the NFL to finish with a record of .500 or better in each of the last 18 years (2001-18).
- The Patriots will have an 8-2 record through the first 10 games of the year, marking the 10th time in franchise history and fifth-straight year that the team has started the season with that mark or better. It will also be the ninth time under Bill Belichick that the team will have an 8-2 or better start. Six of the prior eight times, the team has advanced to the Super Bowl.
- The Patriots will earn their 101st win on the road since 2000, improving to 101-48 (.678). They will also improve to 124-73 (.629) since the start of the 1994 season when Robert Kraft purchased the team, which is the best regular-season road record in the NFL in that time.
- Tom Brady will extend his own record for most career wins in NFL history to 231 victories (regular and postseason).
- It will mark the 204th regular-season win of Tom Brady’s career. He is currently in third place for most regular-season wins in NFL history.
- Tom Brady will earn his 92nd road victory in the regular season, extending his own NFL record. Peyton Manning is second with 85 road wins.
WHAT TO LOOK FOR…
- Tom Brady needs 4 yards rushing to reach 1,000 rushing yards in his career.
- With 401 yards against the Titans, Tom Brady will become the NFL’s all-time leading passer (regular and postseason), passing Peyton Manning.
- If Tom Brady throws three touchdown passes, he will tie Brett Favre for second-most regular-season touchdown passes all-time with 508. Peyton Manning is first with 539 touchdown passes.
- With three touchdown passes, he will also tie Peyton Manning for most career touchdowns all-time (regular and postseason) with 579.
