Pats Pulpit
A long line of former Tennessee Titans found themselves back at Nissan Stadium on Sunday.
But there’s things that are interesting and then there’s things that are important. After trailing early, a 31-13 win was important for head coach Mike Vrabel and the New England Patriots.
Here’s a glance back on the 1 p.m. ET kickoff as the AFC East visitors return home at 5-2 on the season.
Drake Maye’s rookie road trip to Nashville brought defeat. Not on Sunday. The Patriots sophomore completed 21-of-23 passes for 222 yards. Along the way arrived two touchdowns, no turnovers and a 135.9 passer rating.
Breaking the huddle in “11” personnel, the offense’s opening drive spanned 10 plays before a sack in the red zone set up a field goal. A high throw on a curl intended for rookie wide receiver Kyle Williams followed next time out as the punt unit stepped on. Eight yards were logged through the air during the first quarter. But what started as a 10-3 deficit didn’t continue that way. An 11-play, 93-yard drive ended over cornerback L’Jarius Sneed and in the gloves of tight end Austin Hooper. “Mossed,” it’d be the former Titan’s first touchdown of the year.
Then there was a 39-yard deep shot in the two-minute drill for Maye’s second touchdown of the afternoon. By halftime, the score read 17-13 while the quarterback had averaged 10 yards per pass attempt with a single throw hitting the turf. He entered the blue medical tent after the back of his helmet his the turf in the third quarter, however, as backup Joshua Dobbs briefly stepped in to move the chains.
No. 10 returned to toss 16 consecutive completions. He added 62 yards with his legs against the Titans, scrambling for a long of 19.
Maye entered Sunday having recorded at least 200 passing yards and a 100-or-higher passer rating in five consecutive games. He became the third quarterback under age 24 to post a 100-or-higher passer rating in each of his first four road starts of a season in NFL history. He also became the third quarterback under age 24 to record at least 200 passing yards and a 100-or-higher passer rating in six consecutive games.
Six wide receivers remained active. Kayshon Boutte once again set the tone.
A week removed from his homecoming, the Louisiana native caught two passes for 55 yards in Tennessee. After sitting down to pick up 16 yards on his initial look, a diving 39 came on a go route going into intermission. His fingertips gave the Patriots the lead. Boutte, who leads the wideouts in snaps played this season, now stands with a career-high four touchdowns to show for it.
The 2023 draft choice was joined in the starting lineup by the eldest statesmen on the depth chart. Stefon Diggs caught a team-high seven passes for 69 yards and Mack Hollins chipped in two grabs for...
