FOXBOROUGH, Mass. — The New England Patriots have now won six straight games and moved to 8-4 on the season after defeating the Tennessee Titans 36-13. This game was tightly contested for the bulk of the afternoon, even as Tennessee was missing key figures on the offensive side of the ball. New England held a 16-13 lead heading into the halftime locker room, but the defense was able to shut the door over the final two quarters.
As has been the case during this streak, the Patriots’ defense has proven to be extremely clutch. On a second-and-4 run in the third quarter, D’Onta Foreman ripped off a 30-yard run that was set to flip the field for Tennessee as they trailed by six. However, J.C. Jackson was able to punch the ball loose and Jalen Mills recovered to give the Patriots the ball back and eliminate a potential scoring opportunity. On the ensuing defensive possession, New England forced a three-and-out, which was then matched by a 56-yard touchdown drive by the offense. In all, the Patriots outscored the Titans 20-0 in the second half.
Mac Jones finished with 310 yards and two touchdowns while completing 23 of his 32 passes. Both of those touchdowns were to Kendrick Bourne, who also caught five of his six targets for 61 yards. Meanwhile, Ryan Tannehill went 11 of 21 passing for 91 yards, a touchdown and an interception. Running back Dontrell Hilliard led the team with 131 yards rushing, most of that coming on a 68-yard touchdown run just prior to halftime.
From here, the Patriots will head to Buffalo to play the BIlls on “Monday Night Football.” As for the Titans, they enter their Week 13 bye and wait to face the Jacksonville Jaguars in Week 14 down in Nashville.