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Patriots QB Uses Wheels in First Half Over Titans
New England Patriots quarterback Drake Maye (10) runs around Tennessee Titans cornerback L'Jarius Sneed (38) during the first quarter at Nissan Stadium in Nashville, Tenn., Sunday, Oct. 19, 2025. Denny Simmons / The Tennessean / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The New England Patriots enter the locker room following the first half of Week 7 matchup up by four points.

New head coach Mike Vrabel entered the matinee matchup with a lot of attention, as the game against Tennessee marks his first return trip back to Nissan Stadium since being fired by the Titans. He was let go by the organization in January 2024 after six seasons with them. Vrabel then spent the 2024 season with the Cleveland Browns as a coaching and personnel consultant on Kevin Stefanski's staff before he was hired by the Patriots in January 2025.

Vrabel went 54-45 with three playoff appearances in six seasons with the Titans from 2018 to 2023. His 54 wins are the third-most in Tennessee history.

Clearly, Vrabel looked at his playbook with something to prove. His team concluded the first two quarters of play against the Titans with a 17-13 score in their favor.

New England quarterback Drake Maye concluded the first half with 10 completions on 11 attempts, while also throwing for two touchdowns and 110 yards.

Drake Maye Shows Off Ground Game Skill

While the Titans came out looking strong on offense and finished their opening drive with a 49-yard field goal by kicker Joey Slye, Maye still did not let himself get overshadowed.

The signal caller escaped from the pocket for a 19-yard run on the Titans' defense around the 11:40 mark of the second quarter.

Maye rushed for a total of 43 yards across four carries, averaging just over seven yards across each play he made on the ground.

In comparison, Tennessee quarterback Cameron Ward did no rush at all throughout the first half against the Patriots.

In addition to Maye's wheels, the Pats rushed for a total of 118 yards in the first half — running back Rhamondre Stevenson had 73 yards across 10 carries.

Maye previously said going into play against Tennessee that despite former matters, the entire Pats' franchise is looking at the game against Tennessee as just another week in the season.

"The way Coach Vrabel handles [his past with Tennessee] kind of leads into how we'll handle it,"Maye said of playing against his coach's former team. "I think he's focused about this team and not worried about going back to a place he coached for a long time ... he's kind of treating it like it's not a big deal which has bled into us. We're treating it like another week, another opponent and going to treat it the same ... it's a challenge for us to go keep proving it week in and week out. That's been our main focus."

This latest matchup against Tennessee for Vrabel, Maye and the Patriots comes after the Buffalo Bills handed the Patriots the top spot in the AFC East following losing 24-14 to the Atlanta Falcons in primetime last week.

This article first appeared on New England Patriots on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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