Three Last-Minute Titans vs. Patriots Predictions

Without Ridley, rookie WR Elic Ayomanor is the clear WR1. Ayomanor, who's caught two of Ward's three touchdown passes, will likely be tightly guarded by this Patriots secondary. It's going to be hard to get anything past Vrabel, which is exactly why the Titans have something else up their sleeve.

Lockett, who spent his first 10 seasons in Seattle, has been trending in the wrong direction since 2023. He had four-straight 1,000 yard seasons from 2019-22, but fell to 894 yards in 2023 and 600 last season. The Seahawks decided it was time to move on, and rightfully so.

This year, Lockett has just 52 receiving yards on 19 targets. He's been targeted the fourth most times on the team, yet trails running back Tony Pollard, WR Van Jefferson, and TE Gunnar Helm in receiving yards. While he only has eight receptions this season, Tennessee will have no choice but to feed him the ball against the Patriots.

2. RB Tyjae Spears' Snap Count Continues to Rise

One of the most interesting aspects of McCoy's duties includes how he'll handle the backfield. When Spears was on the IR, RB Tony Pollard's snap count was never below 86%. Upon Spears' return in Week 5, Pollard played in just 73% of the snaps. Last week, that number fell to 43%.

Spears snap count started at just 25%, but that increased to 59% against the Las Vegas Raiders. Knowing how much this team likes to run the ball, Spears usage will depend on how much McCoy trusts him compared to the veteran.

3. Mike Vrabel Gets His Revenge

Truthfully, it's hard to take a step back and figure out a way for the Titans to win this game. Going back to 2000, Interim Head Coaches are 20-30 in their first game. According to The Tennessean, they're 7-7 in their last 14 with four-one score losses.

Looking at those numbers, Titans' fans may be able to get their hopes up. There's nothing wrong with believing in this Titans team, but it's hard to imagine a scenario where the Patriots don't come to town and run up the score. Vrabel is going to be on a mission, and his Patriots are red-hot compared to a Titans team that was close to rock-bottom under Callahan's direction, or lack thereof.