Patriots - Titans Preview

Chris Johnson leads NFL backs in total yardage.

Patriots (3-2) vs. Titans (0-5)
Sunday 4:15 - CBS
Favorite: NE -9.5
Over/Under: 43

Sorry for the lack of posts the past two days. Its been slow on Boston sports news, and we've been busy. Thank you for your dedication to the site, and for continuing to come back.

On to the preview:

The winless Titans head to town this weekend for a 4:15PM kickoff.

KEYS TO THE GAME:

Treat the Titans like they are 5-0, not 0-5. If the Titans lose Sunday, they'll be at six losses and essentially done for the year. They come to Gillette desperate, which is scary because with no wins they are easy to overlook. Titans veteran coach Jeff Fisher will be sure to have his team ready. Bill Belichick is the master of motivation, so hopefully he has some good 'bulletin board' material for his squad.

Contain Chris Johnson. The Titans' second year RB out of East Carolina has big play ability. Showcasing his combination of incendiary speed with flashy cuts in week 2 against the Texans, Johnson busted a TD run of 57 yards and two TD receptions of 91 and 69 yards. He leads all RBs in the NFL in total yards from scrimmage, and he is the Titans' sole weapon on offense. It is crucial for the Patriots to shut him down early and often, and force the suspect Titans passing game anchored by journeyman QB Kerry Collins to beat them.

Exploit the Titans' secondary weakness. The Titans will be without their top two corners (Cortland Finnegan and Nick Harper), as well as their best safety (Michael Griffin). The Patriots, who have had to address many questions this week about their lack of big plays, have an ideal match-up to right ship against. Tom Brady has been quite inaccurate down the field at times as he tries to find his bearings after missing last year entirely, so hopefully this matchup will aid Brady in finding his groove.

Keep Tom Brady up-right. With veteran LT Matt Light (doubtful) out of the lineup this week, second round pick, tackle Sebastian Vollmer will fill in guarding Tom Brady's blind side. Vollmer will have the challenge of taking on former pro-bowler DE Kyle Vanden Bosch. The match-up should prove to be a solid test of the rookie's skill set and it is imperative that he plays impressively in his first start.


INJURY NEWS:

Wes Welker and Jerod Mayo are off of the injury report. Music to Patriots fans ears.

Ben Watson is questionable with a head injury. He reportedly suffered a concussion in last week's loss.

Moss has the Tom Brady questionable tag. Nothing to worry about for Moss who is looking to break out this week.