- Final OTOT0PIT
CIN23
1723
17 - Final1DET
DAL39
3139
31 - Final2NE
TEN40
2340
23 - Final3JAC
KC30
3530
35 - Final4STL
MIN41
2141
21 - Final5CAR
NO31
2131
21 - Final6OAK
NYJ3
233
23 - Final7SEA
TB23
723
7 - Final8CLE
HOU6
146
14 - Final OTOT9SF
DEN26
2326
23 - Final10MIA
IND22
2722
27 - Final11ATL
PHI17
2417
24 - Final12ARI
SD20
2720
27 - Final13BUF
BAL7
197
19 - Final14GB
CHI26
726
7 - Final15NYG
WSH34
2834
28
Final
Coverage: CBS
1:00 PM ET, December 31, 2006
LP Field, Nashville, TN
Top Performers
Passing: V. Young (TEN) - 227 YDS, 2 INT
Rushing: T. Henry (TEN) - 21 CAR, 102 YDS
Receiving: R. Caldwell (NE) - 4 REC, 134 YDS, 1 TD
New England (11-4) at Tennessee (8-7) Sunday 1:00 pm EST
NASHVILLE, Tennessee (Ticker) -- The New England Patriots are headed to the playoffs for the fifth time in six years. The Tennessee Titans would like to join them in the postseason party.
The Titans have won six straight games to keep alive their playoff hopes heading into Sunday's contest against the Patriots.
Tennessee needs a win along with losses by Cincinnati and Denver and a win by Kansas City to make the playoffs.
But even if the Titans fall short, the streak has served notice to the rest of the league that the franchise is on the rise with rookie Vince Young at quarterback. Since coach Jeff Fisher made the move from Kerry Collins to Young, the Titans have gone 8-4.
The third overall pick in the draft, Young has passed for 1,972 yards and 12 touchdowns with 11 interceptions and rushed for 523 yards and six scores.
Young scored on a 36-yard run and Travis Henry rushed for 135 yards in the Titans' 30-29 win at Buffalo last week. Henry has rushed for 1,184 yards this season.
The winning streak has virtually assured that the Titans will pick up coach Jeff Fisher's $5.3 million option in 2007. They probably should lock up Fisher to a long-term extension.
The Patriots have won four straight AFC East titles under coach Bill Belichick.
Two-time Super Bowl MVP Tom Brady passed for 249 yards, including a 22-yard touchdown to rookie tight end David Thomas, in last week's division-clinching 24-21 win at Jacksonville.
Brady has been the quarterback for the Pats' five division crowns since 2001. Included in that is three Super Bowl titles from 2001-04.
The key to the latest division crown was a 6-1 road record heading into the contest at Tennessee.
The Patriots welcomed back star safety Rodney Harrison last week after he missed six games with a broken shoulder blade. Harrison recovered a fumble by Jacksonville quarterback David Garrard in the final minute to seal the win over the Jaguars.
Only Baltimore has allowed fewer points than the Patriots (14.3 per game). Yet Richard Seymour, who plays end and tackle, was the lone Patriot selected to the Pro Bowl.
New England will play in the wild-card round next week.
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Scouting Report
Titans playing for playoff lives
The Titans have come up with a late-season surge and are hoping to make it into the playoffs as a wildcard team. The only chance they have is to win the last game and get some help. They have been playing very hard for head coach Jeff Fisher and have surprised a lot of opponents in this late-season run. p> Quarterback Vince Young, while not putting up great numbers, has gotten the team to rally around him and has had several fourth quarter rallies to come from behind and win the game. New England meanwhile needs to get the momentum rolling in its favor as it works its way into the playoffs. While the Pats have been winning, it hasn't been pretty.
Tight end Ben Watson has missed time, along with defensive nose tackle Vince Wilfork and running back Laurence Maroney, and they need to get both of them back into game shape. Look for head coach Bill Belichick to get those guys involved without showing opponents they may be facing in the playoffs too much of what he has to offer.
Recent Blog Posts
Matchup
NE | TEN | |
|---|---|---|
| W-L | 12-4 | 8-8 |
| Avg Points | 24.1 | 20.3 |
| Avg Points Allowed | 14.8 | 25.0 |
| Home Record | 5-3 | 4-4 |
| Road Record | 7-1 | 4-4 |
| Division Record | 4-2 | 4-2 |
| Conference Record | 8-4 | 5-7 |
| Complete Standings | ||
Passing Leaders
| New England | CMP% | YDS | TD | INT |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| T. Brady | 63.0 | 4827 | 34 | 8 |
| R. Mallett | 25.0 | 17 | 0 | 1 |
| Tennessee | CMP% | YDS | TD | INT |
| J. Locker | 56.4 | 2176 | 10 | 11 |
| M. Hasselbeck | 62.4 | 1367 | 7 | 5 |
Rushing Leaders
| New England | CAR | YDS | AVG | TD | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| S. Ridley | 290 | 1263 | 4.4 | 12 | |
| D. Woodhead | 76 | 301 | 4.0 | 4 | |
| Tennessee | CAR | YDS | AVG | TD | |
| C. Johnson | 276 | 1243 | 4.5 | 6 | |
| J. Locker | 41 | 291 | 7.1 | 1 | |
Receiving Leaders
| New England | REC | YDS | AVG | TD | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| W. Welker | 118 | 1354 | 11.5 | 6 | |
| B. Lloyd | 74 | 911 | 12.3 | 4 | |
| Tennessee | REC | YDS | AVG | TD | |
| N. Washington | 46 | 746 | 16.2 | 4 | |
| K. Wright | 64 | 626 | 9.8 | 4 | |
Team Averages & NFL Ranks
| TEAM OFFENSE | TEAM | PER GAME AVERAGE |
|---|---|---|
| Total Yards | NE | |
| TEN | ||
| Yards Passing | NE | |
| TEN | ||
| Yards Rushing | NE | |
| TEN | ||
| TEAM DEFENSE | TEAM | PER GAME AVERAGE |
| Yards Allowed | NE | |
| TEN | ||
| Pass Yds Allowed | NE | |
| TEN | ||
| Rush Yds Allowed | NE | |
| TEN |
Head to Head Matchups (Since 2001)
| New England leads 3-1 | |
|---|---|
| Jan 10, 2004 | NE 17, TEN 14 |
| Oct 5, 2003 | NE 38, TEN 30 |
| Dec 16, 2002 | NE 7, @TEN 24 |
