Titans vs. Patriots: Reasons for optimism and concern for Tennessee

FOXBOROUGH, MASSACHUSETTS - DECEMBER 29: Tom Brady #12 of the New England Patriots walks off the field during the game against the Miami Dolphins at Gillette Stadium on December 29, 2019 in Foxborough, Massachusetts. (Photo by Maddie Meyer/Getty Images)
FOXBOROUGH, MASSACHUSETTS - DECEMBER 29: Tom Brady #12 of the New England Patriots walks off the field during the game against the Miami Dolphins at Gillette Stadium on December 29, 2019 in Foxborough, Massachusetts. (Photo by Maddie Meyer/Getty Images)
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There are reasons for optimism and concern for the Tennessee Titans against the New England Patriots in the wild card game.

The Tennessee Titans will meet the New England Patriots at Gillette Stadium on Saturday night at 7:15 p.m. CST for a wild card showdown.

The Pats finished the season with a 12-4 record and once again won the AFC East.

However, New England stumbled into the playoffs a bit after falling from the No. 2 seed to the No. 3 seed after a Week 17 loss to the Miami Dolphins combined with a Kansas City Chiefs win over the Los Angeles Chargers.

The Pats also lost three of their last five games to end the 2019 campaign.

Meanwhile, the Titans lost two of their last three games, but won the contest that mattered most, which was their Week 17 game against the Houston Texans. With the victory, the Titans clinched the final playoff spot in the AFC.

These two teams last met in the playoffs back during the 2017-18 season. New England won easily over Tennessee by a score of 35-14. The last regular season meeting happened in 2018, when the Titans had their own blowout win, 34-10.

Prior to the start of this season, the Titans and Pats held joint practices and played in a preseason game against one another, so there is at least some familiarity here; although Tennessee is a very different team than the one New England saw then.

With the setup out of the way, here are reasons for optimism and concern for the Titans in the wild card game against the Patriots.

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