This is probably the one game on the schedule that Titans fans have been waiting for – the return of Mike Vrabel to Nissan Stadium. Vrabel has the Patriots playing well after a slow start, perhaps even well enough to contend for the playoffs in his first season at the helm there. The Titans, on the other hand, are floundering and desperately need to show some signs of life.
First down
Figure out something on offense. Brian Callahan is gone, but his offense and offensive system are not. They are now in the hands of interim coach Mike McCoy who hopes to get Cam Ward and the struggling offense going Sunday. If he doesn’t, it might not be pretty.
Second down
Slow down Drake Maye. When the Titans saw the rookie version of Maye last year, they took advantage of his inexperience en route to a victory. Now in his second season, Maye is flourishing as the Patriots quarterback and appears to be improving each week. The Titans can’t let Maye get into a rhythm and have to affect him with pressure.
Third down
Get back to basics. Some of the same issues that hurt the Titans early in the season came back against the Raiders. They had three turnovers, gave up six sacks and were plagued by penalties that wiped out some key plays, including a pair of sacks. The Titans are simply not good enough to overcome many mistakes and have to play clean football.
Fourth down
Be ready to play. Some Titans players seemed to indicate that the team came out flat against the Raiders, something a 1-5 team simply cannot do. It is past time for veteran leadership on this team to start asserting itself to make sure these types of lapses don’t occur.