Also of interest in the 4 p.m. slate will be the Bengals visiting the 49ers. Our writing staff here at isportsweb.com make their predictions on the upcoming matchup below.
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Running back Dion Lewis is the Patriots’ most irreplaceable player on injured reserve, and this week’s loss of LeGarrette Blount furthers the issues on the depth chart. It helped Brady get into the flow of things and it looked like the Patriots back on the right track to where they were the week before their loss to the Eagles. These teams last squared off in 2012, when the Patriots opened the season with a resounding 34-13 win at Tennessee. If Denver loses at Pittsburgh and Cincinnati loses at San Francisco, both of those AFC division leaders would fall to 10-4.
Rob Gronkowski also missed practice on Friday, but that wasn’t health-related and Gronk is expected to start on Sunday. The Titans must stick with the run this Sunday, regardless of the early score.
On the other end, though, you can bet the Patriots will be paying special attention to Titans tight end Delanie Walker. It will be interesting to see how much playing time newly acquired Leonard Hankerson receives, usually players of his caliber aren’t available at this point in the season, look for him to have a big impact down the road. He can give the Patriots defense fits if he’s on his game and gets time to throw the ball.
AT STAKE: The Patriots clinched their record-tying seventh straight AFC East title on Monday night when Miami lost to the New York Giants.
The Patriots aren’t thinking about the future, however. As a result, they’ve been burned by Derek Carr, Blake Bortles and Ryan Fitzpatrick for an average of 305 yards per game and an 11:0 TD-to-INT ratio.
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The margin of victory today will depend on Belichick’s approach to the game and provide an indicator of what is to come for the rest of the season. A home date with Houston in Week 16 is more appetizing but this group has not played well in recent weeks. Who will play the running back position? The Tennessee Titans are looking to earn the No. 1 pick in the 2016 National Football League draft.
