New England Patriots Prediction: Tennesse Titans Won't Upset Brady, Belichick In 2020 Playoff Game

There appears to be a growing sentiment that Wild-Card Weekend 2020 will mark the end of the New England Patriots’ dynasty.

The defending Super Bowl champs are coming off an embarrassing Week 17 loss to the Miami Dolphins at Gillette Stadium that cost them a first-round bye. On Saturday night, they will host the Tennessee Titans, who have gone 7-3 since making Ryan Tannehill their starting quarterback.

Bet against the Patriots at your own risk. The greatest quarterback-head coach duo in NFL history should take care of business in a home playoff game.

New England is favored by five points over Tennessee in the first-round matchup, according to OddsShark. The betting line might be a touchdown if this game were played prior to the Patriots’ most recent defeat.

There’s been an overreaction to Miami’s win in Foxborough. Sure, it doesn’t bode well for the Patriots’ chances of winning another championship. But it doesn’t mean New England is no longer one of the best teams in the AFC.

It was only two weeks ago that the Patriots defeated the Buffalo Bills at home. Buffalo had a better regular season than Tennessee, going 10-6 and earning the AFC’s No.5 seed.

Miami scored 27 points against New England. Cornerback Stephon Gilmore allowed Devante Parker to catch seven passes for 119 yards when he was the nearest defender.

Gilmore is the favorite to win Defensive Player of the Year. You can be sure he will be much better in Saturday’s first-round game.

The Patriots had the NFL’s best defense in the regular season. New England ranked first in total yards allowed, points allowed and opponents’ yards per play. Even if they took a step back in the second half of the year, the Patriots still have one of the league’s elite units.

Maybe the Titans will be able to move the ball in Foxborough. Tannehill led all quarterbacks with a 117.5 passer rating, putting up some of the best stats the NFL has ever seen. Tennessee scored over 30 points per game with him under center.

Is Ryan Tannehill really going to win the battle against Bill Belichick and the No.1 defense on the road in the postseason?

Belichick and the Patriots have made eight straight AFC Championship Games. Tannehill is in his eighth NFL season and will finally make his first playoff start.

Derrick Henry won the rushing title with 1,540 yards. He was the only running back to have more than 1,000 yards on the ground with more than 5.0 yards per carry.

Tennessee went 1-6 when Henry rushed for fewer than 90 yards. The Titans were 2-4 when he averaged 4.1 yards per carry or fewer.

Look for New England to slow Henry down the same way they contained Ezekiel Elliott when the Dallas Cowboys visited Gillette Stadium. The two-time rushing champion was limited to 86 yards on the ground in a 13-9 loss on Nov. 24. Dallas had the NFL’s No.1 ranked offense.

Tom Brady might not be what he used to be, but he can still make big throws when New England needs him to do so. He completed 78.8% of his passes for 271 yards and a 111.0 passer rating when the Patriots beat the Bills and the No.2 scoring defense 24-17 in Week 16.

In spite of its struggles on offense, New England has scored at least 24 points in three straight games. The Patriots were seventh in points scored over the course of 17 weeks. Before Tennessee beat the Houston Texans and their backups in Week 17, the Titans allowed an average of 26 points over their previous seven games.

Julian Edelman has been battling a knee injury. He told "The Greg Hill Show" on WEEI Thursday that he feels better than he has in the last few weeks.

The wide receiver was targeted more than seven times in 11 of the first 13 games. Edelman didn’t have more than seven targets in any of the team’s last three games.

New England has won nine straight home playoff games. The Patriots have picked up at least one home playoff win in eight straight years.

There were plenty of doubters last year when New England hosted the Los Angeles Chargers in their first game of the 2019 postseason. The Patriots were up by four touchdowns at halftime in a contest that was never close.

Saturday’s game with the Titans could play out in a similar fashion.

Prediction: New England over Tennessee, 30-17