Last Sunday, the New England Patriots (4-2) took on the Tennessee Titans (1-5) down in Nashville, with the return of Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel to Nissan Stadium. Vrabel spent parts of six seasons with the Titans after being let go early in the 2024 offseason. New England made a huge statement with a 31-13 victory over Tennessee to earn their fifth win of the season and fourth in a row. Patriots quarterback Drake Maye went 21 of 23 for 222 passing yards, 2 TDs, 0 INTs, and 8 rushes for 62 yards. Maye surpassed Patriots legend Tom Brady’s completion record of 88.5%; 91.3% is now the new franchise record. Each week, Maye keeps impressing and improving.
So far this season, Maye has a 75.2% completion percentage, and much of the credit goes to him and the coaching staff. Patriots running back Rhamondre Stevenson had 18 carries for 88 yards and 1 TD. After early fumble issues this season, it was great to see a productive game from Stevenson.
Can the Patriots win their fifth consecutive game on Sunday in Week 8 against the Cleveland Browns? The Patriots return home after a three-game road trip against a tough Browns defense that features one of the best defensive ends in the game, Myles Garrett. New England will have its hands full with the offensive line trying to block Garrett from getting to its franchise quarterback, Maye. The main thing for the Patriots’ offense and line is to protect Maye and give him enough time to throw in the pocket to his receivers. The Patriots shouldn’t let this be a letdown game after returning home—they need to give the fans a great performance.
Patriots wide receivers Stefon Diggs and Kayshon Boutte have been strong in the passing game so far this season. Diggs has 39 receptions for 456 yards and still hasn’t scored his first touchdown as a Patriot. As for Boutte, he has 20 receptions for 356 yards and 4 touchdowns. The Maye-to-Boutte connection has been impressive, dating back to last season under the Jerod Mayo regime. Heading into this season, many people thought the receiver room was somewhat shaky outside of Diggs, but other players have stepped up well. Even free-agent signing Mack Hollins has been targeted by Maye. As long as Maye keeps connecting with his receivers, things will only continue to trend upward.
Looking ahead, the Patriots should be competitive against the Browns and hope to earn win No. 6. The pass and run defenses need to be on the same page and must not allow big runs or pass plays. The run defense for New England has not allowed any running backs over 100 yards this season—let that streak continue beyond this week. This game has the potential to be close, but the Patriots have been rolling, and I can see that continuing this week.
My name is Kenneth Matias and I am an aspiring sports journalist that has great sports knowledge and follow the New England Patriots and the NFL landscape very closely.
