The New England Patriots were one or two plays away from winning another Super Bowl last season. The team comes into the season as one of the favorites to win it this year. <\/p>\n
New England Patriots vs. Tennessee Titans<\/strong> Matchup<\/a>\u00a0|\u00a0Preview<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n Tennessee finished with 9-7 record last year, but they didn\u2019t make the playoffs.<\/p>\n The Titans are 45-27 at LP Field since the stadium was built in 1999.<\/p>\n Let\u2019s take a look at this season opener.<\/p>\n New England<\/strong><\/p>\n Patriots fans still have a hard time talking about Wes Welker\u2019s missed catch or Mario Manningham\u2019s catch on a deep ball from Eli Manning. Those are the two plays that really made the Giants the winners of last year\u2019s Super Bowl. Bill Belichick\u2019s team is loaded with talent again this year, and they should be tough to beat again.<\/p>\n As long as Tom Brady is under center, this team is set with one of the best quarterbacks in the league.<\/p>\n Brady has proven over and over again that he is at his best in the clutch, and he really doesn\u2019t have any true weaknesses as a quarterback. The Patriots will use several running backs this year, and you have to wonder if they won\u2019t try to establish the run a little more often this year.<\/p>\n Steven Ridley, Joseph Addai, and Shane Vereen will be the main ball carriers.<\/p>\n Brandon Lloyd, Jabar Gaffney, and Donte\u2019 Stallworth were all added to this already tremendous group of wideouts. This passing game has tons of weapons. Rob Gronkowski should be healthy again, and he is a game-changer.<\/p>\n New England\u2019s pass defense ranked 27th in the NFL last year. The secondary didn\u2019t get any better in the offseason, and that has to be considered a major concern.<\/p>\n Tennessee<\/strong><\/p>\n Matt Hasselbeck started all 16 games last year for the Titans, but the keys have been handed over to Jake Locker this year.\u00a0[soliloquy id=”82219″]<\/p>\n Locker didn\u2019t play a ton last year, but he did throw four touchdowns compared to zero interceptions in his time under center. Chris Johnson rushed for a career-low 1,047 yards in the 2011-2012 season.<\/p>\n Johnson didn\u2019t hold out this offseason, and he is reported to be much more prepared for the year ahead. Tennessee absolutely needs Johnson to be the star that he was a couple years ago, because the team doesn\u2019t want too much pressure on Locker in his first year as a starter. Kendall Wright was a draft choice for the team, and they expect big things from him right away.<\/p>\n On the defensive side, the Titans were terrific last year. This defense forced opponents to settle for field goals in the red zone as well as anyone in the NFL. Opponents averaged just 16.3 points per game against this defense. The loss of Courtland Finnegan will hurt this secondary quite a bit.<\/p>\n They\u2019ll need to find a way to continue to be one of the most physical units in the league. Tennessee\u2019s pass rush must be better in the season ahead.<\/p>\n They were 31st in the NFL in sacks with 28.<\/p>\n The Patriots are the better team, but the Titans are no slouch at home.<\/p>\n Chris Johnson should be much better this year, and I think the Titans can keep this close.<\/p>\n
\n LP Field<\/strong>
\n Sunday September 9, 1:00 PM EST on CBS<\/strong>
\n NFL Betting Odds from TopBet<\/strong>
\n Moneyline: New England (-240) Tennessee (+200)<\/strong>
\n NFL Spread: Patriots -6 (-110) vs. Titans +6 (-110)<\/strong>
\n Over\/Under: 47<\/strong><\/p>\n