Through the Lens: Patriots Week

The Titans hosted the New England Patriots for a pair of joint practices at Saint Thomas Sports Park, and then a preseason game at Nissan Stadium

By Tennessee Titans

August 20^th, 2019

Coaches reunited

The week reunited Titans coach Mike Vrabel with his former coach, Patriots coach Bill Belichick. Vrabel played from 2001-08 with the Patriots, and the two men won three Super Bowl rings together.

Offensive battle

quarterbacks

head to head

The practices featured plenty of intense competition, and even a skirmish. But the scene afterward was much different, as former college and NFL teammates chatted with one another, and huddled for pictures. At one point, a group of Patriots sang Vrabel a hearty rendition of “Happy Birthday.” Vrabel and Patriots quarterback Tom Brady had a little fun with each other as well. A day after Vrabel gave Brady a hard time for walking – not running – out to practice, Brady showed up with a small trophy, and handed it to Vrabel, his former teammate. On the trophy? The score of last year’s regular season game between the two teams: Titans 34, Patriots 10. Brady and the Patriots, of course, got the big trophy at the end of the 2018 season.

Gameday

After a busy week, the Titans showed up at Nissan Stadium, ready to make their home debut. The Titans took the field decked out in the same uniform combination the team wore in last year’s November contest. A crowd of 63,362 fans showed up on Saturday night to watch.

Delanie Walker

No one was more excited to be back on the field than Titans tight end Delanie Walker, who sat out the entire 2018 season after suffering a broken ankle in Week One. Walker made the sign of the cross and pointed to the sky as he ran on the field with his teammates. Later, he was celebrating with them after scoring on an 11-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Marcus Mariota.

Offense

Mariota played just three series, but he did enough to get the crowd Nissan Stadium excited. Mariota’s 11-yard touchdown pass to Walker gave the Titans an early lead, but it’s what happened next that left everyone talking. On the ensuing two-point conversion, Mariota went airborne – and upside down – as he somersaulted into the end zone for a two-point conversion. Not to be outdone, running back Jeremy McNichols did a somersault himself after catching a 15-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Ryan Tannehill.

Defense

The Titans defense came to play early. While the first team defense didn’t play long, it made plays from the get-go. Cornerback Logan Ryan had an interception, and safety Kenny Vaccaro had a sack (although it was nullified because of a penalty).

Titans Cheerleaders

The Titans cheerleaders showed up with a completely different look. Saturday night marked the game debut of some fancy new uniforms – and a few new dance moves.

THAT’S a WRAP

Brady and Mariota wished each other well in a post-game chat at midfield after the game, won by the Patriots, 22-17. The Titans and Patriots aren’t scheduled to face one another in the regular season in 2019, but could they meet again in the playoffs in January? Now that would be even more fun.