The Patriots are back on the road this weekend, trying to carry over the momentum from a thrilling win over the Jets into Tennessee against the one-win Titans.

Not all of the Patriots problems were solved against the Jets, but they continue to make strides despite seeing Drake Maye depart with a concussion that could also cost him this weekend's game. Protection from the offensive line, the ground game and stopping the opponent's ground game were all areas with issues in recent weeks, but the Pats did enough in all three areas to get a much-needed win.

Now, against a similarly desperate Titans team, the Patriots will hope to continue to make strides of improvement in their weakest areas while building off of a budding passing attack that came through in the clutch last Sunday.

Here are the players and position groups to watch as the Pats look to get a win streak going.

Jacoby Brissett... or Drake Maye: With Drake Maye landing in concussion protocol his status remains somewhat in doubt, but Maye returned to practice and appears to be trending in the right direction. Jacoby Brissett filled in admirably last week, leading the Patriots to a last-second win over the Jets and met with the media this week as he prepared to start if Maye is unable to go. Either way, the formula should be the same against the Titans, with avoiding turnovers a huge key against the offensively challenged opponent. Maye's downfield throws and escapability make him a complex threat for Tennessee to process, as the Titans defense will look to spin the dial on the rookie and confuse him with post-snap adjustments. Alex Van Pelt praised the rookie's development this week in recognizing what defenses are doing and avoiding negative plays. That's something the veteran Brissett would bring as well. Getting a winning performance from the quarterback this week will be more about avoiding mistakes than pushing the pace.

Rhamondre Stevenson: 20 carries for 48 yards against the Jets with a 2.4 yards-per-attempt average isn't much to trumpet from the cold, hard stat sheet, but Stevenson had effective running in key spots against the Jets, including two of the team's three touchdowns in the contest. While the offensive line has shown progress in the passing game, there aren't a lot of gaping holes being opened in the running game. Stevenson is still capable of making something out of nothing, but at some point getting back to a dangerous rushing attack is key to round out the attack. Stevenson will keep charging hard until they find a way to make it happen.

The Offensive Line: The offensive line continued to play better against the Jets, allowing a 30.6% pressure rate. That's a marked improvement from the 50% rate Brissett was battling through during his initial starts and it's a credit to the players and coaches who are starting to put it all together. Continuity is playing a huge part, as the team appears to have settled on Lowe-Jordan-Brown-Onwenu-Jacobs. The more they're able to roll out that group the better things should get. More reps together should also help the run game get into sync, that's the next big hurdle for the group to get over.

But with Vederian Lowe missing practice early in the week, continuity is unassured. "I mean, look, at some point in time, you always hope to have a group that's the same as the prior week," said head coach Jerod Mayo on Wednesday. "We'll see what happens. We're looking for some continuity there.

Anfernee Jennings: With Josh Uche landing in Kansas City, additional focus is now on Jennings, who entered the league in 2020 with Uche and has been able to round his game out a bit more than his now-traded teammate did. Jennings has been consistently solid this season, on pace to surpass his numbers from last year when he had 40 tackles. He's already grabbed three QB hits after only have four last season, as his impact on the passing game is rising a tick. Still, the Patriots could use even more from Jennings, especially on passing downs. He resigned on a three-year deal this offseason and is in the team's long-term plans, but can he truly emerge as an every-down do-it-all edge player? He'll get all the playing time he can handle over the last two months of the season.

Marte Mapu: No one on the Patriots is stacking more experience than Mapu, as he's played nearly every defensive snap over the last four games and about half of the total special teams snaps. On defense, he's been a lead communicator while also playing a variety of roles from his safety/linebacker hybrid position. With so many issues hitting the Patriots safety group, Mapu has been an emerging stalwart over the last month, providing critical fill-in support for two of the team's most valued veterans. It's been a surprising and welcome relief to see the 2023 third-rounder doing so much and looking more and more comfortable with each play. Now the only question is just how good and impactful can Mapu be?

Mason Rudolph: Rudolph has started the last two games in replacement of Will Levis and has lost both games by a combined score of 86-24. Rudolph has two touchdowns to three interceptions as well over the losses to Buffalo and Detroit while completing 58.9% of his passes this season, as he's a limited veteran backup quarterback who will need the game to unfold perfectly to get the win. The Patriots would love to force Rudolph into continued mistakes, but they haven't gotten a takeaway in two weeks.

Calvin Ridley: Despite the Titans stunted offensive performance against the Lions, Ridley still went off for his best game of the season with 10 catches for 143 yards. Yes, Tennessee ranks 29^th in passing offense DVOA and 30^th in offensive EPA, but Ridley remains a dangerous weapon that the Patriots must account for. Big plays have haunted the Patriots too often this season, including five 20-yard-plus passing plays against the Jets. Perhaps the biggest key to the game is making sure they don't let Ridley get loose down the field. He has 22 catches for 326 yards this season with one touchdown, well off his pace of 2023 when he logged over 1000 yards on 76 catches.

"There's no question, as you go through the film, #0, [Calvin] Ridley, there's no question why he was one of the top free agents, and everyone wanted an opportunity to have him on their roster," said Mayo." This is a guy who is heavily targeted. At the same time, he's open a lot on film, and sometimes doesn't get the ball, but he is open a lot on film, and that's going to be a challenge. We talk about marrying up the rush and the coverage, and that's what we're going to continue to preach."

Tony Pollard: The dynamic veteran running back has been a bright spot for the Titans offense this season, his first in Tennessee after spending his first five years in Dallas. Pollard broke 1,000 rushing yards in each of his last two seasons as a Cowboy and is on pace to do so again with 494 rushing yards through seven games in 2024. His production in the passing game isn't far off his usual pace either, as he's gathered 21 receptions for 109 yards. Pollard will get plenty of touches and will test the Patriots run defense which continues to toil at 29^th in DVOA.

Jeffery Simmons: Simmons is a big problem up front that the Patriots offensive line will have to deal with. The emotional leader of the defensive front, he's a big reason why the Titans defense remains ninth in overall DVOA, 11^th in EPA, and fifth on third down. Simmons is the key, he has two sacks and is just two years removed from back-to-back Pro Bowl and second-team All-Pro appearances. He'll test the core of the Patriots offensive line. "It just starts with the front. They have a lot of good players up front, and it starts with [Jeffrey] Simmons, said Mayo. "He's one of those guys that's a huge disruptor."

Titans Special Teams: The Titans don't surrender a lot of yards, they're first in the league in fewest yards allowed, but they're also 29^th in points and it's partly a reflection of their 32^nd-ranked special teams units that gave up two punt return touchdowns against the Lions. A week after getting a big punt return from Marcus Jones, the Patriots should look to exert their advantage on special teams. Turnovers could play a key role as well, with the Titans having the second-most giveaways (16) and the fewest takeaways (3).

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