There's been a saying among some people in the NFL that there's no better report card on your team than the way Bill Belichick plays your team.
He's the ultimate mirror. He'll target your weaknesses. He'll make sure your strengths don't beat him.
When it comes to the Patriots, you can add Mike Vrabel (and defensive coordinator Dean Pees) to the list next to Belichick. The Titans put on a defensive clinic against the Patriots and Tennessee's approach basically said: you've got nothing on offense, good luck driving the field against us multiple times.
I've never seen anything like this. In a season in which most teams ramped up the pressure against Tom Brady by throwing more blitzes at him, Vrabel and Pees took the opposite approach.
The Titans only blitzed once. They only put pressure on him 17.9 percent of dropbacks.
Normally, in years past, that would have spelled doom for opposing defenses. Brady would have carved them up. But Vrabel and Pees seemed to know that even if Brady had all day to throw, he wasn't going to find anything because his targets aren't good enough, and the Titans could cover well enough.
It was brilliant. Brady completed just 18 of 32 passes (three drops) for 200 yards from a clean pocket. He had a 56.3 completion percentage and a 62.0 rating.
That's without any pressure.
If that doesn't tell you exactly how bad the Patriots' talent was on offense, I can't help you.
And, no, there was no rabbit Josh McDaniels was going to pull out of a hat, especially with the offensive line and fullback Elandon Roberts being hit-or-miss with their run blocking. The only alternative was for the Patriots to go in run-only mode — they did average 4.5 yards per carry on 22 attempts. But even then, the Titans seemed to know that what they lacked in brawn up front, they made up for in speed and quickness against a largely unathletic Patriots offensive line.
The Titans made the Patriots look slow up front, and they also appeared hungrier and played with much more swagger than New England's offense.
That's not a shock. Brady and the rest of them knew they were outgunned for most of the season. With not one dominating player once Julian Edelman got hurt, it was difficult to have much confidence.
The Titans also used that against them and took it to them.
Here are the positional ratings against the Titans:
OFFENSE
[table id=410 /]
Quarterback (4 out of 5)
I had no issue with Tom Brady in this game. There wasn't one decision that I quibbled with. I didn't have any issues with his accuracy. ... In the end, I had him for five plus-plays and zero minus-plays. ... Brady had nothing to throw to but bought time and made a play to Ben Watson (great catch) on the first third down. ... Even his incomplete pass to Phillip Dorsett on the deep shot — the other safety did not stay with Edelman to the Patriots' surprise — was a great throw that a better receiver (like a Josh Gordon) would make a play on.
Running backs (2.5 out of 5)
James White was his usual terrific self. When the Patriots needed a play, especially once Edelman was injured, White was great on screens, and broke more tackles than usual. .... Not sure what happened to Rex Burkhead in this game but he completely disappeared when they needed him the most. Patriots could have used his speed and moves against what turned out to be a very fast Titans defense. ... Elandon Roberts seemed to be feeling himself off a terrific game last week because his technique took a big tumble. He missed a lot of blocks in this game. ... Sony Michel ran tentative and there were times a better back would have made plays to find more than a yard.
Receivers (1 out of 5)
Three drops is just brutal. With no talent, this group had to be perfect with every route and catch and they were not. ... N'Keal Harry made a nice block on a screen, had one good catch and run, and other than that he was not good. On the first pass, he didn't come back for the ball. On the play before halftime, Harry stopped running after getting separation from the cornerback and didn't come close to catching a competitive ball from Brady. I'm not sure he made one play this season that made you go wow after the preseason. ... Edelman's injury was to blame on Brady's pass appearing wide of the receiver, who didn't get cleanly out of his break. And besides his drop, which was a killer, Edelman was terrific in this game. What a gamer. ... Matt LaCosse really improved his blocking as the season went along, but he needs to get a lot stronger in the offseason to compete for a starting spot. ... Mohamed Sanu went out with a whimper. What a total miss for this season (could be better with an offseason). ... Phillip Dorsett is a completely different receiver, and not worthy of a roster spot. There have to be better players who would require more defensive attention. He can't get open against good coverage guys.
Offensive line (3.5 out of 5)
On the whole, this unit played well but there were a lot of breakdowns in the biggest spots that put a damper on this. Ted Karras, Shaq Mason and Roberts all had failures on the 1-yard line series. ... The Patriots could not sneak in short-yardage, Vrabel made sure to have the A gaps well stocked. Also, I think Karras had an effect here. He's not quick-twitch and agile — unlike David Andrews — and is more of a brawler. So he has a hard time being the lower, quicker guy in short-yardage and that's almost a non-starter. ... Marcus Cannon had a lot of trouble with pressure. ... Isaiah Wynn closed strong. ... In order of effectiveness: Thuney, Karras, Wynn, Mason, Cannon.
THREE UP
James White: I wish I was as efficient in any area of my life as White is with the ball in his hands. You won't find many more consistently good players at any position in the NFL.
Joe Thuney: Allowed one run stuff, but other than that he was perfect and terrific in the screen game. Going to leave a huge hole in free agency. A superb season.
Tom Brady: I thought he was really good in this game. Didn't disagree with any decisions against a good defense that was trying to fool him.
THREE DOWN
Elandon Roberts: Did not have a good game blocking or on defense.
Shaq Mason: This is a bit unfair, but he had untimely issues and his 43-yard penalty was huge.
N'Keal Harry: Had some good plays, but he has to be more physical and precise on his routes going forward.