Patriots vs. Titans
New England Patriots
Quarterback
- Jarrett Stidham: 14/19, 193 yards, 1 TD, 3 carries, 18 yards
- Brian Hoyer: 6/8, 55 yards, 1 INT, 1 carry, 2 yards
Brian Hoyer got the start with Tom Brady on the sidelines after a heavy week of practice. Hoyer missed on his first pass of the game with an overthrown ball. On his second pass, he had a clean pocket and time to go through his reads, but ended up throwing an interception. On the pick, former Patriot corner Logan Ryan made an excellent play to undercut the throw and get the turnover. Outside of one pass to Jakobi Meyers for a nice gain, all of Hoyer’s throws were for minimal gains against a stout Titans defense. He did hit Meyers for a second nice completion in the back of the endzone for a two-point conversion.
Jarrett Stidham had an up and down day. He started off the game with a few missed passes and had three potential interceptions fall through Titans defenders hands. Two of those potential turnovers could have easily turned into pick-six plays. After starting off slow, Stidham heated up later on leading the Patriots on a scoring drive with four minutes left in the fourth quarter. He hit Damoun Patterson with a gorgeous back-shoulder throw for the score.
Running Back
- Damien Harris: 14 carries 79 yards, 4 receptions 23 yards
- Nick Brossette: 9 carries, 19 yards, 1 TD, 1 reception, 18 yards
- Brandon Bolden: 4 carries, 2 yards, 1 TD, 1 reception, 2 yards
Damien Harris was impressive running the ball against a tough Tennessee defense. He broke free for a 29 yard gain in the first half showing off the ability to identify the pass rush and run the ball to the opposite side of the field for a nice gain. In the third quarter, he powered through several attempted tackles for another impressive run. He also showed off his hands with a few nice catches and the ability to make defenders miss in the open field after making the reception.
Wide Receiver/Tight End
- Jakobi Meyers: 6 receptions, 82 yards
- Lance Kendricks: 1 reception, 28 yards
- Damoun Patterson: 1 reception, 23 yards, 1 TD
Jakobi Myers was by far the most impressive receiver in the game. He showed off his speed, footwork, and route running to consistently get open. On a slant ran from the slot, he put a move on his defender that left him on the ground and Meyers was wide open for a catch. Meyers showed off an excellent release and ability to go up and snag a ball with his hands. It looks like the Patriots have another talented receiver on their hands.
Tennessee Titans
Quarterback
- Ryan Tannehill: 7/11, 84 yards, 1 TD
- Marcus Mariota: 6/6, 63 yards, 1 TD, 1 two-point conversion
Marcus Mariota had to contend with some poor pass blocking throughout his time in the game. He was sacked on the second play of the day when his right guard got completely run over. Defenders were consistently in the backfield and he routinely had to make someone miss to get a pass off. Things started to click for Mariota after hitting Delanie Walker for a nice gain on the Titans third drive for a first down. He followed that up with a perfect strike to Corey Davis for a 20 yard gain. Mariota finished off the Titans third drive with a perfectly placed ball thrown to the post for Walker to score a touchdown. The Titans went for two to cap off their scoring drive and Mariota shook one tackle and powered through another for the two-point conversion.
Ryan Tannehill entered the game on the Titans fourth drive. On his first pass of the day, he stepped up into the pocket to avoid the pass rush and throw a great pass to Anthony Frikser. He capped off his first drive by hitting Jeremy McNichols on the left side for a touchdown. Tannehill looked comfortable moving within the pocket and navigating pressure to make throws. He provides the Titans with the best backup they have had since drafting Mariota.
Running Back
- Alex Barnes: 7 carries, 42 yards
- Dion Lewis: 4 carries, 16 yards, 1 reception, 9 yards
- Jeremy McNichols: 6 carries, 13 yards, 3 receptions, 24 yards, 1 TD
Dion Lewis looked good when the ball was in his hands. He consistently made the first tackler miss and showed off his patience waiting for blocks and flashing speed when hitting holes. Lewis also showed off his catching ability by snagging a pass from Mariota with one hand.
Jeremy McNichols was the most impressive overall running back of the night for the Titans. He looked good catching the ball out of the backfield and displayed his propensity to pick up blitzes several times. McNichols had one big run called back because of a holding penalty which would have otherwise helped his night on the ground. He did prove to be a good pass-catcher out of the backfield and made a leaping dive into the endzone for a touchdown on a reception from Tannehill.
Alex Barnes looked good running the ball after a poor Week 1 performance. He ran through tackles and consistently showed off good vision.
Wide Receiver/Tight End
- Cole Wick: 3 receptions, 42 yards
- Anthony Frikser: 2 receptions, 32 yards
- Delanie Walker: 2 receptions, 26 yards, 1 touchdown
Delanie Walker announced his return to the league with his first catches since Week 1 of 2018. He looked smooth running routes and displayed good hands while grabbing two passes from Mariota–scoring the Titans first touchdown of the night. On his first catch of the evening, he capitalized on a free release off play-action and made a nice catch. He finished off the same drive by making a great catch on a throw to the post for a touchdown.
Frikser and tight end Cole Wick both looked good catching passes and running routes. Frikser made a great catch from Tannehill on the Titans first drive of the second half showing off solid hands. Wick looks to be another pass-catching tight end that the Titans can use in two tight end sets. He ran smooth routes and showed the ability to fight through contact to make a catch.
— Ben Davidowitz
Haven’t played fantasy football in awhile just wondering…besides actual talent which positions should be drafted in the early rounds? Not sure I trust ANY bears fans to give advice but I’ll go with my gut for now.
Haha, thanks for reading Aaron. In the first 4 rounds I will only draft RB and WR and I base my choices on whoever is the best player available at the moment (even if the means I get 3 rb and only 1 wr or vice versa). Travis Kelce will likely go in the 2nd round and I personally would take him at the start of the third. Typically, I’ll draft a TE in the 7th or 8th round. I’ll then go for my QB somewhere in rounds 8-10. Hope this helps!