Pats Preview: Titans @ Pats

As the New England Patriots get ready to host their final regular season home game of the year, here are some things to look for in the Week 15 match up:

Trap Game?- This game has a similar feel to the match up with Philadelphia a couple of weeks ago, in terms of playing an inferior opponent. Usually that's not something for fans in New England to worry about, though things didn't go to well against the Eagles. Of course the team is a bit healthier now and the Eagles are a better team with more veteran play makers than the titans, so the Pats should be able to roll in this one. If New England doesn't try to get cute with crazy special teams plays and just plays a conservative game plan like last week against the Texans, it should be an easy win for New England.

Sick Brady- Patriots quarterback Tom Brady did not practice Friday, due to an apparent illness. It is flu season and cold season, so it is very possible Brady caught something towards the end of the week. He did practice the rest of the week and it is expected that the 16-year vet will be good to go come Sunday. Maybe, if the Pats jump out on top by a sizable margin like expected, Brady will be removed for backup Jimmy Garoppolo, so that he gets extra time to shake the sickness.

Get Healthy- The Pats, realistically, have one tough game left on the schedule and that's next week's road game against the Jets. With that in mind, the team should take this week as another chance to get some banged up guys healthy and as close to 100 percent as possible. With two guys, Jonathan Freeny (hand) and Eric Martin (Concussion), already ruled out and another eight guys listed as questionable or doubtful, don't expected to see the Pats rush too many banged up player onto the field. Look for guys like Julian Edelman (Foot), Dont'a Hightower (Knee) and Devin McCourty (Ankle) to be held out, as all three are recovering from injuries. They shouldn't be needed to beat the Titans and it's best to give them each more time to get to full strength before the playoffs come around. Also, look for offensive lineman Josh Kline and tight end Scott Chandler to either be held out altogether or play very limited roles on Sunday. Kline missed his first game of the season last week with a shoulder injury and Chandler played an extremely limited role as he's been dealing with a knee injury. With Rob Gronkowski back at tight end and the Pats having a near fully healthy offensive line this week, both guys could stand to get another week to bounce back from the injuries.

Limited Game Plan- Even without a handful of defensive players available for this game, the Patriots should be able to limit what Tennessee is able to do offensively on Sunday. Coming into the game at 3-10, the Titans offense doesn't have a wealth of ways to hurt the opposing defense. Their top rusher, Antonio Andrews, has just 474 yards on the ground this year and their second best running option is their quarterback, Marcus Mariota. The former Oregon Duck is the main guy the New England defense must watch out for this week, as his ability to scramble and stretch the field horizontally should be the biggest challenge for the Pats to overcome. While Mariota has posted pretty solid numbers in his first professional season, he doesn't have many legitimate options to look for down the field. With the exception of tight end Delanie Walker, who leads the team with 74 receptions for 871 yards and four scores, the team's receiving corps is very thin. It's even thinner this week as Mariota's second best option, Kendall Wright, has already ruled out with a rib injury. If the Pats can do what they normally do and take away their opponent's top option (Walker), they should be able to limit Tennessee's ability to score and Mariota's effectiveness.

Who's The Back- With LeGarrette Blount officially being placed on the IR early this week, the question is now who will see the bulk of the snaps in the backfield for New England. A couple of times this year, when the team has been in a pinch, fourth year back Brandon Bolden has stepped in and played well, including rushing for 51 yards on 16 carries in the second half last week. While Bolden has proven that he is more than capable of filling the role of running back in the Patriots' pass first offense, the team has shown a concerted effort to find other guys to fill the role, mainly because of Bolden's importance on special teams. Maybe, because the depth has been so tested this season, the core special teamer will see more of a chance to play an impact role on offense this week. Also, it seems logical to expect an expanded role for James White, especially on passing downs, this week. The second year man out of Wisconsin has showed some quality stuff the last couple of weeks and should get more playing time as a result. With only two backs on the active roster, fans can also look for either Joey Iosefa or newly signed Montee Ball to be called up from the practice squad for Sunday. Ball has more experience, spending the past few seasons with the Broncos before being cut at the beginning of September, but has struggled to consistently hold onto the ball an hasn't played all season. Iosefa, on the other hand, is a rookie who's been with the Pats practice squad since October, after being released by Tampa Bay. Either way, the team will probably need to add one of the two as security, in case of another injury.

Prediction- Conventional thinking has this game as an absolute blowout in every way imaginable and I agree fully. The Patriots are just flat out better than the Titans in every aspect of the game. While I felt the same way going into the Philly game, and we all know how that played out, I think the Pats will make quick work of Tennessee and get some young more expendable guys on the field. If I was a betting man, I'd take the Pats and the over in this one. Pats-42, Titans-6