Seven Storylines To Follow As Mike Vrabel’s Patriots Visit Titans

The New England Patriots should have no problem dismantling the Tennessee Titans on Sunday.

Tennessee has been free falling for three seasons, and just canned their second coach during what has been one of the more disappointing stretches in franchise history. New England’s arrow is pointing up, with help from the man whose firing kickstarted that sharp downturn for its upcoming opponent.

I’ll talk about plenty of storylines that are expected to unfold on the field, but this isn’t your typical lopsided matchup — it’s all about Mike Vrabel making his return to Nissan Stadium:

1. VRABEL’S VOYAGE

Vrabel will be making his return to “The Music City” on Sunday, the place that he called home for six seasons and became one of the most successful coaches in franchise history — winning 2021 AP Coach of the Year and leading his squad to the 2019 AFC Championship Game.

I doubt that this is the first you’re hearing of it, but in case you’ve been unconscious for the last week, there you go.

Vrabel’s tenure with the organization carried far more highs than lows, but ended on a particularly sour note after ownership cleaned house following back-to-back losing seasons.

The Titans probably assumed things would get better, but they’ve only gotten worse as the franchise has undergone two complete regime changes over the course of three seasons and appear well on their way to a fourth consecutive losing campaign. Vrabel, on the other hand, has his new franchise on the way up and will almost certainly be looking to rub that fact in his former team’s face this weekend.

2. BUMP (IN THE ROAD)

The Titans made another coaching change earlier this week, firing Brian Callahan after a 4-19 record to begin his tenure with the franchise — which also led to the club losing his father and legendary offensive line coach Bill Callahan.

I doubt that this is the first you’re hearing of it, but in case… you know what, I won’t make that joke again.

Mike McCoy will take over as the interim coach, which has led many to believe the club could receive something of a bump playing under the direction of an offensive-minded head coach with experience in the role. Callahan’s departure — the older, better one — will cause more problems than it fixes, though, which could lead to an ugly day for that already sputtering offense.

3. RAZZING THE ROOKIE

Cam Ward has been fine, which isn’t exactly what the club was looking for when they selected him with the No. 1 overall pick in the 2025 NFL Draft.

Ward, in all fairness, has been set up for failure — and will now have another new voice in his ear while he continues trying to navigate life without his top playmaker and behind an offensive line that just lost their coach.

The Patriots should, by all accounts, be able to take advantage of that firestorm.

4. GET THE GROUND GAME GOING

Rhamondre Stevenson and TreVeyon Henderson need to get it going eventually, right?

The Titans have allowed the sixth-most rushing yards (802) of any defense this season, as well as the most rushing touchdowns (11). Tennessee has also allowed more explosive runs than any other defense in football.

The Patriots will undoubtedly force things early in the game in an effort to get that duo going, and if that process doesn’t heed any results, perhaps some personnel changes need to take place.

5. TRICKY BUSINESS

Vrabel is going to want to run this thing up, which might mean digging into his bag of tricks.

Josh McDaniels is the perfect play-caller to do exactly that, having authored some of the most memorable moments in franchise history when forced to get creative — Julian Edelman’s touchdown pass to Danny Amendola in 2014, Jakobi Meyers’ touchdown pass to Cam Newton in 2020 and the Tom Brady, Randy Moss, Jabar Gaffney triple-pass from 2007, anyone?

Drake Maye receiving touchdown, perhaps?

6. HISTORY?

Maye has been absolutely fabulous this season, and could become just the second quarterback at age 24 or younger to throw for at least 200 yards and finish with a passer rating over 100 for six consecutive weeks this weekend at Nissan Stadium.

Patrick Mahomes is the other, which is pretty good company.

The Patriots are more than happy with what he’s done to this point, but they’ll take a few more rockstar performances to help guide them through what could be a transformative stretch with regard to their hopes of winning the AFC East.

7. KEAGAN’S BETTING CORNER

I am so, so sorry.

4-2 doesn’t sound as good as 5-1, but it’s still a respectable record!

I’ve decided to take a risk in my second try at that fifth win, rolling the dice and (sort of) banking on my prediction that we’ll see some trickery. Drake Maye is going to find his way into the end zone, whether it is as a result of trickery or just an individual effort.

The Pick: Drake Maye TD (+290 at DraftKings Sportsbook)

What will you be watching for? Let us know in the comments, or send a note @KeaganStiefel on X!