Davon Godchaux succinctly sums up Pats' performance against the run

Share

If there's one blemish from the New England Patriots' 36-13 win over the Tennessee Titans, it's the performance of the rushing defense.

Tennessee, without the services of All-Pro runner Derrick Henry, racked up 270 yards on the ground on 39 carries -- 6.9 yards per rush.

Even factoring out Dontrell Hilliard's 68-yard touchdown run -- the third-longest by a visiting player at Gillette Stadium -- the Titans still averaged a healthy 5.2 yards per carry.

Patriots-Titans takeaways: Turnovers propel Pats to AFC East lead, No. 2 seed

Patriots defensive tackle Davon Godchaux didn't seem the least bit concerned about Tennessee's day on the ground, however.

It didn't help matters for the Titans that kicker Randy Bullock left four points on the board in the first half with a pair of missed kicks off the upright, first on a PAT which would have tied the game at 7-7 and next on a 44-yard field goal which would have brought Tennessee within a point at 10-9.

For his part, Godchaux had a forced fumble and seven tackles in the win for the Patriots.

The 13 points New England allowed Sunday, a respectable total by any measure, actually matched the amount of points the Patriots had given up over their last three games -- six against the Carolina Panthers, seven against the Cleveland Browns and zero against the Atlanta Falcons.

Entering Sunday's slate of games, New England had given up just 190 points on the season, third-fewest in the NFL after the Buffalo Bills and Denver Broncos.

Contact Us