Week 11 of the NFL season brought out solid defensive performances and a thrilling game in primetime.
The Tennessee Titans will come to Gillette Stadium on Sunday to play the hottest team in the NFL: The New England Patriots.
The Patriots have the league's longest active win streak at five games, a run that's seen them climb from 2-4 to first place in the AFC East at 7-4.
New England also leads the league with a plus-123 point differential, including a defense that ranks No. 1 in points allowed per game.
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For these reasons and others, Titans head coach Mike Vrabel called his team's upcoming Week 12 matchup with the Patriots a "huge challenge."
"They have created 13 turnovers in five games, and obviously they have won five games in a row. The No. 1 scoring defense in the league, offense has been very efficient, No. 6 scoring offense," Vrabel said at a press conference Monday.
New England Patriots
"They are not turning it over, they are not doing things to beat themselves. Obviously they have done a great job of taking advantage of bad football. (They're) well-coached, they are running the football, they are playing physical. It will be a huge challenge."The Titans offense has taken a step back since star running back Derrick Henry suffered an ankle injury in Week 8 that forced him to exit the lineup and miss over a month of action. He will not be available for Sunday's game in New England.
Tennessee scored only 13 points and committed five turnovers Sunday versus a Houston Texans team that entered the game with a 1-8 record. The Texans won 22-13.
Sunday's showdown is an important game for both the Patriots and Titans in the AFC playoff picture.
A win for the Titans would give them a two-game lead over the Patriots and the head-to-head tiebreaker. A victory for the Patriots would move them ahead of the Titans in the AFC standings via the head-to-head tiebreaker.
Patriots-Titans is the marquee game Sunday, and it should be an exciting one given the stakes.
