Patriots rout the Titans 31-13 in coach Mike Vrabel’s return to Tennessee

NASHVILLE Tenn AP Mike Vrabel greeted his New England Patriots with a celebratory hug just as he did with the Tennessee Titans not far away in Nissan Stadium and not too long ago That s why his Patriots knew just how much winning Sunday meant to Vrabel even if the coach tried to keep the attention on his current association Drake Maye threw for yards and two touchdowns and the Patriots beat the Tennessee Titans - Sunday in Vrabel s first match against the franchise that fired him in January He downplayed it all week which we appreciate Maye explained I think he s focused on us and worried about us and that s what matters But I know that it feels good for him Fans chanted Vrabel Vrabel as the clock ticked down One Titans fan held up a sign apologizing to Vrabel I didn t get that plenty of tickets I don t know Vrabel stated of the chants I m happy for our players I think these guys they re figuring out how to win they re figuring out how to practice I guess it s humbling to have these people whoever that is cheer for us whether that s the Patriots or Drake Maye or me or anybody else The Patriots - won their fourth straight overall and third consecutive on the road That keeps them atop the AFC East and spoiled Mike McCoy s debut as Tennessee s interim head coach The Patriots last won this countless consecutive games during a seven-game streak in the season An emotional match emotional stretch for us Vrabel mentioned Something that this company and organization hasn t done and it s done a lot Maye completed of passes for a passer rating He now is the third athlete under the age of with at least yards passing and a passer rating of or higher in six straight games in NFL history joining Patrick Mahomes seven consecutive in and Pro Football Hall of Famer Dan Marino six in Linebacker K Lavon Chaisson had two of the Patriots five sacks and returned a fumble yards for a touchdown Harold Landry III had the final sack against the association that circulated him in March and Marcus Jones had an interception in the final minutes The Titans - turned in their best start to a championship this season with Cam Ward looking like the No pick overall They scored their fourth TD this season and were up - after the first quarter That was more points than they had through six games combined as they were outscored - That also marked Tennessee s biggest lead since Week of last season when the Titans led the Colts by seven We re going to stick together here McCoy commented We re going to fight our tails off and find a way to go win the next one That s the preponderance pivotal thing Ward also completed of his first passes for yards for more yards by halftime than he managed in two games this season He finished with yards Maye gave the Patriots a - lead at halftime tossing a -yarder to Kayshon Boutte for his second TD with seconds left He located Austin Hooper for a -yard TD earlier in the second quarter New England blew open the competition in the third Maye missed three plays on the opening drive of the third He went to the sideline after his head bounced off the turf at the end of a -yard run and he shook his head once he sat up The Patriots quarterback to help finish the -yard drive with a -yard TD run by Rhamondre Stevenson Just seconds later Chaisson picked up a ball fumbled by Ward on a sack at the Titans and took it into the end zone for a - lead Sweet payback Vrabel and Landry aren t the only Patriots with ties to the Titans and Chaisson declared their teammates longed to make sure this was a championship to enjoy playing in Tennessee Definitely with selected extra juice on the defensive end to make sure that our guys anybody that came from this unit or just was a part of this organization in anyway man they got their revenge and they came out on top Chaisson stated Injuries Titans three-time Pro Bowl defensive tackle Jeffery Simmons hurt a hamstring early and did not return CB L Jarius Sneed hurt a quad in the third quarter and did not return Up next Patriots start a two-game homestand hosting Cleveland on Oct The Titans visit Indianapolis on Oct AP NFL https apnews com hub nfl