Titans vs. Patriots: TV Schedule, Odds, Ticket Info, Game Time and More

So you think the New England Patriots are going to clobber the Tennessee Titans Saturday night? 

While that may be the case once 60 minutes of football have been played at Gillette Stadium, there's a possibility the margin of victory could be smaller than the oddsmakers think. 

There's no debating how hard it is to face Patriots quarterback Tom Brady at home in the playoffs, but there's a chance we may be underestimating the Titans heading into the divisional round. 

Date: Saturday, January 13

Time: 8:15 p.m. ET 

TV: CBS 

Odds: New England (-13.5); Over/Under: 47.5 (according to OddsShark)

Ticket Info: All available tickets for Saturday's Patriots vs. Titans game be found on StubHub. 

Mariota Could Keep Titans in the Game 

Tennessee Titans quarterback Marcus Mariota poses a unique threat to the Patriots defense—one that could force the home team into an unexpectedly close contest. 

In order to make this divisional-round matchup a blowout, like expected, New England must contain Mariota in the pocket. If he gets loose and starts beating Bill Belichick's team with his legs, it could cause problems. 

Patriots safety Devin McCourty talked about the difficulties a quarterback like Mariota can present, per ESPN.com's Mike Reiss: "It's not like if he stays in the pocket he can't make throws, but when he escapes outside the pocket and he has the ability to run and throw, you honestly really don't have a shot to stop him."

There is a bit of a correlation between Mariota's rushing yards and his team's fortunes on the gridiron. 

In the Week 17 win over the Jacksonville Jaguars and the Wild Card Round victory over the Kansas City Chiefs, the 24-year-old quarterback ran for a combined 106 yards on 18 attempts.

Dilip Vishwanat/Getty Images

During the Titans' three-game losing streak from Week 14 to Week 16, Mariota only ran the ball seven times for 39 yards.

If you look further back through Tennessee's schedule, Mariota recorded over 20 rushing yards in four of the team's nine regular-season victories, with his best ground performance coming in Week 17. 

Mariota played in six of his team's seven defeats in 2017, and he was held under 30 yards on five occasions, with the outlier being a 39-yard performance in the 57-14 drubbing at the hands of the Houston Texans on October 1. 

Wesley Hitt/Getty Images

If the Patriots want to give themselves the best chance to win on Saturday, they will seal the edges and keep Mariota contained and force him to try to beat them with his arm. 

Keeping Mariota in the pocket should benefit the Patriots secondary since he has thrown more interceptions than touchdowns this season and has tossed 11 of his 15 picks on the road. 

Can New England Rely on Its Defense? 

If you were a bettor, you would take Brady over Mariota in a playoff game 10 times out of 10 based off the past exploits of the Patriots signal-caller. 

However, Brady isn't the part of the Patriots machine that will be circled with questions about its productivity heading into Saturday. All of those concerns are directed at the league's fourth-worst defense.

Only two other playoff teams were ranked outside of the top 20 in total defense, the Buffalo Bills and Kansas City Chiefs, and they were both eliminated on Wild Card Weekend. 

The numbers paint an even worse picture when you look at the passing defense, as the Patriots rank 30th, with only the New York Giants and Tampa Bay Buccaneers below them. At least New England can take pride in its 20th-ranked rushing defense, if that's an accomplishment worth bragging about. 

Adrian Kraus/Associated Press

Conceding anywhere close to the season average of 366 yards per game will hurt the Patriots' chances of advancing back to the AFC Championship Game and Super Bowl.

The good news entering Saturday, if there is much regarding the New England defense, is Tennessee has the 23rd-best total offense and that the Titans defense will be facing the league's top-rated offense. 

Some of those numbers can be thrown out the window in the postseason, as players take their games up a level and the most unexpected of heroes appear. 

The key on defense for the Patriots Saturday will be the front seven, which will be opposed by Titans running back Derrick Henry. The Alabama product has turned himself into the main workhorse in the ground game, and he should get all of the important carries with DeMarco Murray injured. 

The Patriots should receive a boost in defending the run, with the return of defensive tackle Alan Branch, who said he will be ready to return from a knee injury Saturday, per Mike Giardi of NBC Sports Boston. 

Adam Glanzman/Getty Images

If Branch and the rest of the defensive line are able to influence the initial push and limit Henry from finding a rhythm, the Patriots will put all the pressure on Mariota, who is susceptible to turnovers. 

When the opportunities present themselves, Duron Harmon, McCourty and the rest of the secondary must create turnovers for Brady to turn into quick points. 

Follow Joe on Twitter, @JTansey90.