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

Narratively speaking, it doesn't get much different than the New England Patriots and the Tennessee Titans, yet the two will meet in the second part of Saturday's Wild Card Weekend double-header. 

The Patriots feel like a team on the tail-end of a dynastic run. They'll host the upstart Titans just one week after an uncharacteristic loss to the Miami Dolphins that cost them a first-round bye.

The evergreen Super Bowl contenders may finally be showing cracks, with the Tom Brady-Bill Belichick duo proving it might actually be human after all. 

The Titans are the team no one expected to be invited to the dance. With former face of the franchise Marcus Mariota struggling, the Titans turned the offense over to Miami Dolphins flameout Ryan Tannehill in October. 

Tennessee is 7-3 since. 

Tannehill has been the unlikely catalyst for a run to the playoffs. Now, he'll get the opportunity to take on the most successful postseason quarterback of all-time in Brady in a fascinating first-round playoff game. 

Matchup Info

Start Time: Saturday, January 4 at 8:15 p.m. ET

TV: CBS

Tickets: StubHub

Spread: Titans at Patriots (-5) via Caesars

Tennessee is the most dangerous kind of wild card. It has fundamentally changed throughout the season due to the quarterback switch. 

Tannehill's improbable comeback season has made him the league's highest-rated passer. In his 10 games, he has thrown for 22 touchdowns to just six interceptions while completing 70 percent of his passes for the Titans. 

He's just been one part of the surging offense, though. His development has been aided by A.J. Brown's breakout as one of the top wide receivers in the NFL. He's the first rookie since Michael Thomas in 2016 to crack 1,000 yards receiving and he's done it while only seeing 84 targets, per ESPN. 

That's the least amount of targets for any receiver over 1,000 yards, making him one of the most efficient receivers in the league. 

Derrick Henry has also been key to the emergence of the Titans. The bruising running back has seized the role of bell cow and he's done it with force. He's picked up more yards than anyone after contact this season. 

Both Henry and Brown will need to be at their best for the Titans to pull off the upset on Saturday, though.

The Patriots' strength all season has been their defense. The unit is No. 1 in Football Outsiders' DVOA, and they also rank No. 1 in yards allowed per play, total yards per game and scoring. 

Where the defense really shines though is third down. The Patriots hold teams to just 24 percent conversion percentage which is better than the next best team by nine percent, per TeamRankings. 

While the defense has lived up to the reputation of the franchise, the offense has been its worst in years. Specifically, Brady has been the worst he's been in a long time. 

The 42-year-old threw his least touchdowns (24) since 2006, worst completion percentage (60.5) since 2013 and his lowest total yards in a full 16-game season since 2010. 

The run game has been a bit of a mess as well. They average just 3.8 yards per carry as a team and leading rusher Sony Michel has been woefully inefficient in averaging 3.7 yards per attempt on his way to 912 yards this season. 

In the passing game, Brady has struggled to find a playmaker outside of Julian Edelman. James White is the team's next leading receiver out of the backfield with 645 yards on 72 receptions. 

All of the issues the Pats have faced this season came to a head last Sunday against the Dolphins. With playoff positioning on the line, the Pats laid an egg and were forced out of the No. 2 seed and into a game against a red-hot Titans team. 

This matchup pits two very different franchises at the crux of a fan's philosophy about the playoffs. 

On one hand, if you believe in the importance of experience and tradition, this is the Patriots' game to take. Brady will be making his 41st playoff start, and Belichick is one of the most successful postseason coaches of all time. 

However, if you think momentum trumps all when it comes to the playoffs, the Titans are for you. There's no denying they've been one of the hottest teams over the back half of the season. While the Patriots come into this game with their worst performance of the season, the Titans are coming off their best. 

While the Patriots were busy ruining their chance at a bye and making a path to the Super Bowl much easier, the Titans were busy defeating their division rival Texans. Henry rushed for 211 yards. The Patriots had 352 total yards en route to a 27-24 loss. 

Whether any of that means anything, or if the Patriots will once again rev up the engines for another postseason run, will be revealed on Saturday night.