Getty The Patriots will play their first 2018 playoff game on Saturday, January 13th.
The New England Patriots will open up their 2018 playoff run on Saturday, January 13th at 8 p.m. Eastern against the Tennessee Titans on CBS. According to OddsShark, the Patriots open as 13.5 point favorites over the Titans.
It may seem like a large point spread, but it makes sense given how the Titans played to close out the season.
The Patriots did not have an opening round game, but the team still had an eventful week. New England made news early in the week by continuing to hold practice while there was a blizzard going on in the area, making it challenging for players to arrive at the facility. Things took on a more serious tone after ESPN’s Seth Wickersham wrote a lengthy piece about some of the internal turmoil potentially happening within the organization.
New England released a joint statement claiming they are united, but it remains to be seen whether this will be a distraction as they embark on their playoff run. The Patriots did not play the Titans this season. New England secured the top AFC seed thanks to winning a tiebreaker over the Steelers. The Patriots have won 11 of their last 12 games heading into the playoffs. New England’s key wins came against the Saints, Falcons and Steelers.
The Patriots went 13-3 during the regular season, and also had a strong record in Vegas. New England went 11-5 against the spread, and 5-3 against the spread at home where their remaining playoff matchups will be played. The Patriots were favored in every matchup they played, a streak that is likely to continue in the playoffs. Nine out of New England’s 16 contests went under the point total.
Tennessee went 9-7 during the regular season, and are 9-7-1 against the spread counting their playoff win over the Chiefs. Nine of the Titans games have hit the over, while eight games went under the point total. Tennessee is 4-5 against the spread on the road. The Titans are 3-2 against the spread as an underdog.
After trailing big early in their Wild Card matchup, the Titans mounted a second half comeback to steal a win at Arrowhead. Prior to Kansas City, Tennessee backed into the playoffs losing three of their last four games. Tennessee’s offense showed promise against Kansas City as Derrick Henry rushed for 156 yards and a touchdown. Marcus Mariota had a solid outing going 19-of-31 for 205 yards, two touchdowns and an interception. Mariota also rushed for 46 yards to push the Titans total for the day over 200 yards.
The Titans are not playing lights out, and have plenty of holes for the Patriots to attack. New England holds the edge in the playoff experience category with the majority of their key players owning multiple Super Bowl rings.
New England has the No. 2 ranked offense as the unit averages 28.6 points per game. Tennessee is all the way down at 19th with 20.9 points per game. The Patriots defense is ranked No. 5 allowing only 18.5 points a game. The Titans defense ranks 17th as the unit allows 22.3 points per game.