Getty Damien Harris
The New England Patriots are back in first place of the AFC East. Depending on what happens with the Baltimore Ravens when they take on the Cleveland Browns on Sunday night, the Patriots could wind up in the top spot in the AFC.
That’s a far cry from the 2-4 start that had everyone doubting Bill Belichick and Co. On Sunday at home against the Tennessee Titans, the Patriots smashed their way to a 36-13 win.
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New England held the Titans scoreless in the second half as Mac Jones threw for 310 yards, 2 TDs. Both of those TD throws went to Kendrick Bourne as the Patriots are looking more like a true Super Bowl contender every week.
The Patriots also forced four turnovers en route to the victory. At 8-4, they look ready for the Week 13 battle with the Buffalo Bills on December 6. Here’s how Twitter reacted to the Patriots’ dominant win.
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Twitter Reacts to the Patriots’ 36-13 Win
B/R Gridiron is calling out the Belichick doubters.
🔘 Six straight wins
🔘 No. 1 in AFC East
🔘 No. 2 seed in the AFC
🔘 Mac is ROY candidate
Bill Belichick needs some apologies.
Many people were saying the Patriots’ success was mostly due to Tom Brady. Suddenly, it doesn’t appear that way.
The Athletic’s Jeff Howe had the obvious, but still noteworthy recognition of the Patriots’ eighth victory compared to last season’s sub-500 finish.
Now 8-4, the Patriots already have more wins than they had in all of 2020.
CLNS’ Evan Lazar calls out the Patriots’ success, but also recognizes Belichick and his staff will have some areas to focus on with this team.
One of those wins the coaches always love. You blew them out. But plenty of things to fix before Buffalo. Still, you’ll take the easy W. #Patriots are 8-4.
Run defense continues to be an area of opportunity. The Titans somehow managed to run for 270 yards while losing by 23 points. That’s a rare occurrence.
FOX personality Colin Cowherd is ready to crown the Patriots.
Patriots are the best team in the AFC. We all have to come to terms with that.
ESPN’s Mike Reiss drops this huge stat that speaks to the efficiency and success of Jones and the offense.
🔟 drives for the Patriots today.
1⃣ punt.
When the offense is humming like that, it’s tough to lose.
What’s Next For the Patriots?
If you think the return of Tom Brady in Week 4 was a big game, wait until you get a load of the Week 13 matchup with the Bills? The Brady game was more show than go. Next week’s battle is actually important with major postseason implications.
If the Patriots win, they will have a major edge in the AFC East division race. The Bills wouldn’t be dead, but they could easily see last year’s division title as a blip on the radar rather than a changing of the guard.
This is a huge game. Here is a look at the test of the Patriots’ schedule along with the previous results.
New England Patriots (8-4) 2021 Regular Season Schedule
- Week 1 – vs. Miami Dolphins 17, New England Patriots 16
- Week 2 – New England Patriots 25, at New York Jets 6
- Week 3 – New Orleans Saints 28, New England Patriots 13
- Week 4 – Tampa Bay Buccaneers 19, New England Patriots 17
- Week 5 – New England Patriots 25, at Houston Texans 22
- Week 6 – Dallas Cowboys 35, New England Patriots 29 – OT
- Week 7 – New England Patriots 54, New York Jets 13
- Week 8 – New England Patriots 27, Los Angeles Chargers 24
- Week 9 – New England Patriots 24, at Carolina Panthers 6
- Week 10 – New England Patriots 45, Cleveland Browns 7
- Week 11 – New England Patriots 25, at Atlanta Falcons 0
- Week 12 – New England Patriots 36, Tennessee Titans 13
- Week 13 – at Buffalo Bills at 8:15 pm ET – ESPN – December 6
- Week 14 – Bye Week
- Week 15 – at Indianapolis Colts at 8:20 pm ET – NFL Network – December 18
- Week 16 – Buffalo Bills at 1 pm ET – CBS – December 26
- Week 17 – Jacksonville Jaguars at 1 pm ET – CBS – January 2
- Week 18 – at Miami Dolphins at 1 pm ET – CBS – January 9
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