Pats stop Titans in Brrrr Bowl 17-14

Alright, I just got home from the Pats vs. Titans game, and peeled off three layers of clothing just to get this article to all of you.

For those of you who didn't attend, and watched the game from the warm confines of your home, you really don't know how cold it was there.

So let me give you some examples of just how cold it was, before I go into my recap of the game.

It was so cold that...

1. Your beer freezes before you get to your seat.

2. The chicken tenders and fry plate is freezer ready by the time you take your first bite.

3. You can use whatever bathroom you want because everyone is so bundled up you can't tell the women from the men.

4. Your tailgate consists of coffee, hot chocolate, Maypo and Cream of Wheat.

Once again, though, New England gave the fans their money's worth in minutes, as they took Tennessee down to the wire and defeated a team that was their own worst enemy from their first possession.

Titans' head coach Jeff Fisher and his squad had several chances to beat the Pats Saturday nigh, but squandered them away with poor clock management, and some drive killing penalties. But, since the Pats didn't capitalize on most of these miscues, it allowed the Titans to remain in this game till the end.

In the game, the Pats defense stuffed RB Eddie George for 48 yards on 16 carries.

George seemed to be the focus of the Pats NT Ted Washington, who finished the game with six tackles (five on George), and LB "Monster" Mike Vrabel, who led the team with eight tackles, one sack and took down George three times.

However, because the D was so concerned about stopping the run, they allowed the Titans to convert some key fourth downs with passes.

WR Derrick Mason finished the game with seven catches on 90 yards and one 11-yard TD reception in the third to tie the game.

LB Willie McGinest had another big game with one sack and seven tackles, while Rodney Harrison's pick was a HUGE drive killer.

LB Tedy Bruschi had nine tackles and had a pick called back when the Titans were flagged for a late false start.

DL Richard Seymour had five tackles, but was flagged for roughing the passer on a questionable timing call. This kept a crucial Titans drive alive as did the false start on Bruschi's pick.

The defenses did seem somewhat effected by the cold on both sides, as hard hits didn't come until late in the game, which may have accounted for the missed tackles and assignments for the Pats and Titans.

It was probably the first time this year I heard another player's name mentioned more than safety Rodney Harrison's (five tackles) over the P.A.

The Pats offense was committed to the run from out of the gate and accomplished more than the Titans on the ground, as RB's Antowain Smith (16 carries for 69 yards), and Kevin Faulk (5 for 22) combined with QB Tom Brady for 96 yards.

Smith showed some flashes of 2001 when he broke some tackles to gain some key ground, but overall the yardage was well earned because the Titans had a stingy run defense at times.

When the run seemed to stutter, QB Tom Brady (21 of 41) threw for 201 yards to over 10 different receivers.

WR David Givens led the pack with four receptions for 26 yards, TE Christian Fauria finally got the ball and finished with three for 42 yards, RB Faulk had three catches for 61 yards, and Smith and Centers combined for 36 yards.

The rest of the WR corps Deion Branch (3 for 10), Troy Brown (2 for 11), and Detric Ward (1 for 22), converted some major downs when needed, while Bethal Johnson (2 for 55) opened the Pats first possession with a 41-yard TD reception.

The only downer to the receiving game was TE Daniel Graham, who dropped and missed some key passes, one that would have been a HUGE nail in the Titans coffin late in the game.

Kicker Adam Vinatieri had a tough night, missing wide left from 41 yards out, but redeemed his toughest season by nailing the 46 yarder that would put the Pats on top in the fourth.

This week the coaching staff had a "cold" game plan in mind, as the play calling seemed somewhat conservative throughout the game.

The only surprise came at the end as they tried to run some time off the clock by not kneeling, which in turn brought Jeff Fisher onto the field, and should have earned him a flag.

As for the defensive coaching, I'm still wondering why they waited so long to put pressure on QB Steve McNair, who everyone knew was hobbled.

It wasn't until late in the third that the Pats started sending multiple blitzes, and finally had McNair limping for the sidelines after a long scramble.

Sometimes I wonder where this game would have ended if they had applied that pressure earlier in the game.

As for flags... The officiating crew for the game let the guys play, and kept the flags in the pocket when watching for interference calls.

Most of the flags were for play-killers (false starts/offsides/delay of game), and individual (roughing the passer/personal fouls).

This is what I like to see during the playoffs, as long as they keep it consistent.

Now we sit back sit back and wait to see the outcome of Sunday's game between the Colts and Chiefs up in Kansas City.

The Colts are coming off a blowout win over the Denver Broncos, while the Chiefs are well rested, and have a serious fan-base behind them.

Teams commit so many false starts at Arrowhead Stadium they keep a 12th man stat counter for false starts during the game. It's something Robert Kraft should bring to Gillette Stadium because most of the fans didn't come alive until the fourth quarter.

As for me and my thoughts of who I would like to see win on Sunday...

I'd like to see Green Bay continue to roll for a possible Super Bowl rematch, but my oldest son Tyrique is seven and a big Eagles fan. It has made for some fun conversations, and playtime on the XBOX.

The Chiefs late season losses may have hurt them, giving opposing teams some important game film to study over.

The Chiefs' coaching staff had a week to repair the cracks that Tony Dungy and the Colts may have found, but the question is can the Colts go into hostile territory and repeat the same performance?

For some reason I think they can, because the AFC South is becoming like the AFC East where it's a dogfight within your division every Sunday, while the Chiefs have coasted on big wins on the legs of RB Priest Holmes.

If QB Peyton Manning can hit his WR's exposing the weak Chief's secondary, the Colts will advance and the Pats will host them for a second time this season at Gillette.

However, the stakes will be higher, and the Colts will be sure to remember they were one yard away from ending the Pats winning streak earlier this year.

Before I close this out if there is anybody else out there watching the new NFL Network on the dish, please drop me a line because I'm loving this network, and it has some great potential.

Give me your thoughts on what it needs, and what it doesn't.

For me, I'd like to see more of what I saw from last night's "Total Access" show, when Michigan buddies QB Tom Brady and NFL player/reporter Dhani Jones yucked it up from the locker room after the game.

Then Jones, standing on Gillette field around 1 a.m.. had an hilarious exchange with Terrell Davis, who was back in the studio with Seth Joyner and Rich Eisen about the temp going up to two degrees.

Davis then questioned Dhani about the hat he was wearing.

It was classic, funny stuff to me.

So drop me a line and let me know what you think at Sinista1@msn.com .

Note: In Sunday's game, Peyton Manning led the Colts to a 38-31 win over the Chiefs and will play the Pats next week in the AFC Championship Game and the right to go to the Super Bowl.