Forget The Titans: Patriots Off To AFC Championship

FOXBOROUGH, MA — The New England Patriots plans for next Sunday were confirmed by way of multiple touchdowns and a poor performance by their AFC Divisional Round opponent. The Patriots beat the Tennessee Titans 35-14 at Gillette Stadium and will host the AFC Championship Jan. 21 at 3 p.m.

The Patriots will play the winner of Jacksonville vs. Pittsburgh. Next week's conference title match will be New England's seventh appearance in a row and the fourth time they've hosted the game during that period.

It took quarterback Marcus Mariota's best throw of the night for the Titans to get on the board - a 15-yard touchdown pass to Corey Davis that gave the visitors a 7-0 lead with 1:20 left in the first quarter. That was one of the few bright spots for a team that struggled to run the ball, play defense, and was mostly dependent on Mariota's ability to make plays.

Dion Lewis continued to be a multi-purpose weapon for the Patriots, running for 62 yards and catching nine receptions for 79 yards. Back to back receptions by Lewis set up James White for a five-yard touchdown shovel pass with 13:24 left in the half, the first of two touchdowns for the Super Bowl hero.

The running backs inside the red zone were responsible for giving the Titans fits for most of the game. White's second touchdown, a six-yard run, capped off a 1:56, 50-yard no-huddle drive. Brandon Boldon scored his first touchdown of the season on a two-yard run in the third quarter.

Chris Hogan had a chance to remind people that he is back with a four-yard touchdown reception with 1:52 left in the first half.

Patriots quarterback Tom Brady went over 300 yards passing for the 13th time in the postseason. He earned the accomplishment on an early fourth quarter drive that finished with a touchdown pass to Rob Gronkowski inside the Titans' five-yard line.

Defensively, the Patriots left the Titans with few options. On the ground, Derek Henery was only able to run for 28 yards on 12 carries. Henry's night was summarized by a fourth and two play with 25 seconds in the first half. With the Titans trying to convert, Henry's attempt to cut towards the left sideline ended with a five-yard loss. The team's best rusher turned out to be Mariota, who earned 37 yards on the ground on only four runs.

The Patriots defense's eight sacks was the most in franchise playoff history.

Next Sunday's game will be the Patriots' 14th AFC Championship game, the second most in conference history behind Pittsburgh Steelers' 16, which could be 17 by Sunday afternoon.

Image Credit: AP Photo/Charles Krupa