BY BLAKE BEDDINGFIELD, special correspondent

NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- Turnovers and special teams were two categories the Titans were going to need to win to have a chance to pull out the victory versus the Patriots in New England.

The Patriots won both areas and that canceled out two positive areas from the Titans -- the positive play from the Titans’ defense keeping the Patriots out of the end zone and the offensive line that started to impose its will on the Patriots’ defensive front.

© George Walker IV / Tennessean.com / USA TODAY

In the preview, I mentioned that the established starters, captains, and perceived stars on the team needed to step up and play their best game.

Ryan Tannehill played another poor game without A.J. Brown, Julio Jones and Derrick Henry. There is no excuse for his level of play.

FOXBORO, Mass. -- So, we knew the Titans being injury-depleted was going to make this game a problem.

Did we know it was going to be that much of a problem?

Members got together to discuss it thoroughly, as we do from the stadium where it unfolds after every game, win or lose, good or bad for the Titans.

Head over to the private Facebook room to rewatch or head below the line.

These are universally rated as one of the best features of membership, which happens to be on sale right now, so it's a good time to sign up or get one as a gift for the big Titans' fan in your life.

If you're a member and you haven't signed up for text alerts for broadcasts you'll find that inside this post as well.

FOXBORO, Mass. – The reason to believe the Titans as currently constituted could come to Gillette Stadium and beat the very hot Patriots was that Mike Vrabel is very good when his team is a shorthanded underdog.

His wizardry only goes so far.

© David Butler II-USA TODAY Sports

Down Derrick Henry, A.J. Brown, Julio Jones, Jeremy McNichols and Marcus Johnson the Titans were working with offensive weaponry that had joined the team as recently as Oct. 27 (Dontrell Hilliard), Nov. 2 (D’Onta Foreman), and Nov. 16 Cody Hollister. (They were also without Nate Davis.)

New England came in with five consecutive wins and the NFL’s best scoring defense and they handled the Titans quite easily, 36-13.

By BLAKE BEDDINGFIELD, special correspondent

NASHVILLE, TENN. -- The Titans have beaten some of the best teams in the NFL this season, they just happen to have lost to two of the worst along the way.

That doesn’t make them any less of a contender.

Pool photo/ Donald Page, Tennessee Titans

The Patriots are playing Patriot football again behind rookie quarterback Mac Jones.

He is an accurate quarterback who limits mistakes and that is just the type of football New England thrives on.

If there is ever a game for the Titans to get refocused with, this is it.

The Titans will be without Derrick Henry, Julio Jones and A.J. Brown, so what can they do to attack the Patriots' defense?

NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Tennessee’s loss to the Texans took some of the shine off Sunday’s Titans-Patriots matchup in New England, but it’s still a prime AFC game.

The Titans are still atop the AFC at 8-3 and the 7-4 Patriots have won five in a row and taken over the lead in the AFC East.

Mike Vrabel has beaten his old team and his old coach, Bill Belichick, in his two chances since becoming the Titans’ head coach.

Pool photo/ Donald Page, Tennessee Titans

Tennessee won 34-18 at Nissan Stadium on Nov. 11, 2018, and then took down the Patriots at Gillette Stadium in the wild-card round of the playoffs on Jan. 4, 2020, in Tom Brady’s final game with the franchise.

With a third matchup against Belichick looming, Vrabel has done well to downplay that angle.

NASHVILLE, Tenn. – His awful four-interception performance Sunday – aided by others on the Titans’ offense for sure – dropped Ryan Tannehill’s season passer rating nearly 5 points.

“At the end of the day, it all falls squarely upon me,” he said. “I have to be better.”

Pool: Donald Page/ Tennessee Titans

The defense keyed two wins in three games since Derrick Henry went down and those are the results that matter. But Tannehill has not yet taken on more, and Tennessee will need him to if this season is going to have anything close to the happy ending that is in the franchise’s plans.

He’s trending in the wrong direction since the Titans lost Derrick Henry to a foot injury.

By BLAKE BEDDINGFIELD, special correspondent

NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- The Titans got the opportunity to play one of the worst teams in the NFL.

But they gave life to a team that had lost eight straight games.

To say this Texan team is competitive is doing an injustice to other teams in the NFL that have a competent roster.

Dontrell Hilliard/ Pool photo, Donald Page, Tennessee Titans

The Texans have roughly 10 players on this roster that will be on the 2022 team and two of them (Laremy Tunsil and Jonathan Greenard) didn’t play against the Titans.

This is a roster full of wavier-wire-type talent.

In my time working in football, no matter what level of football you play if you allow a team to stick around and give it hope anyone can play with anyone for a half of football.

NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- The “best” team in the AFC has now lost to the Jets and the Texans.

As good as the Titans have been, as high-quality as their six consecutive wins were, they do a lot to dent that stretch and create doubt with a performance like Sunday’s, one that doesn’t wash away as easily as the scoreboard operators at Nissan Stadium would like.

© Christopher Hanewinckel-USA TODAY Sports

They simply erased 22-13 seconds after it was over. That’s not how it will work for professionals on the team or the fans who endured the rain to watch it and the halftime ceremony installing Jeff Fisher and Floyd Reese in the franchise’s Ring of Honor or the devotees who endured it on TV.

(The Fisher/Reese 1999 Super Bowl team lost to the 4-12 49ers, by the way, if that makes it any easier to stomach. I didn't think so.)