THE TENNESSEE TITANS stunned defending NFL champions the New England Patriots 20-13 in the AFC wild-card round overnight.
Tennessee overcame a hostile environment to take down the Patriots in what could have been Tom Brady’s final game in the NFL.
The Patriots – playing in the wild-card round for the first time in a decade – were held scoreless in the second half as their hopes of back-to-back titles were dashed.
Brady, who is aged 42 and out of contract at the end of the season amid uncertainty over his future, was 20 of 37 for 209 yards and an interception.
Ryan Tannehill completed eight of his 15 throws for 72 yards, a touchdown and an interception as the Titans earned a divisional round clash with the top-seeded Baltimore Ravens.
New England have dominated the NFL with Brady under centre, winning six Super Bowls since the quarterback’s arrival in 2000, however, the Patriots were upstaged on home soil.
After the Patriots’ Nick Folk converted a 36-yard field goal, Tannehill threw a 12-yard pass to Anthony Firkser for the touchdown and 7-3 Tennessee lead.
The Patriots, though, regained the advantage via a five-yard rush from Julian Edelman to ease some of the tension in Foxborough, where another Folk field goal put New England 13-7 ahead.
However, the Titans – who had suffered seven consecutive losses to the Patriots before defeating New England in November 2018 – went into the half-time interval with a 14-13 cushion after Derrick Henry’s one-yard rush.
Neither the Titans nor the Patriots added to the scoreboard in the third quarter and the theme continued in the final period.
The Titans milked the clock with tactical delay of games and long drives, frustrating Brady – who threw an interception at the death as Logan Ryan capitalised to seal a huge road win.
Earlier, Deshaun Watson helped the Houston Texans complete a memorable comeback against the Buffalo Bills in overtime of Saturday’s AFC wild-card showdown.
Watson led the winning drive in a thrilling OT as the rallying Texans prevailed 22-19 to progress in the NFL playoffs after trailing by double digits in the second half.
After throwing a touchdown and running for a score in regulation, Watson stepped up in overtime by evading a sack and finding Taiwan Jones for a 34-yard reception to set up first-and-goal.
Ka’imi Fairbairn then converted the 28-yard field goal to give the Texans their first playoff victory since 2016 as the Bills’ postseason losing streak stretched to six games.
The Texans will face either the Kansas City Chiefs or Baltimore Ravens in the divisional round depending on the outcome of the wild-card clash between the New England Patriots and Tennessee Titans.
Led by Josh Allen, the Bills impressed away from home in Houston – where they raced out to a 13-0 half-time lead. Bills quarterback Allen, who threw for 264 yards and ran for 92, had a 42-yard run on the opening drive, which resulted in a 16-yard touchdown on a trick play after receiving a pass from John Brown.
A pair of field goals from Stephen Hauschka extended Buffalo’s lead in the second quarter before the Bills kicker added another in the third period for a 16-0 advantage. The Texans, though, came storming back with 19 unanswered points to take the lead thanks to Watson’s 20-yard TD run late in the third quarter and his throw to Carlos Hyde with less than five minutes remaining in regulation.
However, Hauschka’s 47-yard field goal forced OT with five seconds remaining before Watson – who had 247 yards and run for 55 yards – inspired the Texans in overtime.
