The Tennessee Titans and New England Patriots face off this Sunday at Nissan Stadium in Nashville, Tennessee, at 12:00 p.m. CDT.

This game showcases the return of Mike Vrabel to Nissan Stadium in his first appearance on the opposite sideline since being fired in 2023. This appearance happens to coincide with the firing of head coach Brian Callahan, Vrabel’s successor, who ended his tenure with a 4-19 record. Offensive line coach Bill Callahan resigned shortly after his son was fired as head coach. The implications of the coaching shakeup remain to be seen, but this is going to be a big test for the Titans.

To gain some insight into this matchup, Titans Wire went behind enemy lines with Jordy McElroy of Patriots Wire for a Q&A.

Mike Vrabel is making his return to Tennessee for the first time since being fired. How much is that fueling his desire to win?

McElroy: Mike Vrabel is going to say all of the right things in public, but deep down, he probably wants to pound the Titans into the dirt. He was a Coach of the Year during his run with the team, and he also carried them all the way to the AFC Championship in the 2019 season. Seeing everything that has happened in Tennessee since he was fired after the 2023 season probably has him licking his chops. 

Most players struggle in their second year. How has Josh McDaniels created the sophomore surge with Drake Maye?

Josh McDaniels’ playcalling has been a huge boost to the offense as a whole. He is an elite offensive playcaller who played a big role in the Patriots winning six Super Bowls. With that said, Drake Maye looks like a special talent growing into a top-tier quarterback before our very eyes. Coincidentally enough, we got a glimpse at it when the Patriots faced the Titans last year. In the waning moments of the fourth quarter, he made multiple defenders miss and connected on a touchdown pass with Rhamondre Stevenson to send the game into overtime. He looks more comfortable than ever before now that McDaniels is in his ear.

Maye has been sacked 18 times this year, tied for fourth-most. How do the Patriots plan to contain Jeffery Simmons?

Jeffery Simmons will be a major problem no matter what the Patriots do offensively. He is one of the best at his position for a reason. With that said, the Patriots’ offensive line has been solid this year. Maye does tend to hold onto the ball too long, which can sometimes get him into trouble. But the offensive front for New England has proven more formidable than expected through the first six games. 

Harold Landry is a former Titan. How has he impacted the Patriots’ defense, and what can we expect from him?

Harold Landry is currently dealing with an ankle injury. We’ll see what his game status is looking like this week. When healthy, he has been the Patriots’ best edge rusher. There’s still plenty of juice left in his tank as a defensive playmaker. If he can’t go on Sunday, the Patriots will need players like K’Lavon Chaisson, Anfernee Jennings, and Keion White to step up. 

What aspect of the Patriots’ game should we be most concerned about?

Maye rushed for 95 yards against the Titans the last time these two teams faced each other. His ability to navigate the pocket and find opportunities to run or attack downfield has looked exponentially better. Also, the Patriots might not be great at generating consistent pressure on the edge, but they have one of the best defensive tackle combinations in the league with Christian Barmore and Milton Williams. They can create a lot of problems up front.Â