That triumph could have been the end, but New England had two possessions in the final five minutes, the last of which began at the 50-yard line after the Titans followed up another long punt return. Maye led the Patriots down the field with a poise beyond his experience and set the team up with a vital play from the 5-yard line with four seconds left. Maye reversed course several times, changing direction repeatedly but keeping his eyes downfield before finding running back Rhamondre Stevenson to force the overtime win.

Wasted opportunities

The fact that the Titans went into halftime down just 7-3 was a significant understatement of the opportunities the Titans had. Early in the second quarter, Rudolph threw an interception from the Patriots' 3-yard line with a high but catchable pass that bounced off the hands of tight end Chig Okonkwo, making it seven points.

And before halftime, New England gave the Titans good field position with a shanked punt and the Titans quickly stormed forward to the 35-yard line. But the Titans responded with a holding penalty, a delay of game and a wasted final timeout due to a player injury that wasn't serious. This all led to the Titans throwing two passes out of bounds to end the half rather than even attempting a Hail Mary, turning what should have been a kick within Nick Folk's reach into another empty possession .

Another half, another stumble

New England took its first lead early in the third quarter, largely due to a facemask penalty on cornerback Roger McCreary that should have been a third-and-goal stop to force a field goal that put the Patriots one End zone allowed for another attempt. But the Titans appeared poised to regain the advantage with a long, effective shot that landed inside New England's 8-yard line. Pollard made a nice juke on first-and-goal and scampered into the end zone for the go-ahead shot, but a holding penalty negated the play and pushed the Titans back.