Hard to overstate how big this Sunday is for the New England Patriots. Chance to take sole possession of the AFC's No. 1 seed right before a TNF game, a chance for the season sweep vs. the NFC South, and a chance to really cement home the fact that this is a tough team to deal with on the road by winning five in a row away from Foxborough in 2025.

A week after the Patriots trounced the top-flight defense of the Cleveland Browns, they now welcome the final remaining top 10 defense on their schedule tomorrow in the form of the Atlanta Falcons.

Please do not take this kid and what he's doing this year for granted. Drake Maye is legitimately having one of the best, if not the best, seasons of any QB in the league through eight weeks.

More or less, yesterday's Patriots win over the Tennessee Titans went just about according to plan. They settled in after a trio of scoring drives by Cam Ward and co., and cruised on with a 31 point afternoon and now find themselves on their first four game win streak in nearly four years, and as the two seed in the AFC behind Indianapolis. Not only did Drake Maye dazzle once again, but the running game, yes, the running game, was gigantic in this win, with Rhamondre Stevenso

Even with some beyond atrocious officiating, however, this was nowhere near a "great" team performance, in that the offense stalled for a chunk of the second half, the aforementioned run offense had maybe its worst game of the season, and the Patriots' defense, while not bad on the whole, did give up some bad plays in this one.

All week, the Patriots (rightfully) highlighted the importance of "winning" the second half of games, and wouldn't you know it, that's where their worst football as a team would come from. Not that it was a spectacular first half from them either, but the lack of a coherent run game, ability to take advantage of good passing opportunities because Maye was either being pressured off the edge or just sailing balls, and the cavalcade of chunk plays allowed...

Jerod Mayo was absolutely correct when he said this group is one of the best DL's the Patriots will face this year.

But the shocker of all shocker was seeing BRENDAN SCHOOLER end up with a live NFL quarterback sack in a regular season game.

Even so, this Titans team is...a team...that's about the nicest thing I can say about them.

You simply hate to see it for a team that gave the keys to the proverbial asylum to a raging narcissist in Aaron Rodgers, simply hate it.

Although there is optimism over what we saw with the quarterback, this wasn't exactly the way I would've expected them to lose this one...

They're definitely getting healthier which is good, but just like with San Francisco being hurt in Week 4, Houston is still a WAGON.

With just one hurdle left before the bye week, can the Patriots pick up win No. 3, or will they lose to a steady dose of Jonathan Taylor...

Now nine games into 2023, I've been beyond the point where this team can hurt me, that ship sailed after the pick-six in Dallas.

Read up on your lyrics and get your left hands up.

Happy 'Finding out the Patriots' Rookies Numbers' Day to all who celebrate. As a bonus, there's a game happening later tonight at Gillette..

Much later than most would have liked or expected, but Bill Belichick did secure not one but two receivers in round six...

With just a few hours before the 2023 NFL Draft, here is what the Chicago Bears should do to have a successful draft.