Tom Brady shows no signs of slowing down with three touchdown passes as Patriots hammer the Titans

After a week of speculation about the future of the greatest coach-quarterback combination in the history of the NFL, Bill Belichick and Tom Brady responded in the same way they have to all adversity over the past 17 years - by crushing everything in sight. Wherever you looked during at Gillette Stadium during New England Patriots' 35-14 win over Tennessee Titans you were bombarded by one phrase: "Not done".

It was on the programme, screens, fire cannons and a giant flag. The Patriots might have told the world that they paid no attention to ESPN's story about disquiet in the Brady-Belichick relationship, but the stadium-wide subtweet suggested otherwise. It's funny how the most successful side in the sport's history can feel like the whole world is conspiring against it, but somehow the Patriots managed it.

While the entire Patriots team excelled, the AFC divisional round victory showed the same strengths that the quarterback and coach have dominated the league with. Belichick's in-game adjustments after an early Corey Davis touchdown had given the Titans the lead, neutered Marcus Mariota's offence for the next two and a half quarters, man-marking the Titans' field general to negate his run threat; not for the first time, Belichick employed a spy when the going got tough.

The coach did what he's always done - taking away what the opposition has done best - negating the pass rush of Jurrell Casey up the middle, give Brady all the time he needs, and doubling Delanie Walker, Mariota's safety blanket on third down.

Meanwhile, after a slow first quarter, Tom Brady took over the game, shredding the Titans' defence with a series of precise, short passes which saw them score three second quarter touchdowns. Brady's efficiency was matched by the slipperiness of running back Dion Lewis, who seemed to evade tackles with ease en route to picking up 141 total yards, even if it was fellow back James White was the man who made it into the endzones with two short touchdowns, before Brady ended the first half scoring by throwing a touchdown to Chris Hogan to put his side 21-7 up at the break.

If the Titans were hoping to match last week's second half which saw them come from 21-3 down to beat the Kansas City Chiefs, it became quickly clear this was an altogether different prospect. Their first two drives saw them give up two penalties and three sacks while getting no first downs. The next time they got the ball back a Brandon Bolden touchdown had extended the lead to 28-7 and the game was over.

Brady later found Gronkowski for the tight end's traditional touchdown to complete his side's scoring and while Mariota once again hit Davis for a touchdown late on, he'd been sacked eight times by this point, a postseason Patriots' record.

open image in gallery

It was an altogether milder Brady after the game. On the field he'd been fired up, screaming as he ran onto the field and wildly celebrating each of his side's scores, when asked about the recent negativity surrounding him he brushed it off: "Has there [been]? It just goes with the territory. When we get out on the field it's the best part of the week." Defensive standout Trey Flowers agreed: "We've got one goal. Everything else going on is minute compared to what we want to achieve."

The win saw the Patriots reach their seventh AFC title game in a row. The visit of either the Jacksonville Jaguars or the Pittsburgh Steelers next week will provide an altogether different test, but nothing the team haven't seen before. As the game wound to the predictable outcome, Icona Pop's 'I love it' blasted around the stadium. The singalong to: "I don't care, I love it," was the loudest moment of the night. It's been the Patriots' motto for 17 years and it doesn't look like changing anytime soon.

Elsewhere in the playoffs, the Atlanta Falcons' Super Bowl hangover continued as they were dumped out of the playoffs with a 15-10 defeat at the hands of the Philadelphia Eagles. The Eagles, playing without their standout quarterback Carson Wentz, dominated both sides of the line of scrimmage, giving stand-in Nick Foles time and the running game space, while suffocating Matt Ryan's offense.

The Falcons had a chance to win the game late on, but Ryan's pass went through the hands of Julio Jones in the endzone to send the Eagles through to the NFC title game.