Titans S Kenny Vaccaro helps pull off Wild Card Round upset of Patriots

The Tennessee Titans pulled off a gigantic upset that will be remembered for a long time, with safety Kenny Vaccaro helping to upend the Patriots on Jan. 4.

The New England Patriots were one sport’s greatest dynasties of the 2000’s and the 2010’s. But it appears that the Patriots dominance might be dying out heading into the new decade. With former Texas Longhorns safety Kenny Vaccaro and the Tennessee Titans upsetting the Patriots in a Wild Card Round game in Foxborough on Jan. 4, the downfall of Tom Brady and Bill Belichick might already have begun.

In what was a very difficult ending to believe, possibly the last throw for Brady at Gillette Stadium was a pick-six in the dying seconds of the fourth quarter. That turnover helped the Titans seal the 20-13 win in the second Wild Card Round game of the weekend.

The first Wild Card Round game of the weekend saw the Houston Texans overcome an early lead from the Buffalo Bills in thrilling fashion, by the final score of 22-19 in overtime. A big 20-yard rushing touchdown from star former Clemson Tigers quarterback Deshaun Watson helped the Texans get a big rally to beat the Bills at home on Jan. 4.

However, the Texans coming back to upend the Bills on Jan. 4 wasn’t even close to the biggest surprise of the day. The Titans completely dominating the Patriots on the ground, and shutting down any passing threat Brady could possibly bring to the table, got head coach Mike Vrabel this monumental road win. Former Alabama Crimson Tide running back Derrick Henry had a career day with 182 rushing yards and one score.

And the Titans secondary held Brady to 20-of-37 passing for just over 200 yards, no touchdowns, and one interception. That interception took the streak at Gillette to two games that Brady tossed a pick-six.

Vaccaro himself came up with seven total tackles, two tackles for loss, and one pass deflection. His efforts in this game was one of the big reasons why the Patriots couldn’t get anything going through the air.

A very subpar quarterback rating of 42.2 was one of the worst not just of this season, but of the last three or four years for Brady. The Titans did a wonderful job of preparing for a Patriots passing attack that wasn’t living up to the usual standard all season, though.

Up next for Vaccaro and the Titans is a Divisional Round battle against the Baltimore Ravens on the road on Jan. 11. The Ravens are the top seed in the AFC, which leaves the two-seed Kansas City Chiefs hosting the Texans at Arrowhead Stadium next weekend.