Pats' win over Titans started it all

FOXBORO, Mass. -- If the New England Patriots bother to watch videotape of their regular-season game against Tennessee, they'll see two teams they would rather forget.\n"We're a totally different team now than when we played them the first time," Patriots quarterback Tom Brady said Monday after the team returned from its bye week to prepare for its playoff game against the Titans.\nThe winner Saturday night will play in the AFC title game.\nTennessee, 12-4 in the regular season, made the playoffs as a wild card and beat the Baltimore Ravens 20-17 last Saturday to advance to the second round. The Patriots (14-2) won their last 12 games to finish the regular season with the best record in the NFL and earn a bye for the first round of the playoffs.\nBut the last time these two teams met, they seemed to be heading in different directions.\nOn Oct. 5, the region was feverish for the Red Sox and few were paying any attention to the Patriots. The baseball team was in the process of coming back from the brink of playoff elimination against the Oakland Athletics, and manager Grady Little was hailed for his deft handling of the pitching staff.\nThe Patriots were 2-2 and struggling heading into the Tennessee game, having just lost to the unimpressive Washington Redskins. The Titans were 3-1 and looking strong.\nFor New England, the injuries were mounting: Ted Johnson, Ted Washington, Mike Vrabel, Willie McGinest, Kevin Faulk, Adrian Klemm and Daniel Graham were inactive. Running back Antowain Smith and All-Pro cornerback Ty Law were hurt during the game.\nStill, the Patriots scored 31 second-half points to beat Tennessee 38-30. And then they won the rest of their games; they allowed just 38 points in their other seven home games -- less than a touchdown per outing.\n"It doesn't surprise me," Tennessee defensive end Kevin Carter said. "They don't have a bunch of superstars or big-name players. However, the Patriots as a group do the little things to get the job done and win every week."\nPatriots coach Bill Belichick isn't inclined to put too much stock in the first meeting with Tennessee, and the stats back him up: three of last weekend's four playoff games were rematches, and two of the three regular-season losers won when it counted.\nThe Broncos beat the Colts 31-17 in the second-to-last game of the regular season but were manhandled 41-10 Sunday in the first round of the playoffs. Dallas beat Carolina on Nov. 23 but lost handily Saturday; Green Bay beat Seattle in the regular season but needed overtime Sunday to do it again.\n"Look at Denver and Indianapolis. They are as good as an example as you want to see right there," Belichick said. "I don't think it means anything. It is a new week. It is a new season at this point."\nSo, while tape of the Titans game is "a good starting point" for his exhaustive preparation, Belichick will look more at where the teams have gone since then.\n"I am sure that this game against the Titans will play a lot differently than the last one did, even though the teams are the same and there are a lot of things that are the same," Belichick said. "There will be some things that are different. There always are."\nBelichick doesn't have to look back too far to see trouble. The Titans beat New England 24-7 in Nashville in Week 15 of the 2002 season, a loss that added to Belichick's conviction that he needed to make major changes.\nThe Patriots were among the most active teams in the offseason free-agent market, signing impact players Washington and Rodney Harrison as well as role-playing fullback Larry Centers. Linebacker Rosevelt Colvin was supposed to be the biggest signing of all, but he played only five quarters before a broken hip ended his season.\nAsked if the Tennessee loss was the last straw, Belichick said, "Well, what I think we saw down there last year, we saw in a lot of other games too.\n"That wasn't the only one"