Things looked good for the Tennessee Titans after the first quarter in Saturday's Divisional Playoff as the club held a 7-0 lead in New England.
Then the Patriots did what they always do on Saturday nights in the playoffs, ripping off 35 unanswered points to advance to the AFC Championship Game for a record seventh consecutive season.
Titans quarterback Marcus Mariota, who struggled to move the offense throughout the contest, didn't mince words when asked of the team's performance after the game.
"Um, man, embarrassed," Mariota said, as per Joe Rexrode of the Tennessean. "You don't play to come lose in the divisional playoff."
Mariota's final stats of 254 yards passing and two touchdowns flatter the offensive performance, as many came on the last drive with New England up 35-7. The Patriots doubled the Titans in first downs and outgained them by 171 yards.
Entering as a 13.5-point underdog and facing a team that was 9-0 in Saturday night playoff games in the Bill Belichick-Tom Brady era, it would have been a shocker if Tennessee emerged victorious. That doesn't seem to matter to Mariota, who enters the offseason hoping to improve upon his worst statistical season as a professional.
