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Henry put in a performance the Patriots would like to forget

By Tom King - Staff Writer | Jan 5, 2020

AP photo Tennessee coach Mike Vrabel hugs running back Derrick Henry after Henry's TD in the first half of the Titans' 20-13 AFC Wild Card playoff win at Gillette Stadium on Saturday night.

FOXBOROUGH, Mass. — Remember the Titans.

Or better yet, remember Derrick Henry.

He certainly provided an unforgettable chapter to his team’s season, season, but one for the New England Patriots to forget in a 20-13 AFC Wild Card Playoff loss at Gillette Stadium.

The star of the show was Henry, the NFL regular season rushing champion, whose 182 yards and a TD provided the huge difference.

“I think we just want to put efficient drives together and everybody just do their job,” Henry said afterward. “Beat the man in front of you, be physical. And I think that’s what we try to do as we’re moving the ball down the field. …

“My approach is always the same against any defense. They’ve been doing a great job all year so I knew that I just had to go out there and o my job at the best of my abilities and be efficient.”

The Patriots simply had no answer for him, although they did “hold” him to 76 yards in the second half.

“We knew he is a great back,” Patriots corner Stephon Gilmore said. “He has good vision. He is tough to bring down. He had a big day.”

“He ran hard,” Patriots coach Bill Belichick said. “They do a good job on the running game, they’ve got a good offensive line, he’s a good back. You’ve got to defeat blocks and tackle them, that’s what the game is against them.”

A game the Patriots failed to win.

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Cornerback Jason McCourty (groin) was once again inactive for the Patriots, giving J.C. Jackson a start. Other inactives included defensive lineman Byron Cowart, tight end Ryan Izzo, running back Damien Harris, offensive linemen Korey Cunningham and Jermaine Eluemunor. Also third string quarterback Cody Kessler was inactive.

For the Titans, inactives were receivers Adam Humphries (ankle), Cody Hollister and Kalif Raymond, linebacker Reggie Gilbert, offensive lineman Kevin Pamphile, plus defensive lineman Joey Ivie and Isaiah Mack.

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Gilmore, who was named by the media the 2019 Ron Hobson Good Guy Award winner, had to get used to the large contingent of media in New England compared to Buffalo when he arrived three years ago.

“Yeah, it was a tough adjustment,” Gilmore said. “Just where I came from, there were probably like five media people in the locker room, maybe six, seven, then I come here and it’s like 20. So it was a big adjustment, but it’s good.”

Gilmore says he understands the media’s job.

“Everybody wants to know what we’re doing and have much respect for our team because of the hard work we put in in each and every year,” Gilmore said. “So it was a big adjustment but I think now I’m used to it.”

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Titans defensive coordinator Dean Pees, who once held the same position with the Patriots, is now 4-3 against his former team. Tom Brady has thrown for nine TDs vs. now five interceptions against his defenses.

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Ticketmaster released the average resale playoff ticket prices for the first two rounds by home team. Houston was the lowest a $246, followed by the Patriots at $288. The highest were the Eagles ($356) and next were the Saints ($324).

For the home Divisional Round, as of this weekend the highest by far were the 49ers at $506 per seat, followed by the Ravens at $463. The lowest were the Chiefs at the bargain of $252, with the Packers next lowest at $314.

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Airing Saturday on ESPN+ was one of the 30 episodes of Peyton’s Places, this time a chat between Peyton Mannning and Tom Brady. The two quarterbacks hit golf balls in CBS broadcaster Jim Nantz’s back yard, reminiscing about their epic games against each other…

Tennessee will now move on to play Baltimore next Saturday, while Houston now visits Kansas City next Sunday, already set for 3:05 p.m. That will be the first game of the day, with the Packers hosting an NFC Divisional round game at 6:40 p.m….

Brady has 30 playoff wins, and the other 11 quarterbacks in the playoffs have a combined 26 wins. This weekend, Buffalo’s Josh Allen, Tannehill, and Philadelphia’s Carson Wentz made or will make their first playoff starts. Saturd night was Brady’s 41st playoff game…

Before Saturday night’s stunner, the Patriots last loss in a home playoff game was the AFC Championship Game to the Baltimore Ravens back on Jan. 20, 2013.