FOXBOROUGH – In case you still weren’t sure about this 2021 Patriots team, Sunday’s 36-13 win over the Titans should be all the proof you need that they’re for real.

Sure, the defense gave up 270 total yards rushing, but it also forced four turnovers and held the Titans – albeit with a depleted offense – to just 13 points. Meanwhile, Mac Jones threw for 300+ yards for the second time in his career (310, 2 TD’s) and both Jakobi Meyers (5/98) and Kendrick Bourne (5/61/2 TD’s) have proven they are legitimate weapons for Jones to work with.

There was even a little bit of snowfall at Gillette on Sunday just as the Patriots began rolling in the second half. It’s starting to feel like the good old days of just a few years ago around here.

“Good football team, a lot of good competitors, tough guys there. Proud of the way our guys stepped up,” said Bill Belichick. “We missed some opportunities in the game but again, we’re going up against a good team. It’s going to happen…good all around effort. Again, left some plays out there. Certainly some things we could have done better. But you know, we’ll take it and move on, finish this game up tomorrow and get ready for Buffalo.”

The Patriots couldn’t have asked for a better start, with Matt Judon picking up sack No. 11.5 on the year on third down during the first drive of the game to force a Titans punt. New England got the ball at its own 37 and nine plays later Jones hit Bourne for a 4-yard touchdown in the back right corner of the end zone for a 7-0 lead.

Tennessee embarked on a 14-play drive that finished off the last 7:31 of the first quarter and ended 32 seconds into the second with a 1-yard touchdown catch by Nick Westbrrok-Ikhine. The PAT was no good, leaving things at 7-6.

New England got three big chunk plays – two to Meyers and one to former Titan Jonnu Smith – and quickly moved from the Pats’ 27 deep into Tennessee territory, but the drive stalled and Nick Folk booted a 22-yard field goal to make it 10-6. The Titans missed a field goal on their next possession, but once again the Patriots had to settle for another field goal on the next drive, this time from 37-yards out, making it 13-6 with 3:04 to go in the half.

Davon Godchaux forced a fumble at the Pats’ 32 on the ensuing Titans’ possession and Kyle Dugger recovered it with 1:51 to go, setting up the old Bill Belichick score-at-the-end-and-start-of-a half special. Unfortunately, New England had to kick another field goal and take a 16-6 lead, but that momentum wouldn’t last long.

Three plays later the Titans Dontrell Hilliard ripped off a 68-yard touchdown run on 3rd-&-3. Folk missed a 53-yard field goal in the closing seconds of the half and New England led just 16-13 at the break after seemingly having all the momentum.

The whole settling for field goals thing continued early in the third for the Pats. New England got a great return from Gunner and a face mask call on the kickoff, setting up the offense at the Tennessee 49. Jones scrambled for seven on third down deep in Titans territory and pointed as if he made the first down despite being three yards short. Folk kicked a 28-yarder for the 19-13 lead about four minutes in.

“Yeah, I think just execution in the red zone. The goal is to score points and the best teams in the league are like 70 percent on touchdowns and we can be better there getting up to that number,” said Jones. “But, at the end of the day when you have control of the game, the goal is to get points and obviously we want to score touchdowns. That happened later, I guess and it just needs to continue to improve and we’ve put a lot of stress on it so there’s nothing that the coaches aren’t doing or anything. It comes down to us and executing.”

Two plays later, D’Onta Foreman broke off a 34-yard run, but JC Jackson chased him down from behind and stripped the ball with a fantastic athletic play. Jalen Mills recovered at the New England 37, but the Pats wasted it again, punting a few moments later. After another Titans punt, the Patriots’ got the ball at their own 44 and finally took advantage of the set up when Bourne turned a short drag route on 3rd-&-6 into a 41-yard touchdown catch and run, tip-toeing down the Titans sideline for a 26-13 lead with 5:01 to play in the quarter.

“See ball get ball,” Jackson said of his chase down strip. “He didn’t have good ball security.”

The Titans had another lengthy drive (15 plays) down inside the Patriots’ five, but on 4th-&-goal from the four, Devin McCourty tipped a pass and Mr. Int/Picks (depending on the social media handle) Jackson intercepted the ball in the back of the end zone. Folk banged home a 52-yard field goal moments 10 plays later, making it 29-13 with 6:09 to go.

After forcing a turnover on downs at the Tennessee 21, the Pats needed just two plays to get in as Damien Harris scampered in from 14-yards out to put the game out of reach. Just for good measure, Kyle Van Noy recovered a fumble in the closing seconds to put an exclamation point on another dominant home win.

In the last three games at Gillette Stadium, the Pats have now outscored the Jets, Browns and Titans 135-33. New England won’t be home again now until the day after Christmas, but if they can keep things rolling on the road starting with an enormous Monday night matchup in Buffalo next Monday, they very well could be staying home for the entire postseason.

“Next week’s going to be a fight, it’s going to be a battle,” McCourty said. “As Bill would say, if you like competition, Monday night is where you want to be.”