Christopher Price: Patriots 24, Titans 20. In his return, Drake Maye scores a pair of touchdowns to lead them to the win as the Patriots win back-to-back games for the first time in nearly two years.

Nicole Yang: Patriots 27, Titans 24. The Patriots got their third win of the season thanks to Drake Maye’s two-touchdown performance and defensive scoring.

Ben Volin: Patriots 24, Titans 19. It’s close to a must-win game for the Patriots, who will face no weaker opponents than the Titans for the rest of the year. The Patriots’ defense will keep Mason Rudolph out of the end zone for most of the day, and Drake Maye will return to the lineup to catch two touchdowns and score another.

Dan Shaughnessy: Patriots 21, Titans 10. We love Drake. The Pats moved into second place in the AFC East. Is it too early to talk about the wild card?

Here’s who Globe reporters are keeping an eye on.

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Everyone will watch Drake MayeAnd for good reason. But it will also be important to keep an eye on younger buyers who are active today, especially Kayshon Boutte. (KJ Osborn and Tyquan Thornton are not on the field this afternoon.) Boutte had some big catches last week against the Jets, but he was also part of a group of receivers who had multiple drops. Jerod Mayo has made it clear that he is unhappy with the wide receivers’ performance when it comes to ball security. It will be interesting to see if his message reaches Boutte and others this week. — Christopher Price

Defense. The Titans have the worst turnover differential in the league, so I expect the New England defense to suffer some turnovers this season. — Nicole Yang

Ja’Lynn Polk. He is back in the lineup after missing last week’s game with a concussion. And the Titans’ second game this week will be short-lived without CB L’Jarius Sneed. Polk had a rough start to his career with just 10 catches on 23 targets for 78 yards. With KJ Osborn and Tyquan Thornton both healthy scratches today, look for Drake Maye and the Patriots to get Polk moving forward by throwing a few designed passes his way. — Ben Volin

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Tony Pollard. The running back who has done the most damage on the ground for Tennessee this season (494 yards, 4.3 yards per carry) has been dealing with a foot issue of late. But opposing running backs have really hurt the Patriots’ run defense lately. The New England defense rallied last week against the Jets; Let’s see if he can keep his arrow pointing in the right direction against Tennessee today. — Christopher Price

Calvin Ridley. Ridley stood out last year with 10 catches and 143 yards; This was the highlight of his otherwise quiet season. The Patriots pursued Ridley this summer, but he ultimately decided to sign with Tennessee for more money and the opportunity to stay south. We’ll see if Ridley, who will likely be paired with Christian Gonzalez, can improve on last week’s performance. — Nicole Yang

Jeffery Simmons. His stats haven’t exploded this year, with just two sacks, a forced fumble and 21 tackles in six games. But Simmons is still one of the most disruptive inside linebackers in the NFL and could be very challenging for Patriots center Ben Brown, who is making his fourth consecutive start. — Ben Volin

Quarterback Will Levis is among the Titans’ inactive players, meaning Mason Rudolph will start Sunday. Also inactive for Tennessee: running back Tyjae Spears, cornerback Tre Avery and L’Jarius Sneed, linebacker Cedric Gray, offensive lineman Dillon Radunz and tight end David Martin-Robinson.

by Christopher Price

The Patriots announced that they are inactive for today’s game. Here’s a list of who will go down and what that means.

Senior safety Kyle Dugger (ankle) missed last week’s win against the Jets and will be out again today. The Patriots have good help on the back end from a wide variety of defensive backs, including rookie Dell Pettus last week. As a result, Pettus may be in line for more work today

Defensive tackle Eric Johnson is a healthy scratch, which means Daniel Ekuale, who has been dealing with an abdominal issue the past few weeks, is back in the lineup. Also, this isn’t exactly a one-for-one transition, but Jaquelin Roy’s presence has given New England a big boost over the past few weeks. Roy will likely be one of the few people the Patriots will rely on in Johnson’s absence.

There are two significant scratches on the receivers. KJ Osborn, who has been the subject of trade rumors, is a healthy scratch for New England this afternoon. With Tuesday’s deadline approaching, he’s definitely someone to keep an eye on between now and then. Also missing will be winger Tyquan Thornton, who is on the injury report (and limited) with an ankle issue. It wouldn’t be a surprise if one or both of them weren’t around after the deadline.

And Joe Milton III is the emergency quarterback.

Notable actives today include quarterback Drake Maye, who completed concussion protocol over the weekend after suffering a head injury last week against the Jets. Additionally, Ja’Lynn Polk, who suffered a concussion in last week’s loss to the Jaguars in London, is active for the first time since that contest. Additionally, Alex Austin is back to add some depth at cornerback.

By Nicole Yang

The Patriots announced Saturday that quarterback Drake Maye has cleared the concussion protocol and will be ready to play on Sunday against the Tennessee Titans.

The Patriots had initially stated that Maye was questionable to play due to his limited participation in practice all week. However, coach Jerod Mayo indicated Friday that Maye has a chance to start on Sunday. The Patriots needed clearance from medical professionals.

“When he came out of protocol, I think he was cleared by the medical experts,” Mayo said. “He’ll be ready to go.”

Maye entered the protocol after suffering a head injury in the first quarter of last Sunday’s win over the Jets. He remained on the field to finish that drive, but then entered the blue medical tent on the sideline, visited the locker room and did not return to the field.

League fines Jets linebacker Jamien Sherwood $6,354 for the unnecessary harshness of the hit that shook Maye. Even though Sherwood’s helmet hit Maye’s helmet, officials did not flag the play.

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by Christopher Price

Patriots defensive tackle Davon Godchaux offered a candid assessment of the team’s run defense against the Jets this past Sunday, explaining why they were successful despite their struggles in previous weeks. “they cut out the (expletive) cute one” and I went back to basics.

When asked about Godchaux’s views on Thursday, New England’s defensive assistants took a different approach, instead praising the front seven’s ability to work.

“To me, we really executed,” defensive coordinator DeMarcus Covington said. “Last week we talked about being a fundamentally sound, consistent football (team).

“We also talked about how it’s about actions, not words, and that’s how I look at it. It’s not about what you say. It’s about what you do and how you do it. “How well you perform and show action on the field.”

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By Chad Finn

Patriots fans, enjoy this scenario as much as possible. Because Sunday’s away game against the Titans could be the last time Jerod Mayo’s team goes into a game with more wins than its opponent this season.

The Titans have a rookie head coach, former Bengals offensive coordinator Brian Callahan, who was hired to replace Mike Vrabel’s excellent coach, and things aren’t going well. Titans have one win — 31-12 win over Tyler Huntley and the Dolphins in Week 4 – and they’ve already lost their other six games, along with a three-game losing streak.

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Emma can be reached at [email protected] or on X @_EmmaHealy_. Christopher Price can be reached at [email protected]. follow him @cpriceglobe. Nicole Yang can be reached at [email protected]. follow him @nicolecyang. Ben Volin can be reached at [email protected]. Amin Touri can be reached at [email protected].