New England Patriots Vs. Tennessee Titans NFL Week 7 Betting Picks and Predictions

Patriots' Vrabel Returns to a Titan-Sized Mess

When the new NFL schedule dropped, the Patriots heading to Nashville to take on the Titans on October 18 was immediately circled on calendars. This saw the spectacular return of Mike Vrabel, the much-loved ex-Titans head coach who in the shock move following the 2023 season had his tenure unceremoniously ended and swiftly picked up by the Patriots after having spent time with the Browns.

What no one could have predicted, however, is the absolute dumpster fire his Patriots (4-2) would be walking into. The struggling Titans (1-5) didn't just lose to the Raiders last Sunday; they imploded, leading to the franchise's first major coaching casualty of the 2025 season.

On Monday, the Titans brass officially pulled the plug on the Brian Callahan era after a dismal 4-19 record. The action was a clear condemnation of the inability of the team to develop No. 1 overall choice quarterback Cam Ward. Hired for his offensive mind and experience with Joe Burrow in Cincinnati, Callahan could neither safeguard nor develop the rookie quarterback.

Ward has been stripped a league-leading 25 times this year, and the offense has seemed utterly bewildered at times, which all boiled over in the crappy 10-point effort against the Las Vegas game. The irony is plentiful in that Callahan's own dad, the great offensive lines ace Bill Callahan, happens to be on the Titans' staff and now must handle this uncomfortable transition.

The Titans announced senior offensive assistant Mike McCoy would be the interim head coach, another twist in the game-planning this weekend. A former Chargers head coach, McCoy comes in to take the reins of a team in Dysfunction Central, with drama surrounding how to develop their franchise quarterback and the overall vision of the franchise.

This is no longer about revenge for Vrabel. This is his opportunity to walk back into his previous stadium as the triumphant hero and go up against a franchise that appeared to have entirely lost the map ever since his exit. This is the stuff of football soap operas, and everyone's attention is focused on whether the Titans can muster the unity with new management or whether Vrabel's Patriots give them an embarrassingly humiliating welcome-back present.

The +7 spread undervalues New England — they're likely to control this game and cover comfortably. I can see the Pats easily keeping the Titans from finding the end zone while its offense works some magic, especially amid the titanic Titan upheaval.