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Key Moment: Chandler Jones, Dont’a Hightower combine for second-quarter TD 09.09.12 at 4:04 pm ET
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For the Patriots, the key moment in Sunday’s 34-13 win over the Titans came with 11:16 remaining in the second quarter. With the Patriots leading 7-3, the Titans faced a 3rd-and-13 at their own 7-yard line. That’s when the two rookie first-round picks made the impact play of the afternoon, as Chandler Jones used a swim move to blow past tackle Michael Roos and produce a strip sack of quarterback Jake Locker.

Dont’a Hightower — who had a solo tackle on the previous play on Chris Johnson (who rushed for a career-low four yards on 11 carries) for a three-yard loss to set up the 3rd-and-13 — scooped up the Locker fumble at the Tennessee 6-yard line and returned it for the score to give New England a 14-3 lead. The game was never seriously in doubt following the Hightower score.

“Right now, we have to make plays. That was the duo of the young guys. Congratulations to those guys,” Bill Belichick said after the game.

It was the highlight of a terrific debut for Jones, who dominated Roos, particularly in that second quarter that saw Jones add a pair of tackles for a loss to the strip-sack. Jones finished with five tackles, as did Hightower. Another rookie draft pick made a significant contribution to the victory, as Tavon Wilson made a diving interception in the end zone off of a Locker pass that was intended for Nate Washington and tipped by Kyle Arrington.

Read More: chandler jones, Dont'a Hightower, New England Patriots, Print  |  Bark It Up!  |  Digg It
  • glenn88

    Nick Caserio deserves credit for the drafting over the last few years.  Belechick picks the players but Caserio and his staff are doing all the evaluations prior to the draft.  Noticeable improvement

  • Bvbdan1

    Brady left 2 td’s on the table. Ridley ran well and Nate Solder played excellent. Tennessee was no match. Mcourty got lit on 4th and 1.

  • Chip

    Pretty stunning run defense. Chris Johnson needed almost 3 carries per yard gained….

  • MR.MAJESTIC

    It was the TITANS……but still a nice start,GO PATS!!!!!!!!!P.S,!!!,MR.KRAFT PLEASE BUY THE RED SOX!!!!

  • Grygor_c

    I along with the ref’s did not think McCourty interfered. Look at the replay. Who initiated the contact?? McC is running diagonal as the ball approaches the Titans receiver steps into the ball and hitting McC, The receiver initiated the contact?? yes/no?

  • http://www.facebook.com/derek.lee.82 Derek Lee

    We’re talking about bad teams? Bad teams? You want to talk about bad teams. Are the C’s better since Rondo went down. No, They beat the magic, and the Kings, you need to apply the skids.

  • Baker

    Yeah, keep posting the same thing on every article, I love it, seriously, I do. I want the same thing on every article now. Even when they lose, I want you on here reminding everyone just what the ratio is of wins loses post-Rondo… Hey, maybe you can even start a post-Sully one. I’ll start you off.
    Games without Sully: 1
    Wins without Sully 1
    … Whoa, glad we got that under control. Go #$%$ yourself.

  • Chris Nilan

    Titletown, I still can’t get over you calling Shawn Thornton useless. 

  • Vision

     They are just playing ball without thinking. I find Rondo to be out of control and not in sync with his teammates. My observation.

  • Vision

     Thorton bleeds black and gold- prototype Bruin

  • http://www.facebook.com/pete.lincoln.338 Pete Lincoln

    Rondo who?

  • Bruinman86

     Ahh, I see you have updated it. But if you really want tell the whole story, here’s the entire season:  With Rondo 14-13.  Without Rondo 5-3.

  • Baker

    Check your math, team is 23-23.

  • Cfn

    We are a better team without Rondo, plain and simple.  I don’t care what WEEI hosts say or what DOC or DA say.  We lost talent, but we gained on an a psycholocial level.  Rondo was dragging this team down because he thought it was his.  Well folks, there are others who can dribble the ball up the court and pass it.  The team is fusing together now and we will make a run into the playoffs.  With Green fired up and PP trying to prove he is better, and Barbosa and Lee and Terry competing with each other we will be awesome.  I am sorry Rondo is hurt and I use to like him, but the team is better without him.

  • sin8686

    in the past 2 or 3 years the celtics have a better winning % without rondo…its actually quite drastic and i 100% agree with VISION he makes  the team stagnant, off rhythm looking for assists to a fault…i always here how rondo makes everyone else look good…yet all ive seen is rondo looking good and everyone else looking bad (not blaming all of our woes on rondo) green terry etc. share that blame but rondo has the ball 95% of the time so he gets the lion share of the balme 

  • sin8686

    100% agree…accept the fact that he does bring it in the playoffs so that will hurt us i will admit…but hes a stat chaser and there have been numerous unconfirmed reports the teammates dont like playing alongside rondo…i.e courtney lee. terry. (albeit in a nice way). even danny ainge said that at times rondo does chase stats..when i go on espn boards fans bash me for not loving rondo and some say they hope the  C’s lose so they can shut me up. but i think those fans dont live in mass. rondo is areally good player…just not elite

  • Titletown1

     Reference Thornton’s last fight. It’s the only reason he’s on the roster and he got knocked into next week….literally, he’s out for 7-10 days. He gives the puck away more than any other player on the team. Yeah, useless.

  • Titletown1

     Couldn’t agree more. Rondo is out of control on the court and a head case to boot. As long as he gets his triple double, or close to it, he’s good. Should have dealt him when they had the chance.

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