It wouldn't be completely in jest to suggest that the Patriots had the Tennessee Titans right where they wanted them the moment the first snowflake hit the ground at Gillette Stadium Sunday.

Like the Arizona Cardinals, who were walloped 47-7 by the Patriots in snowy conditions in Week 16 last year, the Titans' sluggish performance indicated they were more interested in staying warm than going nose to nose with the Patriots in the trenches ... especially after Tom Brady and friends put the game out of reach with a 35-point second quarter.

Text by Chad Finn, Globe Staff