Tennessee Titans vs. New England Patriots: 2015 Week 15 Recap

Game story

In Week 15 of the 2015 NFL season on 2015-12-20, the New England Patriots took care of business against the Tennessee Titans, pulling away with a 33–16 final that controlled the game from start to finish.

The highest-scoring period was Q2 with 20 combined points — the stretch that most shaped the final margin.

T. Brady (New England Patriots) paced the passing game, with +11.33 total EPA, and -1.8% completion percentage over expected.

On the individual side, T. Brady (New England Patriots) delivered the top overall EPA impact at +11.33 — the clearest player-of-the-game signal on the analytics sheet.

The momentum swing (-9.5% win probability) landed in the second quarter when Tennessee Titans changed the game: (14:00) (Shotgun) 8-M.Mariota sacked at TEN 17 for -9 yards (95-C.Jones). FUMBLES (95-C.Jones), touched at TEN 7, RECOVERED by NE-72-A.Hicks at TEN 0. TOUCHDOWN. TEN-8-M.Mariota was injured during the

Line score

Final score and points by quarter.

Stars of the game

Top performers by total expected points added (EPA) across passing, rushing, and receiving.

1. 1 T. Brady · New England Patriots · Passing · +11.33 total EPA · 38 snaps · +0.30 EPA/play
2. 2 B. LaFell · New England Patriots · Receiving · +6.74 total EPA · 5 snaps · +1.35 EPA/play
3. 3 D. Green-Beckham · Tennessee Titans · Receiving · +5.97 total EPA · 9 snaps · +0.66 EPA/play
4. 4 J. White · New England Patriots · Receiving · +5.57 total EPA · 8 snaps · +0.70 EPA/play
5. 5 Z. Mettenberger · Tennessee Titans · Passing · +2.85 total EPA · 32 snaps · +0.09 EPA/play
6. 6 R. Gronkowski · New England Patriots · Receiving · +2.31 total EPA · 11 snaps · +0.21 EPA/play
7. 7 A. Fasano · Tennessee Titans · Receiving · +1.82 total EPA · 4 snaps · +0.46 EPA/play
8. 8 K. Martin · New England Patriots · Receiving · +1.52 total EPA · 4 snaps · +0.38 EPA/play

Player of the game

FantasyHQ analytics player-of-the-game pick based on total EPA and signature plays.

Who scored touchdowns and field goals

Every touchdown and field goal with the player named in official play-by-play.

Touchdowns

• New England Patriots — R. Gronkowski (T. Brady pass) (Q1 52:14)
• New England Patriots — M. Mariota (Q2 44:00)
• New England Patriots — J. White (T. Brady pass) (Q2 39:31)
• Tennessee Titans — D. Walker (Z. Mettenberger pass) (Q3 25:12)
• Tennessee Titans — D. Walker (Z. Mettenberger pass) (Q4 7:04)

Field goals

• Tennessee Titans — R. Succop (Q2 39:49)
• New England Patriots — S. Gostkowski (Q2 31:49)
• New England Patriots — S. Gostkowski (Q3 20:13)
• New England Patriots — S. Gostkowski (Q4 3:35)
• New England Patriots — S. Gostkowski (Q4 1:09)

How it unfolded, quarter by quarter

A quarter-by-quarter recap built from live scoring plays and play descriptions.

The opening quarter: New England Patriots won the period 7–0. New England Patriots found the end zone from the TEN 5 (Q1 52:14) — (7:14) (Shotgun) 12-T.Brady pass short left to 87-R.Gronkowski for 5 yards, TOUCHDOWN.; New England Patriots added 1 points from the TEN 15 (Q1 52:10) — 3-S.Gostkowski extra point is GOOD, Center-49-J.Cardona, Holder-6-R.Allen..

The second quarter: New England Patriots won the period 17–3. New England Patriots found the end zone from the NE 74 (Q2 44:00); New England Patriots added 1 points from the TEN 15 (Q2 43:48) — 3-S.Gostkowski extra point is GOOD, Center-49-J.Cardona, Holder-6-R.Allen.; Tennessee Titans connected on a field goal from the NE 31 (Q2 39:49) — (9:49) 4-R.Succop 49 yard field goal is GOOD, Center-48-B.Brinkley, Holder-6-B.Kern.; New England Patriots found the end zone from the TEN 30 (Q2 39:31); New England Patriots added 1 points from the TEN 15 (Q2 39:23) — 3-S.Gostkowski extra point is GOOD, Center-49-J.Cardona, Holder-6-R.Allen.; New England Patriots connected on a field goal from the TEN 25 (Q2 31:49) — (1:49) 3-S.Gostkowski 43 yard field goal is GOOD, Center-49-J.Cardona, Holder-6-R.Allen..

The third quarter: Tennessee Titans won the period 7–3. Tennessee Titans found the end zone from the NE 7 (Q3 25:12) — (10:12) (Shotgun) 7-Z.Mettenberger pass short middle to 82-D.Walker for 7 yards, TOUCHDOWN.; Tennessee Titans added 1 points from the NE 15 (Q3 25:05) — 4-R.Succop extra point is GOOD, Center-48-B.Brinkley, Holder-6-B.Kern.; New England Patriots connected on a field goal from the TEN 20 (Q3 20:13) — (5:13) 3-S.Gostkowski 38 yard field goal is GOOD, Center-49-J.Cardona, Holder-6-R.Allen..

The fourth quarter: The quarter finished even at 6–6. Tennessee Titans found the end zone from the NE 57 (Q4 7:04) — (7:04) (Shotgun) 7-Z.Mettenberger pass short middle to 82-D.Walker for 57 yards, TOUCHDOWN. NE-23-P.Chung was injured during the play.; New England Patriots connected on a field goal from the TEN 23 (Q4 3:35) — (3:35) 3-S.Gostkowski 42 yard field goal is GOOD, Center-49-J.Cardona, Holder-6-R.Allen. kicked bounced off right upright and through; New England Patriots connected on a field goal from the TEN 14 (Q4 1:09) — (1:09) 3-S.Gostkowski 32 yard field goal is GOOD, Center-49-J.Cardona, Holder-6-R.Allen..

Turning points

Plays that moved win probability the most — the swings that decided the game.

• Tennessee Titans (Q2 44:00) — (14:00) (Shotgun) 8-M.Mariota sacked at TEN 17 for -9 yards (95-C.Jones). FUMBLES (95-C.Jones), touched at TEN 7, RECOVERED by NE-72-A.Hicks at TEN 0. TOUCHDOWN. TEN-8-M.Mariota was injured during the [WPA -9.5% · EPA -6.57]
• New England Patriots (Q1 56:54) — (11:54) (Shotgun) 12-T.Brady pass short middle to 19-B.LaFell pushed ob at TEN 45 for 29 yards (28-M.Huff). [WPA +7.2% · EPA +2.89]
• Tennessee Titans (Q2 41:35) — (11:35) 6-B.Kern punts 61 yards to NE 20, Center-48-B.Brinkley. 80-D.Amendola to NE 25 for 5 yards (89-P.Supernaw). FUMBLES (89-P.Supernaw), RECOVERED by TEN-37-C.Riggs at NE 26. 37-C.Riggs to NE 26 f [WPA +5.7% · EPA +5.47]
• Tennessee Titans (Q2 35:16) — (5:16) 26-A.Andrews left guard to NE 38 for no gain (23-P.Chung). measurement [WPA -4.9% · EPA -3.39]
• New England Patriots (Q1 55:54) — (10:54) (Shotgun) 12-T.Brady pass short left to 19-B.LaFell to TEN 36 for 10 yards (24-C.Sensabaugh; 33-M.Griffin). [WPA +4.4% · EPA +0.90]

Impact plays

Highest expected-points added snaps that flipped field position and scoring chances.

• Tennessee Titans (Q2 44:00) — (14:00) (Shotgun) 8-M.Mariota sacked at TEN 17 for -9 yards (95-C.Jones). FUMBLES (95-C.Jones), touched at TEN 7, RECOVERED by NE-72-A.Hicks at TEN 0. TOUCHDOWN. TEN-8-M.Mariota was injured during the [WPA -9.5% · EPA -6.57]
• Tennessee Titans (Q4 2:28) — (2:28) (Shotgun) 7-Z.Mettenberger pass short right intended for 82-D.Walker INTERCEPTED by 91-J.Collins at NE 33. 91-J.Collins to TEN 16 for 51 yards (20-B.Sankey). TEN-70-C.Warmack was injured during [WPA -0.3% · EPA -5.92]
• Tennessee Titans (Q2 41:35) — (11:35) 6-B.Kern punts 61 yards to NE 20, Center-48-B.Brinkley. 80-D.Amendola to NE 25 for 5 yards (89-P.Supernaw). FUMBLES (89-P.Supernaw), RECOVERED by TEN-37-C.Riggs at NE 26. 37-C.Riggs to NE 26 f [WPA +5.7% · EPA +5.47]
• Tennessee Titans (Q4 7:04) — (7:04) (Shotgun) 7-Z.Mettenberger pass short middle to 82-D.Walker for 57 yards, TOUCHDOWN. NE-23-P.Chung was injured during the play. [WPA +2.1% · EPA +4.93]

Quarterback report card

T.Brady led all passers in efficiency for New England Patriots, setting the tone in the passing game according to FantasyHQ analytics.

• T.Brady (New England Patriots) · 38 dropbacks · 60.5% completion · -1.8% CPOE · +0.30 EPA/play · +11.33 total EPA
• Z.Mettenberger (Tennessee Titans) · 32 dropbacks · 62.5% completion · +8.9% CPOE · +0.09 EPA/play · +2.85 total EPA

Team stats comparison

Side-by-side offensive and defensive efficiency from FantasyHQ analytics.

By the numbers

New England Patriots held the efficiency edge in offensive EPA per play (+0.07 vs -0.14), even if the scoreboard told a different story.

• New England Patriots: 12 drives, +5.87 total EPA, 6 scoring drives
• Tennessee Titans: 14 drives, -11.00 total EPA, 4 scoring drives

Key takeaways

What to remember for fantasy research, film review, and follow-up box score digging.

• New England Patriots leaves with the win and the better postgame narrative for Week-to-week momentum.
• T. Brady (New England Patriots) is the first name to pull up for highlight reels and prop-retrospective research.
• Z. Mettenberger (TEN) beat expectation through the air — positive CPOE game for stack builds.

Every scoring play

Chronological scoring with field position and full play-by-play context.

1. New England Patriots TD (+6) — Q1 52:14 · TEN 5 · Score 0-6
   (7:14) (Shotgun) 12-T.Brady pass short left to 87-R.Gronkowski for 5 yards, TOUCHDOWN.
2. New England Patriots XP (+1) — Q1 52:10 · TEN 15 · Score 0-7
   3-S.Gostkowski extra point is GOOD, Center-49-J.Cardona, Holder-6-R.Allen.
3. New England Patriots TD (+6) — Q2 44:00 · NE 74 · Score 0-13
   (14:00) (Shotgun) 8-M.Mariota sacked at TEN 17 for -9 yards (95-C.Jones). FUMBLES (95-C.Jones), touched at TEN 7, RECOVERED by NE-72-A.Hicks at TEN 0. TOUCHDOWN
4. New England Patriots XP (+1) — Q2 43:48 · TEN 15 · Score 0-14
   3-S.Gostkowski extra point is GOOD, Center-49-J.Cardona, Holder-6-R.Allen.
5. Tennessee Titans FG (+3) — Q2 39:49 · NE 31 · Score 3-14
   (9:49) 4-R.Succop 49 yard field goal is GOOD, Center-48-B.Brinkley, Holder-6-B.Kern.
6. New England Patriots TD (+6) — Q2 39:31 · TEN 30 · Score 3-20
   (9:31) (Shotgun) 12-T.Brady pass short left to 28-J.White for 30 yards, TOUCHDOWN. NE 12-Brady 35th TD pass of season, 4th career season with 35+ TD passes, tie
7. New England Patriots XP (+1) — Q2 39:23 · TEN 15 · Score 3-21
   3-S.Gostkowski extra point is GOOD, Center-49-J.Cardona, Holder-6-R.Allen.
8. New England Patriots FG (+3) — Q2 31:49 · TEN 25 · Score 3-24
   (1:49) 3-S.Gostkowski 43 yard field goal is GOOD, Center-49-J.Cardona, Holder-6-R.Allen.
9. Tennessee Titans TD (+6) — Q3 25:12 · NE 7 · Score 9-24
   (10:12) (Shotgun) 7-Z.Mettenberger pass short middle to 82-D.Walker for 7 yards, TOUCHDOWN.
10. Tennessee Titans XP (+1) — Q3 25:05 · NE 15 · Score 10-24
    4-R.Succop extra point is GOOD, Center-48-B.Brinkley, Holder-6-B.Kern.
11. New England Patriots FG (+3) — Q3 20:13 · TEN 20 · Score 10-27
    (5:13) 3-S.Gostkowski 38 yard field goal is GOOD, Center-49-J.Cardona, Holder-6-R.Allen.
12. Tennessee Titans TD (+6) — Q4 7:04 · NE 57 · Score 16-27
    (7:04) (Shotgun) 7-Z.Mettenberger pass short middle to 82-D.Walker for 57 yards, TOUCHDOWN. NE-23-P.Chung was injured during the play.
13. New England Patriots FG (+3) — Q4 3:35 · TEN 23 · Score 16-30
    (3:35) 3-S.Gostkowski 42 yard field goal is GOOD, Center-49-J.Cardona, Holder-6-R.Allen. kicked bounced off right upright and through
14. New England Patriots FG (+3) — Q4 1:09 · TEN 14 · Score 16-33
    (1:09) 3-S.Gostkowski 32 yard field goal is GOOD, Center-49-J.Cardona, Holder-6-R.Allen.