The New England Patriots find themselves in unfamiliar territory this Saturday, playing in the Wildcard Round of the AFC playoffs against the Tennessee Titans. The Patriots were aiming for the No. 2 spot in the conference before losing a stunner to the Miami Dolphins in Week 17. The Titans, on the other hand, have battled their way into the postseason, making the cut thanks to a 5-2 run in their final seven games.

Oddsmakers opened New England as big as -5.5 but money on Tennessee has dropped this spread as low as -4.5 before buyback on the Patriots settled the line in at -5. If you are betting the AFC Wildcard odds for Titans at Patriots, here are some nfl betting lines to factor into your handicapping.

Pats problems
The New England offense has been a sore spot for this team all season, failing to meet the lofty expectations of past seasons. Tom Brady and the passing game have struggled mightily, averaging only 6.4 yards per attempt and completing only 61% of those passes. That’s left the Patriots to score 24 points or less in seven of their last eight games.

The rushing attack has peaked toward the end of the schedule, carrying New England to the finish line. Over the final three games of the season, the Patriots handed off on half of their offensive snaps and averaged 4.8 yards per carry – a full yard higher than their season average.

That run-focused playbook now faces a Titans defense ranked among the best run stop units in the league. Tennessee has slowed opposing rushers to 104.5 yards per game and give up only four yards per run – seventh lowest in the NFL.

A different tune
The Titans have looked completely different on offense since switching from Marcus Mariota to Ryan Tannehill at quarterback back in Week 7. A stagnant scoring attack exploded, with Tennessee averaging over 31 points since the swap at QB and the playbook has found some balance, with running back Derrick Henry still serving as the motor for this Titans offense.

Henry erupted for a 211-yard performance in Week 17, after dealing with injuries in Week 15 and 16. The powerful rusher is going up against a Patriots defense that gave up 4.2 yards per carry to opponents this season. Henry not only gives Tennessee a good chance to pound the ball and milk the clock – with the Titans needing to win the time of possession battle – but a steady dose of the ground game will also limit the turnovers that New England’s defense has feasted on all season.

Total time
The Over/Under betting total for this AFC Wildcard game is set at 44 points after climbing from its opening number of 41.5.

Tennessee enters the postseason with a 10-6 Over/Under record and has played Over the total in seven of the eight games in which Tannehill started at quarterback. The Titans are 5-3 O/U on the road. New England, on the other hand, is 7-9 Over/Under but has gone Over the number in three straight games entering the playoffs and owns a 4-4 O/U mark at home.

The forecast for Gillette Stadium is calling for rain and temperatures around freezing on Saturday night for this 8:15 pm EST kickoff.