After the Pats took the lead, quarterback Steve McNair quickly moved the Titans down to the New England 33-yard line, but an intentional grounding penalty and a holding call knocked Tennessee out of field goal range. On fourth-and-12 and under heavy pressure, McNair lofted a pass high in the air that wide receiver Drew Bennett seemed to have a bead on, but the ball bounced out of his hands as he was hit by a defender.
The Patriots jumped out to the early lead in this contest when Tom Brady hit wide receiver Bethel Johnson over the middle for a 41-yard touchdown less than four minutes into the game.
Tennessee answered right back with a five-play, 63 yard drive that was capped by a five-yard touchdown run by rookie Chris Brown on the ensuing drive.
After taking the kickoff, the Patriots advanced 38 yards before their drive stalled. Vinatieri attempted to reclaim the lead for New England, but his 44-yard field goal attempt was no good.
The Titans took possession of the ball at their own 26-yard line, but on their first play, safety Rodney Harrison picked off a McNair pass and returned it seven yards to the New England 43.
Brady marched the Patriots 57 yards in 11 plays, including a one-yard touchdown plunge by Antowain Smith on the third play of the second quarter, giving New England a 14-7 lead, which they carried into halftime.
After the Patriots stalled on their first drive of the second half, Tennessee methodically advanced down the field in 11 plays, eating up nearly eight minutes off the clock. Wide receiver Derrick Mason hauled in a short pass, shook off a tackle and dove across the goal line for an 11-yard touchdown as he was knocked out of bounds, capping off the drive and knotting the score at 14.
The two teams endured temperatures that dipped to two degrees, with a wind chill of 11 below, as they battled to a stalemate through the rest of the third quarter and most of the fourth, before a Craig Hentrich punt combined with a Troy Brown 10-yard return gave New England the ball at the Titans 40, and helped set up the game-winning kick.
New England has now won 13 games in a row, and will advance to the AFC Championship game to meet the winner of the Kansas City Chiefs-Indianapolis Colts contest on Sunday.
