New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady is sacked by a group of Tennessee Titans during the second half of Sunday's game in Nashville.NASHVILLE - Tom Brady added another big chunk of NFL history to his résumé.
By hitting Brady over and over again, the Tennessee Titans made sure the New England Patriots quarterback didn't finish his 300th game.
The Titans sacked Brady three times and hit him six more times as they beat New England 34-10 Sunday, snapping a seven-game skid against the Patriots in rookie head coach Mike Vrabel's first game against the team he helped win three Super Bowls as a linebacker.
It was the most sacks allowed in a game this season by the Patriots (7-3), and coach Bill Belichick pulled Brady for Brian Hoyer midway through the fourth quarter.
"You've got to make Tom blink, and if you make him blink and have to go to a second read, you've got a chance," Vrabel said of his former teammate. "But if you let him rip it to the first guy he looks at, it's going to be a long day."
Asked if he thought Brady was effective, Belichick said to ask Brady.
"It was just a bad day for all of us," Brady said.
Only Brett Favre has played in more NFL games, both regular-season and postseason, as a quarterback than Brady, with the Hall of Famer totaling 326 in his career with the Atlanta Falcons, Green Bay Packers, New York Jets and Minnesota Vikings.
Brady, a three-time NFL MVP, entered Sunday needing three touchdown passes to tie Peyton Manning for the NFL record for most all-time for both the regular season and the postseason (579). Brady left having thrown for 254 yards but no scores, and the Titans outgained the Patriots 385-284 in total offense, holding New England to just 40 rushing yards.
Titans linebacker Wesley Woodyard, who had 1.5 sacks, said that allowed them to get after Brady, who lost 23 yards due to sacks.
"Coach Vrabel said make them pay for everything," Woodyard said. "Tackle him, hit him and make him feel it."
Tennessee quarterback Marcus Mariota capped his team's first two possessions with touchdown passes, Derrick Henry ran for a pair of scores and Ryan Succop added two field goals as the Titans (5-4) notched a season high in points after jumping out to a 17-3 lead in the first quarter. They now have beaten both of last season's Super Bowl teams in Nashville this year, with their 26-23 overtime victory against the Philadelphia Eagles coming on Sept. 30.
Darius Jennings opened Sunday's game with a 58-yard kickoff return, Mariota capped the ensuing drive with a 4-yard touchdown pass to Jonnu Smith and Tennessee never trailed.
The Patriots had won six straight this season but go into their bye week off a loss, their first to Tennessee since Dec. 16, 2002. Their run of success against the Titans included a 35-14 win against them in the divisional round of last year's playoffs.
The Titans came in with the NFL's stingiest scoring defense and also leading the league in fewest touchdowns allowed in the red zone.
Stephen Gostkowski made a 52-yard field goal on New England's first possession, and when James Develin scored on a 1-yard touchdown run and Gostokowski made the extra-point kick, it cut the hosts' lead to 17-10 early in the second quarter.
By the end of the half, Tennessee's lead was back to two touchdowns - and not even a bit of late trickery was enough to produce another Brady-led comeback.
The veteran quarterback caught a 6-yard pass from Julian Edelman but was stopped at the Titans' 1-yard line early in the fourth quarter. A false start followed, then Logan Ryan, a former New England cornerback, broke up a Brady pass to Edelman to force a turnover on downs.
On the very next play, Vrabel called his own trick play, with Jennings throwing to a wide-open Mariota for a 21-yard gain. Hoyer replaced Brady on the next drive.
"It's hard to win in the NFL," Brady said when asked about being pulled. "You can't take it for granted. And I think it's hard to win. If you don't play well, you don't win."