Former Vol rises up as unlikely hero that shifts the entire NFL offseason trajectory
An unlikely former Tennessee QB plays hero for the Titans, puts nail in head coach’s coffin
Joe Milton was not the hero anybody expected in Week 18 of the NFL season. But for the Tennessee Titans, that's exactly what he was.
After an opening drive touchdown with Drake Maye, Jerod Mayo pulled the Patriots starter and sent in 3rd string QB Joe Milton. The 6th round rookie played the rest of the game, going 22/29 for 241yds and 2 total touchdowns. It was only his NFL debut.
Milton ultimately led the 3-13 Patriots to their 4th win of the season, aided by the Bills playing backups for the majority of the game with nothing to play for.
Milton's heroics fundamentally changed the landscape of the impending NFL offseason, as the Patriots were ensured the 1st overall draft pick had they managed to lose in Week 18. With a win, they fell in the order to 4th overall, propelling the Tennessee Titans into the 1st overall draft slot.
Things couldn't have gone better for the Titans in Week 17 and 18, losing both of their games (in Week 18, with some real tanking flare) and jumping from 4th, to 2nd, up to 1st at the final buzzer.
Their loss to the Jaguars dropped them into the 3rd position that Jacksonville was occupying, the Giants' Week 17 explosion with Drew Lock against the Colts bumped them into 2nd, and the combination of a Titans loss and a Patriots win in Week 18 was what sealed the deal to move them into the driver's seat of the draft.
While Milton's finale performance was a Godsend for the Titans, it marked the ugly end to Patriots HC Jerod Mayo's tenure in New England.
Mere minutes after the Patriots and Bills left the field, it was announced that Mayo had been fired by the Krafts. His time in New England was a one-and-done rookie season, marred by embarrassing situational football and poor communication in the media.
