Winners of five straight, the red-hot New England Patriots (7-4) own the longest winning streak in the NFL. They host the Tennessee Titans (8-3) on Sunday afternoon at Gillette Stadium in a battle of division leaders. The Patriots are fresh off a shutout victory over the Atlanta Falcons, while the AFC-leading Titans are coming off a stunning home loss to the lowly Houston Texans. In this piece, we'll make some bold predictions for the Week 12 heavyweight matchup between the Patriots and Titans.

After a 2-4 start to the season, the Patriots are now in the hunt for the AFC’s top seed. The Titans, meanwhile, are banged up and will be without the likes of playmakers Derrick Henry, Julio Jones and Marcus Johnson on offense.

For more insight on the Patriots' Week 12 matchup against the Titans, listen below:

The East-leading Patriots, led by rookie QB Mac Jones, are listed as 6.5-point favorites over the Titans, per FanDuel.

New England Patriots Week 12 Bold Predictions

4. Patriots intercept Ryan Tannehill multiple times

The Patriots lead the NFL with 18 interceptions. They have returned three of those interceptions for touchdowns, including Kyle Van Noy’s pick six in Week 11.

Titans quarterback Ryan Tannehill will have his hands full against New England’s vaunted secondary. Tannehill has been uncharacteristically careless with the football this season. After throwing only 13 interceptions in 2019 and 2020 combined, Tannehill has already 12 picks this season — including a career-worst four last week versus the Houston Texans.

The Titans have become a one-dimensional team since star running back Derrick Henry suffered a foot injury. They have struggled to run the ball — already giving up on the Adrian Peterson experiment — and have decreased their play-action plays, where Tannehill is at his best.

With so many factors going against Tannehill, look for the veteran quarterback to throw at least two interceptions.

3. Patriots hold A.J. Brown to under 60 yards receiving

X-rays on A.J. Brown’s ribs came back negative after the star wideout was forced out of action in the Titans’ stunning defeat to the Texans. He’s not a lock to play Sunday as he still needs more tests done, but the 24-year-old will likely try to play through the ailment, especially since so many of his teammates are out of commission.

Patriots head coach Bill Belichick is better than anyone at defusing his opponent’s top player. With Henry sidelined, Belichick’s defense can focus primarily on Brown.

Last week, the Patriots made a conscious effort to slow down Falcons rising star Kyle Pitts. The Patriots held Pitts to a mere three catches for 29 yards, his second-lowest yardage output of his rookie campaign.

Brown will be the player the Patriots look to contain in Week 12. With that in mind, Brown will fail to eclipse 60 yards in receiving.

2. Kendrick Bourne scores a touchdown

Free-agent addition Kendrick Bourne has collected four touchdowns thus far in his first year with the Patriots. He is by no means a focal point of the Patriots’ offense, which is run heavy, but he has had his moments.

In Week 3, Bourne caught six passes for 96 yards and a TD during a blowout loss to the New Orleans Saints. In a lopsided victory over the Cleveland Browns in Week 10, Bourne nabbed four passes for 98 yards and a score.

Bourne has seen exactly four targets in each of his past three games, so his opportunities have certainly been limited. But he is capable of producing massive gains, as evidenced by his three receptions of 40-plus yards. There are only nine players across the NFL with more catches of 40-plus yards.

Facing off against the Titans’ 24th-ranked pass defense, Bourne will find the end zone for the fifth time in 2021.

1. New England allows just one TD, covers 6.5-point spread

The Patriots may have the best defense in football. The NFL’s No. 1 scoring defense, the Patriots have yielded only 16.1 points per contest. They rank third in both yards allowed (313.2 per game) and takeaways (21). New England has notched 28 sacks, tied for seventh in the league. The Patriots have surrendered just 13 points total in their past 3 games.

New England’s defensive unit is playing its best football of the year and now faces an injury-plagued Tennessee squad that looked hapless a week ago.

The Patriots, who are 6.5-point favorites, will allow just one touchdown to the AFC South-leading Titans. They will cover the spread, beating the Titans 23-13.