Titans vs. Patriots 2015 live stream: Time, TV schedule and how to watch online

What a difference a week makes. Last week at this time, the New England Patriots were in the midst of a rare two-game losing streak and appeared to be in danger of losing control of their own destiny in the AFC playoff picture. They had fallen to the No. 3 seed in the conference and were ravaged by injuries.

But following a routing of the Houston Texans on Sunday Night Football and the return of Rob Gronkowski, all appears to be well in Patriot Place once again. Oh, and thanks to losses by the Denver Broncos and Cincinnati Bengals last week, the Patriots are once again the No. 1 seed in the AFC.

That's not to say all is perfect with the Patriots: They've lost running back LeGarrette Blount for the rest of the season and safety Devin McCourty is currently sidelined with a high ankle sprain. But with Gronkowski back in the lineup, everything else seems easier to stomach.

Tom Brady is a completely different quarterback when Gronkowski is in the game. He connected with him four times for 87 yards and a touchdown Sunday night.

When both Julian Edelman and Gronkowski were out, Brady's completion rate dropped to 52 percent. The Patriots receivers struggled to get open down the field and Brady didn't have anybody he could trust. When Gronkowski is in the mix, everything opens up.

With that said, the Patriots' offense has sputtered ever since the club lost running back Dion Lewis for the year with an ACL injury in Week 9. Since then, the Patriots have averaged 25.5 points per game, which is more than 10 points less what they were averaging when Brady had his full complement of weapons.

Over the last month, the Patriots' defense has done the bulk of the heavy lifting for the defending Super Bowl champs. They only yielded seven first downs to the Texans Sunday night, largely thanks to stellar work from the secondary. Third-year cornerback Logan Ryan held DeAndre Hopkins to just three catches for 52 yards and second-year corner Malcolm Butler shut down Nate Washington on the other side of the field.

Entering this season, the Patriots' secondary was their biggest question mark by far. Bill Belichick let the team's three starting cornerbacks from last year, including Darrelle Revis, leave via free agency and replaced them with an unproven group. But so far, they haven't skipped a beat.

Life will likely be challenging Sunday for rookie quarterback Marcus Mariota, whose play has been inconsistent at best this season. Through 11 games, Mariota has completed 62.4 percent of his passes for 2,786 yards with 19 touchdowns and 10 interceptions. He's also fumbled nine times. But Mariota has shown flashes of playmaking ability, with 252 yards and two touchdowns on the ground this season, as well as a receiving touchdown last week in a 30-8 loss to the New York Jets.

With the Miami Dolphins' loss to the New York Giants Monday night, the Patriots clinched their seventh straight division title and 13th in the last 15 years. Now with that taken care of, the Patriots' eyes will turn to securing a first-round bye. A matchup against the moribund Titans, who are in line for the No. 1 pick in the 2016 NFL Draft, will likely only further propel them toward achieving that goal.

Online: NFL Game Pass