Every now and then, the Patriots’ toughness in the trenches is dismissed.

And that’s when they unleash a performance like Saturday night, when the Patriots were supposed to be on the wrong end of a one-sided line battle. Really, the Tennessee Titans’ only advantage was expected to be on both lines.

It was a mismatch, all right, and the Pats blew away the Titans because they controlled the line of scrimmage on both sides of the ball. Tom Brady wasn’t sacked by the Titans’ fifth-ranked pass rush, and he was only hit four times and pressured four times on 53 drop-backs.

Brady’s comfort in the pocket was evident early, and that was a key factor against defensive coordinator Dick LeBeau’s complicated scheme, which is designed to stress the communication of offensive linemen. Even among those eight disruptions, Brady completed three passes for 31 yards.

With the exception of Brian Hoyer’s three kneel-downs, the Pats ran 24 times for 102 yards and two touchdowns against the league’s fourth-best run defense. It was the fifth-highest rushing total the Titans surrendered in 18 games. Some key blocks included Joe Thuney on James White’s 6-yard touchdown and a combination of Shaq Mason, David Andrews and James Develin on Brandon Bolden’s 2-yard scoring stroll.

The Pats were even more dominant on the other side, as their eight sacks set a franchise postseason record. They added two quarterback hits and seven pressures to total 17 disruptions on 45 drop-backs by Marcus Mariota.

The Titans’ 15th-ranked rushing attack, which had 202 yards on the ground in their wild card win against the Kansas City Chiefs, was limited to 65 yards on 16 attempts, but the brunt of that occurred on Mariota’s four scrambles for 37 yards. Derrick Henry had 12 carries for 28 yards, which was just a yard more than the seldom-used Bolden.

The Patriots’ pass-rushing pressure was impressive because of its execution and coordination. Of the eight sacks, five resulted from four-man rushes, while three were from three-man rushes.

Sometimes, planning matters. Deatrich Wise ended the first drive of the day with a sack on third-and-7, which was set up by James Harrison’s second-down run stuff. The Patriots put five men on the line and only rushed three, and Adam Butler got deep in the pocket to flush Mariota, who couldn’t escape because Marquis Flowers spied the middle. By the time Mariota recognized that, Wise took him down.

Butler’s third-quarter sack was also the result of nice lane coordination by Kyle Van Noy and Trey Flowers. And Marquis Flowers showed the power of good coaching with his sack, lining up on the right edge of a five-man front and showing coverage after the snap, which caused left tackle Taylor Lewan to double Trey Flowers. Marquis Flowers then raced past Lewan to take down Mariota.

Trey Flowers also benefited from strong execution. Butler drove through the line on a three-man rush and opened a hole for Flowers to cut inside and follow him to the quarterback. Van Noy’s delayed blitz also threw off the Titans’ blocking plan, pressed Mariota out of the pocket and into Wise’s grasp for his second sack.

There’s also the matter of simply overpowering a blocker, which Ricky Jean Francois and Geneo Grissom both did to left guard Quinton Spain for two of their sacks. Grissom also handled backup right tackle Dennis Kelly for his second takedown.

Again, this was an offensive line that only allowed Mariota to get sacked 27 times in 15 regular-season games. The Titans have a big, nasty, physical group that was outmatched by the Patriots’ disciplined style.

The Pats will need a repeat performance in Sunday’s AFC Championship Game against an even greater test in the Jacksonville Jaguars, who were second in the regular season in sacks (55) while allowing the third fewest (24). Because as the Patriots proved Saturday, the team with the better lines will control the tempo, and a dominant performance will yield a blowout, even in a high-stakes playoff atmosphere.