Ravens-Titans Poised for Another Heated Postseason Battle
BALTIMORE — The Titans players fired a salvo after they gathered on the Ravens logo at midfield shortly before kickoff in their key Week 11 matchup.
Baltimore coach John Harbaugh immediately confronted Tennessee cornerback Malcolm Butler and coach Mike Vrabel.
"It's disrespectful," Harbaugh shouted.
The Titans emerged with a 30-24 victory on a 29-yard touchdown run by Derrick Henry with 5:21 left in overtime.
Still, there was a sense that these teams have some unfinished business and they'll meet in the playoffs for a second consecutive season Sunday, Jan. 10, at 1 p.m. in Nashville.
Tennessee knocked top-seeded Baltimore out of the playoffs last season with a dominant 28-12 victory. It was a devastating loss for the Ravens, who were coming off the best season in franchise history.
Baltimore (11-5) enters this year's playoffs as the fifth seed but still opened as 3.5-point favorites over the fourth-seeded Titans (11-5).
The Ravens players downplayed a potential third matchup with Tennessee following their 38-3 victory over the Bengals in the regular-season finale. Overall, Baltimore and Tennessee have met four times in the playoffs with each team winning two games on the road.
“It’s not about them; it’s about us," Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson said. "It really doesn’t matter who we play. We’re going to go in there with the same mentality; just focus on our assignment and just try to come out with a ‘W.’ But if we play them, then that’s a good thing, as well. It really doesn’t matter, but I’ll be grateful for whoever we play. I’m just happy we made the playoffs.”
Baltimore needs to stop Henry to snap the two-game skid against the Titans.
In last year's playoff game, Henry rumbled for 195 yards on 30 carries. He also threw a touchdown pass.
In Week 11, The Ravens managed to contain Henry in the first half before he began to wear them down in the fourth quarter. Henry finished with 133 yards on 28 carries.
Tennessee quarterback Ryan Tannehill has been efficient against Baltimore with play-action and has managed to avoid crucial turnovers.
One of the main storylines this week will center around Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson, who is still trying to win the first playoff game of his young career.
After some early-season struggles, Jackson is playing his best football and has led the Ravens to five consecutive victories.
Jackson is the first quarterback in NFL history to reach 30 wins in his first 37 starts. He is now 30-7 as a starter.
Jackson rushed for 97 yards, eclipsing the 1,000-yard mark for the second-straight season and becoming the first NFL quarterback with multiple 1,000-yard rushing seasons. Jackson finished the regular season with 1,005 rushing yards.
He also threw three touchdown passes, and now has 47 scores and no interceptions in the red zone. This marks the most red-zone touchdowns without throwing an interception in a player’s first three seasons.
However, he knows the season hinges on a deep playoff run.
"We faced a lot of adversity," Jackson said. "People doubted us a lot throughout the season because we weren’t having the year that we had last year, but it’s ‘Any Given Sunday,’ and our team fought through that, and we showed the world we’re here to play, and we’ve just got to keep it going."
