Four Things Ravens Must Do To Avoid Upset By The Titans

The Ravens can’t get too cute this weekend.

The Titans, winless and somewhat desperate, are comfortable playing ugly football and mucking it up and trying to keep it close and low scoring HYPER TIRANS. A Ravens team that has struggled with his emotional and mental maturity in close-and-late situations needs to be prepared to handle that in a forthright manner and be committed to surviving and advancing.

Given that state of their offensive line and their continued struggles on defense, the Ravens must be mindful of what Titans defensive tackle Jeffery Simmons can do to wreck this game and stick with a game plan to grind him down and also attack in space away from him. Baltimore starting a rookie guard at center, Vega Ioane, and having to go back to Andrew Vorhees likely as a starting guard, with veteran guard John Simpson having all kinds of issues himself, puts the offensive in a highly-compromised position.

They need to be mindful of that.

If Declan Doyle wants to run Henry seven yards behind the line of scrimmage on dive plays behind this line and against this front, when he needs a yard on fourth-and-goal, he can expect the same results as last week against Dallas (a far more suspect defensive front). It starts with him putting two-time MVP Lamar Jackson in positions to thrives and not trying to do too much.

“Specifically, it starts with myself,” Doyle said Thursday, “and looking at the plan and schematically, 'Were we asking our guys to do things that fit the defense? Were we asking them to do things that fit what they are capable of? How did we execute those things at each spot?'

“You kind of go through that process; as soon as we get on the plane we are going through the tape. Any time that we go down there and we do not score on a run play or four run plays, I feel like I failed as a coach. I feel like our staff feels like we failed our players. I feel like our players feel like they failed execution. Everybody has a hand in it. But it is really about the problem solving moving forward.”

These are the keys to winning Sunday:

Simmons Surrender

Tennessee Titans defensive tackle Jeffery Simmons (98) enters the field before the game against the Philadelphia Eagles at Nissan Stadium in Nashville, Tenn., Sunday, Sept. 20, 2026. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

You can challenge him if you want, or you can adopt a game plan where he is consistently doubled and you accept that will limit your efficiencies and aspirational goals on offense, but also recognize the importance of getting Jackson through this game when he will be under duress (44% pressure rate this season) with an offensive line that even at its best begged major questions about pass protection.

This dude just had10 tackles and a sack. He is arguably the best defensive tackle in the NFL right now and leads all defensive tackles in sacks, pressures and tackles for a loss since the start of last season. He’s ticked off after a war of words with Jalen Hurts didn’t go his way in the Eagles game (though they kept it close) and he has to be watching film of this offensive line licking his chops at the damage he can do.

His head coach, Robert Saleh, has coached some demons up from and when he calls Simmons the best he’s seen, I wouldn’t discount it. “His stat numbers look like something out of Madden,” Saleh said this week. Yes they do. Respond in kind from the offensive side, live with three yards and a cloud of dust and be prepared to limit Lamar’s dropbacks.

Pause The Penalties

Football - NFL - Baltimore Ravens v Dallas Cowboys - Estadio Maracana, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil - John Simpson, Jovaughn Gwyn — Football - NFL - Baltimore Ravens v Dallas Cowboys - Estadio Maracana, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil - September 27, 2026 Baltimore Ravens' Jovaughn Gwyn and John Simpson react REUTERS/Sergio Moraes | REUTERS

Having Simmons lording over this line is probably not going to bring out the best in them and I wonder if Simpson has another hat trick of false starts in him. But new center or not, it cannot happen, because getting into second-and-15 and first-and-20 against this front is a recipe for disaster. The Ravens’ offensive penalty differential is as bad as any in football and Doyle needs to simply things as much as possible to try to get this cleaned up.

Averaging six offensive penalties a week, almost all at the line of scrimmage, is no way to go through a season.

Multiplicity In The Run Game

Football - NFL - Baltimore Ravens v Dallas Cowboys - Estadio Maracana, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil - September 27, 2026 Baltimore Ravens' Justice Hill in action REUTERS/Brian Snyder | REUTERS

Is it possible that four Ravens could have at least 3-5 carries in this game? And man am I interested to see rookie Adam Randall in a “Joker” role when he gets off the Injured Reserve list. Henry is getting stymied behind the line of scrimmage, and the spring plays and speed looks are going to be imperative here.

Flowers needs more than one perimeter carry out of the backfield and probable more than one target out of the backfield as well. I suspect we see quite a bit of Justice Hill this week, and Doyle might also want to attack with a little pace if possible and try to tire Simmons out (he’s played the second-most snaps of any DT thus far).

Deep Shots, Not Just Zay's Way

Aug 15, 2026; Baltimore, Maryland, USA; Baltimore Ravens wide receiver Devontez Walker (81) is brought down after a reception in the first quarter against the Philadelphia Eagles at M&T Bank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jamie Sabau-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Devontez Walker is getting open and he is running the kind of routes that scare the heck out of defensive coordinators. Jackson has underthrown him a time or two but these two are going to connect. They have to connect, because we know what Rashod Bateman is here and Lamar knows what happens when he targets him, and I expect him and Walker to get linked up Sunday.

The chasm between Flowers and anyone else on this roster needs to close some, especially in regards to explosive plays. Walker has run 25 routes and is averaging 37 air yards per route(!!!). They are going to hit on some like they have in the past.

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