GameDay Prediction: Can Titans Finally Play Well Away From Home in London Matchup With Ravens?
When you're poring through all sorts of stats to try to pick a winner in an NFL game, sometimes it just comes down to an old real estate term — location, location, location.
The Tennessee Titans are playing the Baltimore Ravens in London on Sunday morning, which means they aren't in Nashville. That's the only place they've played well all season, and the Titans have been really bad away from home, losing at New Orleans, Cleveland and Indianapolis, and only scoring one touchdown in the process.
Baltimore is 3-2 right now, but they are far better than their record indicates. They kicked away losses to the Colts and Steelers, and quarterback Lamar Jackson said he thinks they should be undefeated.
He's probably not wrong. Their defense is legitimately good, one of the best units in the league. Jackson and his new contract can still make plays. That's why they are favored by 6 points on Sunday and should win against a Titans' team that's really struggling offensively, especially away from home.
This is technically a Titans home game at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London, but we know better. This is a road trip, for sure.
And we know the Ravens are better than what they've shown, especially after blowing a 10-point lead in a 17-10 loss to the Steelers last Sunday. Look for the Ravens to be more efficient against the Titans in London.
“I think they have a bounce-back [win],” ESPN analyst and former All-Pro linebacker Bart Scott said on ESPN’s First Take earlier this week. “Every once in a while, you have some of these ugly losses to your division rivals, I think they’ll be better going forward. I think they got to go all in because the AFC is wide open.”
The Baltimore defense has been very good through five games. They're third in points allowed per game (15), second in yards allowed per game (266.4) and second in sacks (18).
This matchup reminds me a lot of the Titans' game in Cleveland a few weeks ago, where they were overwhelmed by the Browns defense in a 27-3 loss. The Tennessee offense managed just 94 yards and the offense line couldn't protect quarterback Ryan Tannehill.
I'm concerned we'll see more of this today. I think the Titans are catching the Ravens at the wrong time.
Both teams are 4-1 against the over/under numbers going low, so I'm seeing a low-scoring game, too. I'll take the Ravens 21, Titans 13, followed by a long plane ride home.
Related stories on Titans-Colts
- HOW TO WATCH TITANS-RAVENS: It's football for breakfast in Nashville on Sunday when the Tennessee Titans get off to an early start to the day with a matchup against the Baltimore Ravens in London. Here's all the information on how to watch, which is certainly different from a normal Sunday, of course. CLICK HERE
- TOM BREW COLUMN: The Tennessee Titans and Baltimore Ravens are playing in London on Sunday, and the two teams took different travel approaches for their trip across the pond. The Ravens went early, the Titans late. None of it really matters, though. It's still all about the football. Jet sweeps matter more than jet lag. CLICK HERE
- TITANS INJURY REPORT: The Tennessee Titans had already ruled out three players before flying to London, England before Friday's practice, but they will still see two starters listed as questionable heading into Sunday. CLICK HERE
- WEEK 6 PLAYERS TO WATCH: The Tennessee Titans will need some standout performances from a few players if they hope to defeat the Baltimore Ravens in Week 6. Here are three players to watch in in London. CLICK HERE
- WEEK 6 KEYS TO VICTORY: The Tennessee Titans are desperate for a win in London against the Ravens and if they want to come back to the states at 3-3, they will need to will need a few things to go in their direction. CLICK HERE
- WEEK 6 POWER RANKINGS: The Tennessee Titans took a tough loss to the Indianapolis Colts in Week 6 despite the Colts leaning primarily on their backup quarterback and running. The disappointment was reflected in the Titans standing in the national power rankings. CLICK HERE
- HOPKINS FILM STUDY: The Tennessee Titans got DeAndre Hopkins' best performance so far this season as he shredded the Indianapolis Colts' zone defense, but a few missed touchdown chances ultimately prevented the Titans from making it a win. CLICK HERE
- DON'T BENCH FULTON: Tennessee Titans cornerback Kristian Fulton has had a rough start to the season and even with head coach Mike Vrabel considering benching the corner, the Titans shouldn't give up on Fulton just yet. CLICK HERE
