Titans Come Up Short in London, Fall to Ravens, 24-16
Playing on another continent didn't do anything to help rewrite the script for the Tennessee Titans on Sunday.
Once again, the Titans struggled to score touchdowns in the red zone and made too many blunders in all three phases of the game, which was part of the NFL's International Series in London. It led to a 24-16 loss to the Baltimore Ravens, dropping Tennessee to 2-4 on the season heading into their bye week.
The loss also may have hit the start button on the Titans' rebuild. Veteran quarterback Ryan Tannehill, who is in the last year of his contract, did not play well again. He was just 8-for-16 passing for 76 yards and an interception, and then had to leave the game with an injury in the fourth quarter. He left the field on a cart, and second-year QB Malik Willis had to finish the game, with no positive results.
The Titans are off next week, and return to action on Oct. 29 at home against Atlanta. It's going to be interesting to see how badly Tannehill is hurt — and how the Titans handle this going forward.
Tennessee never led at all on Sunday. The Titans only ahd 75 yards of total offense in the first half, and the running game non-existent, getting just 14 yards on seven carries. The Ravens led 18-3 in a half where almost nothing went right for Tennessee.
Baltimore quarterback Lamar Jackson got off to a hot start, completing first seven passes for 98 yards. The Ravens scored on their first four possessions, getting three field goals from Justin Tucker and a touchdown pass from Jackson to rookie wide receiver Zay Flowers. The Titans' defense did make several red zone stops, but with the offense not doing anything, it led to a big halftime deficit.
Special teams didn't help, either. For some reason, Kyle Phillips decided to catch a punt near the goal line with just a second left in the half. He muffed it, and Baltimore recovered, adding another Tucker field goal to make it 18-3 at the break. s punt with one second left in half. Gifts the Ravens three more points.
In the second half, the Titans did finally break a few big plays. Derrick Henry broke a huge run on a fake reverse, going 63 yards to the Baltimore 9-yard line. But Tannehill made two non-competitive throws, and the Titans had to settle for a field goal to make it 18-6.
Two plays later, Tennessee cornerback Sean Murphy-Bunting intercepted a Jackson pass and the Titans took over in Ravens territory. Titans wide receiver Chris Moore was hit hard in the head on a throw near the end zone, and Baltimore safety Kyle Hamilton was ejected for helmet-to-helmet contact.
On the next play, Henry — who finished with 97 yards on 12 carries — scored from 15 yards out, the Titans' second touchdown of the season in four games away from home. It was now 18-13, and it was a game again.
Tennessee' defense forced a three-and-out and they had a chance to take the lead, but Tannehill threw a killer interception on the potential go-ahead drive. He threw into double coverage on third down, which was an especially bad decision considering he had Derrick Henry open in the flat for an easy first down.
The Ravens then went 54 yards on 13 plays and got another Tucker field goal to make it 21-13. After a Tennessee punt, they had an 11-play drive that led to another field goal. Tucker was 6-for-6 on the day.
With Tannehill injured, Willis saw his first action of the regular season and really struggled. He had a difficult time finding open receivers and was sacked four times. The only big play the Titans had while he was on the field was a short pass to rookie Tyjae Spears, who broke several tackles and scampered 48 yards to the Ravens' 6-yard line just after the 2-minute warning.
But despite two Ravens penalties, the Titans still couldn't score a touchdown. They settled for a field goal on third down, but could not convert the onsides kick.
Related stories on Titans-Ravens
- DRIVE CHART: The Tennessee Titans went over to London, England for Week 6 and will come back at 2-4 after a loss to the Baltimore Ravens. The offense didn't get the job done and here is a recap of every offensive drive of the day. CLICK HERE
- WATCH DERRICK HENRY SCORE: The Tennessee Titans got a turnover from the defense and turned it into a score after Derrick Henry broke off a 15-yard touchdown run. CLICK HERE
- WATCH DERRICK HENRY BREAK THE BIG ONE: The Tennessee Titans are into the second half of their Week 6 game with the Baltimore Ravens and the Titans finally made a big play in the third quarter when Derrick Henry broke off a 64-yard scamper. CLICK HERE
- WATCH TITANS DEFENSE GET HUGE STOP: The Tennessee Titans are into the second quarter of their Week 6 matchup against the Baltimore Ravens and the red zone defense has been fantastic early on, holding the Ravens to three field goals on three scoring opportunities. CLICK HERE
- WATCH TITANS LET ODELL BECKHAM JR. LOOSE: The Tennessee Titans have kicked off their Week 6 game in London, England against the Baltimore Ravens and we already saw a big play in the first quarter when the Titans defense surrendered a 32-yard catch to Odell Beckham Jr. CLICK HERE
