Quotes of Note: Ravens on Facing Titans

Last year's playoff loss, Derrick Henry's continued dominance on the minds of Baltimore's players and coaches.

Back in January, the Tennessee Titans ended all the talk about the Baltimore Ravens as the team most likely to win the Super Bowl.

During the divisional round, the Titans went into M&T Bank Stadium and defeated the Ravens 28-12. That ended Baltimore’s 12-game win streak, not to mention its season.

Sunday, the same teams will meet in the same place. With each at 6-3, the outcome of this one will say a lot about which team has a good chance to be part of this season’s playoff field and which will have to fight over the final six weeks just to get in.

Here is some of Ravens players and coaches said this week about the matchup:

• Defensive lineman/fullback Patrick Ricard, on last year’s playoff loss: “I think some guys maybe still have that chip on their shoulder, and kind of remember how it felt to have a special year and end that way against those guys. But yes, I think we’re past it as a team, and we’re just trying to go week-to-week, and whoever comes on the schedule, we just have to prepare for and get ready to play.”

• Safety DeShon Elliott, on last season’s playoff game: “What happened last year, happened last year. This is a different team. They’re a different team with the same running back, so we know what they’re going to do. We’ve just got to go out there and do our job and try to prevent it.”

• Defensive coordinator Don “Wink” Martindale, on the last meeting: “You always look at your opponents, especially if you played them last year. That’s part of all your cut-ups that you look at. So, yes, I watched that tape. But you have new players playing in new spots, and everything else. You look at it, but that’s just it.”

• Coach John Harbaugh, on Tennessee’s offense: “The pass is set up by the run. They use a lot of play-action pass off of that. They run numerous play-action-type of protections off of that with good ball fakes to try to draw the linebackers up. You don’t really see from most teams all the different types of play-action combination routes – one-man route, two-man route, three-man route, even more – off of play-action like they do. They do them all.”

• Elliott, on matching up with Tennessee’s wide receivers: “They have a really good group of receivers with A.J. Brown and [Corey] Davis, so we’re just going to go out there and compete with them. So, we’ll be fine. We just have to go out there and be disciplined.”

• Martindale, on Tennessee’s offense: “Ryan Tannehill is playing at a high level, and especially off the play-action. There’s a stat that’s out there that they’re the best first and second down offense in the National Football League, and I believe it when you watch the tape. I haven’t run the numbers or anything else [on that stat], but analytics tell you that. I think they’re playing at a really high level, and I think [offensive coordinator] Arthur Smith has done a really nice job with that offense.”

• Defensive tackle Justin Madubuike, on Derrick Henry: “I have very high respect for the Titans. We obviously know what [No.] ‘22’ [Derek Henry] can do, and it all comes down to us playing as a brotherhood, as a unit, and stopping that run, and keeping them one-dimensional.”

• Linebacker Patrick Queen, on facing Henry: “You don’t win rushing titles for no reason. So, we all know what kind of game it’s about to be. Just to be able to go up against a back like that, it’s a big challenge. I think we’re going to step up to it.”

• Elliott, On Henry: “He’s the best running back in the NFL. So, you know what they’re going to do. They know everybody knows what they’re going to do. They’re going to give it to him 30-40 times a game. He’s going to run it down your throat whether you like it or not. We just have to figure out a way to slow him down. We’ve got to get to him before he can get going – that’s all you’ve got to do.”

• Quarterback Lamar Jackson, on the Ravens’ motivation: “It’s not a revenge game. The game is over with; it was last year. We just fell short. We can’t do anything about it. We’re just going into this game trying to be 7-3 – that’s all. We’re not looking into it like a revenge game.”

• Madubuike, on facing the Titans: “It’s going to come down to a very physical football game.”