Titans Brace for Ravens at Their Best
Last January seems like a distant memory now. Since then, much has changed about the world in general and the sports world specifically, largely due to the coronavirus pandemic, which has ravaged across the country for months now.
That’s not to say the Tennessee Titans or the Baltimore Ravens have forgotten what happened in the AFC Divisional Round at M&T Bank Stadium.
The Titans -- not the Ravens -- played like the No. 1 seed in the AFC. They delivered blow after blow on Jan. 11., and effectively knocked Baltimore out of the postseason by the middle of the third quarter when they led 28-6. The final score was 28-12.
This season, both are currently 6-3 and will meet again Sunday as they jockey for playoff positioning. The Titans are expecting to get Baltimore’s best shot.
“I am pretty sure they are expecting our best shot as well,” safety Kevin Byard said. “I am pretty sure there are some things we did well last year, they are going to try to scheme up and try to change some things differently based on what we did the first defensively. So, I think it is going to be a pretty good matchup.”
The Titans did almost everything well both defensively and offensively last year. Most impressively, they made the Ravens offense -- particularly All-Pro quarterback Lamar Jackson -- look human.
Led by Jackson and a plethora of playmakers around him, the Ravens had the No. 1 scoring offense in the league last season. The Titans recovered one fumble and Byard and Kenny Vaccaro recorded interceptions. After having been perfect on fourth down attempts all season, the Ravens went 0-4 against the Titans, including 0-2 on fourth-and-1.
While the Ravens amassed more than 500 yards of offense in that game, they did not find the endzone until the middle of the third quarter, when the game was already out of reach.
“We just wanted to score points during the game,” Jackson said Wednesday. “Our offense, we were driving the ball, but we weren’t finishing. That would be one of the biggest takeaways I took from the game – that we just have to finish drives. And hopefully, that’s what we’re going to do this Sunday.”
Defensive success opened the door for offensive success. The Titans scored all 28 of their points after turnovers or fourth down stops. Ryan Tannehill threw two touchdown passes and added another one rushing on a quarterback sneak in the third quarter. On a trick play, running back Derrick Henry threw a three-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Corey Davis, also in the third quarter.
Henry, the 2019 rushing champion, ran for 195 yards on 30 carries. He picked up the majority of those yards -- 143 of them -- in the second half.
Henry has shown the same game-breaking ability this season. The Pro Bowl running back currently ranks second in the league with 843 yards. He has rushed for at least 100 yards in 12 of his last 18 games dating back to last season, including the three playoff contests. He has compiled at least 100 rushing yards in five games this season.
The challenge of slowing Henry down has been a popular talking point for the Ravens in preparation for the Titans this week.
“It’s going to take a great effort. It’s going to take all we’ve got,” Ravens head coach John Harbaugh said. “They’re a very good run-blocking offensive line, of course. Obviously, he’s a downhill runner, right at the top of the heap there. So, that’s pretty much the direction of it, and we try to make sure that we’re on point.”
While this could be labeled as a revenge game for the Ravens, it has its own unique importance. The Titans and Ravens are two of six 6-3 teams in the AFC ahead of Week 11. As it stands right now, Baltimore holds the final AFC playoff spot. Tennessee is the first team out.
“It doesn’t matter where it’s at; we just have to get the ‘W’ no matter how we get it,” Ravens safety DeShaun Elliott said. “No matter what happens, we have to get this win. That’s every week, but right now, this is our most important week right here. So, we’re going to get this ‘W’ and try to keep it moving from here.”
And the Titans have the same mindset as the schedule reaches the point where teams begin to separate themselves. Losers of three of their last four, the Titans don’t want to be left behind.
“We need to start heading in the right direction,” Tannehill said. “Things haven't gone in the right direction the past month or so. Nothing catastrophic but if we don't get things turned around quickly then we're not going to be in a good position. We want to go out, have a sense of urgency, and start playing our best football and getting better, heading in the right direction as we get to the last stretch of the season here.”
