Rule of Three: Titans Defense Must Keep These Ravens in Check
It has been said that offense sells tickets, defense wins championships.
And If the Tennessee Titans want to advance to the divisional round of the NFL playoffs, stopping the Baltimore Ravens’ key players on offense should come first.
“It’s a game of inches,” linebacker Rashaan Evans said. “Every inch counts, and if you can beat the guy in front of you, individually, it helps the defense overall.
“... It takes everyone on one accord to make something happen.”
Baltimore’s offense is headlined by three key players: quarterback Lamar Jackson, running back J.K Dobbins and tight end Mark Andrews. On their backs, Baltimore found its way into the playoffs for the third straight season, after facing a must-win month of December.
Jackson led the way for the Ravens in the air and on the ground. In games the 2019 NFL Most Valuable Player threw for 2,757 yards and 26 touchdowns. He also rushed for 1,005 yards and seven touchdowns. The dual-threat nature of his game gave teams trouble near the end of the season.
He had at least one touchdown passing and rushing in two of Baltimore’s final five games and seven touchdowns total over that stretch. The Ravens won all five.
“He has a tendency to switch into a totally different gear,” Evans said. “He likes to get guys one-on-one, in the open field. And he is able to torch defenses like that with his feet.”
Jackson knows when to turn on his magic. And if he gets into space, he will force the Titans defense to make open-field tackles. Going against a guy like Jackson forces defensive players to always be the best they can be, Evans said.
If the Titans can force him to throw the ball more than he wants, it will bode well for Tennessee. In the Titans’ 28-12 divisional round victory at Baltimore, Jackson attempted 59 passes.
Dobbins, a second-round pick in the 2020 draft, found a groove late in the season, capped by a 160-yard, two-touchdown in Week 17. And he gives the Ravens options in the offense’s misdirection and option plays.
“He just has a greater confidence level,” Titans coach Mike Vrabel said.
Dobbins ended the year with 805 rushing yards (18th in the NFL). He also totaled nine touchdowns and averaged 6.0 yards per carry. And against Tennessee in Week 11, Dobbins rushed for 70 yards on 15 carries with one touchdown. At the time, that was his second best performance. He has been better ever since.
“We just got to do a good job trying to contain,” outside linebackers coach Shane Bowen said. “They create space. And they got more room to make you miss. It’s tougher to make those plays.”
In the passing game, one of Baltimore’s biggest weapons is tight end, Andrews. He is one of Jackson’s favorite targets in the passing game with a big frame that allows for a large catch radius.
“That’s the guy, great player, very good in the red zone, got great length, good catch radius, athletic,” Vrabel said. “It will be a challenge making sure that we know where he is and that we’re trying to be as tight as we can in coverage.”
In the regular-season matchup with Tennessee, Andrews caught five passes for 96 yards – an average of 19.2 yards per reception – and a touchdown.
“We understand what the challenge is,” Vrabel said. “We have to be prepared, focused and understand how we want to play the game.”
Playoff football is a completely different beast. And beating a team three times in one calendar year is no easy task either. For the Titans, who have one of the NFL’s best offenses, it all starts on the defensive end.
“We’ll have to be ready for anything,” Vrabel said. “Everyone will have to take care of their responsibility.”
