Sunday’s game against the Tennessee Titans will provide the Baltimore Ravens with their toughest defensive match-up of 2018 thus far.
Most casual NFL fans will get excited at the thought of two high-powered offenses going against each other on Sundays. It’s seemingly as good as it gets. Fans want to see the high scores, the big-plays, the highlight reel moments, and everything in between. Who can blame them? People want to watch something and stay excited throughout, and that is where the most enjoyment can be found in watching football.
To me, however, if you want that kind of football go turn on the t.v. on a Saturday and watch College Football all-day long (I know that’s how I love to spend my Saturdays). When it comes to my NFL football, I want to see two teams slug it out and break each other’s back with hard-hits, turnovers, and defensive stands. A true testament of a man’s game is made up in moments of determination, grit, and passion. And this Sunday’s match-up against the Tennessee Titans is going to provide exactly that for the Baltimore Ravens.
First-year Head Coach Mike Vrabel has made an early impression on his Titans squad as a defense not to be meddled with. A fantastic secondary captained by All-Pro safety Kevin Byard joins a front-seven with some ferocious players headlined by defensive lineman Jurrell Casey. The team is fast and moves sideline-to-sideline in an instant to shut down outside plays. Maybe try something up the middle of the defense? Forget about it. There isn’t much you can successfully pull of against this Titans defense.
Thankfully, Baltimore can easily replicate that.
Evenly matched:
We all know by now how good this 2018 Ravens defense has been, so I won’t waste too much time gushing about the unit. Instead, we’ll focus our attention to just how evenly matched these defenses are.
When we look at each team’s offense, we certainly see talented pieces in place. Tennessee possess Corey Davis and Derrick Henry while Baltimore hosts John Brown and Alex Collins. Despite this, none of those players are currently Pro Bowlers. This spells trouble for these men facing the opposing defenses. Both team’s defenses rank in the top ten in Points Allowed per game (BAL 1st, TEN T-3rd), Total YPG (BAL 3rd, TEN 7th), and Passing YPG (BAL 4th, TEN 3rd). Moving the ball is going to be tough for both teams, to say the least.
What makes this game even more intense, despite it only being week six of a young 2018 NFL season, is that both teams are not only vying for a playoff spot, but also their respective division’s title. Both the Titans and the Ravens sit at 3-2 on the year with a chance to claim their division and earn a home playoff game. Tennessee made the playoffs last year as a wildcard team, while Baltimore was on their couch watching from home. One would think both of these teams will take this match-up very seriously and be competing to earn that division crown. The question is who’s hungrier?
Sunday Night Football this week features the New England Patriots and the Kansas City Chiefs, making it fair to assume every football fan will have their eyes glued to that game. But I’m here to tell you this: The best match-up of Sunday will be at 4:25 pm EST in Nashville, Tennessee between the Titans and the Ravens. I know Ravens Flock will be tuned in, but I’ll also tell you this may be one of the best match-ups the whole season will provide for Baltimore.