All the things to Rave about in Ravens playoff win over the Titans
The Baltimore Ravens beat the Tennessee Titans. Here is the glorious, we’ll get to the rest:
The Baltimore Ravens showed growth in their playoff win against the Titans. The game started off the way that Baltimore feared. The Ravens were down 10-0 at the end of the first quarter. The Ravens didn’t panic. They showed that they could adjust and that they could play from behind in one game-winning swoop.
The Lamar Jackson in the playoff narrative was heating up after his interception. He took a chance down the field; the pass was poor and it was intercepted. Things were not going well. This game could have steamrolled. It could have been like the playoff game last year. It could have been like the Monday Night Football game against the Chiefs. It wasn’t.
As poorly as the first half went for the Ravens the second quarter was just as bad for the Tennessee Titans. Baltimore didn’t work out all the kinks at that point, yet they evened up the score. It was a brand new game at halftime. That alone signaled that this was a different Ravens team.
From the second quarter until the end of the game the Ravens were able to outscore the Titans 20-3. When the defense had to protect a four-point lead and then a full touchdown lead shortly after, they closed the door under pressure. When Lamar Jackson and the offense had to finish the game at the end they did that.
This isn’t something the Ravens used to do. Things either went one way or they went the other. This game was different. The Ravens showed that they had grown up and that they were not going to get rattled.
Lamar Jackson had a great performance overall. He had 136 yards on the ground. His touchdown run was a game-changer that allowed the Ravens to stick with it. He made some big throws that kept some key drives alive. His connection to Marquise Brown was phenomenally in tune. Brown delivered too, Brown had seven grabs for 109 yards.
The defense was amazing. If you would have told me that the defense would hold Derrick Henry to 40 yards I wouldn’t have believed you. Henry only picked up 2.2 yards per attempt. The Titans became one-dimensional and they couldn’t function in their comfort zone.
Ryan Tannehill had to win this game for the Titans and he couldn’t do it. Tannehill threw the ball 26 times and only had 165 yards and a touchdown. Marlon Humphrey played a great game. A.J. Brown won the first round of the battle, Humphrey won the most rounds though. In the heavyweight fight between receiver and cornerback, Humphrey was by a unanimous decision.
Marcus Peters came away with what was basically the game-winning interception. The Ravens’ defensive backs all found a way to make an impact in this game. DeShon Elliott had a couple of very impressive plays. The entire defense tackled well.
The Bottom Line:
Great performances and growth. That’s what this game was about. The Ravens dominated the game when you look at it in retrospect. Baltimore picked up 401 yards and the Titans had just over 200. The Ravens had 22 first downs while the Titans only had 12. Baltimore won the time of possession battle by about seven minutes.
Next. Take home points from Ravens playoff win over the Titans. dark
Other than the rocky start and one bad throw from the MVP quarterback, there’s not a lot to complain about. The Ravens may need to get out to a better start in the divisional round but if they play like this, they can beat anyone.