Baltimore Ravens vs. Titans: Wild card game day bullet points

Baltimore Ravens vs. Tennessee Titans: It’s on, it’s here!

• The Baltimore Ravens have met in the playoffs four previous times. The road team has won each meeting. The Titans won last year and in 2003 in Baltimore. The Ravens claimed victory in Tennessee in 2000 on the way to the Super Bowl and in the 2008-2009 season.
• Jamal Lewis rushed for over 2,000 yards in the 2003-2004 season. The Titans beat Lewis and the Ravens in the playoffs. Derrick Henry rushed for over 2,000 yards this season. If the Ravens win this game that’s a weird coincidence we will happily live with.
• The Titans lead the all-time series with 13 wins and 12 losses. Baltimore has a chance to tie it up today.
• The Ravens and Titans share some all-time greats in their organizations. Derrick Mason is the best receiver the purple and black have ever had. He’s also a Titans legend. Steve McNair had a very good year with the Ravens but is an absolute legend in Nashville. Don’t forget about Samari Rolle either. who played for both teams.
• The focus on today’s game can’t go only to Derrick Henry. If Corey Davis had 16 more yards this season, Tennessee would have had two 1,000 yard receivers. A.J. Brown had 1,075 yards with 11 touchdowns.
• These are the top two rushing teams in the NFL. The Ravens average 191.9 yards per contest while the Titans pick up 169.1 yards a game.
• The Ravens rushed for 3,071 yards this season. For context let’s talk about last year. Last year the Ravens set a record with 3,296 yards on the ground. The Ravens didn’t break their own record but they are still running at a historic rate.
• Kevin Byard is one of the most aggressive safeties in the NFL and he leads the Titans in tackling. Using his aggressiveness against him could be a useful idea for Greg Roman as he calls this game.
• A Raven to look out for is Miles Boykin. He only has 19 receptions this year though he’s played significantly better in the second half of the 2020 season. Boykin has had at least one catch in eight straight games and has three touchdowns in the last five games.

• A Titans player to look out for is the tight end, Anthony Firkser. He’s not the main weapon of the offense by a longshot, though he’s the kind of player who makes plays when they matter. He’s a sneaky producer for this offense with 39 receptions on the year.
• The last time these two teams the Ravens had a two-possession lead on Tennessee in the fourth quarter. We know how it turned out. If the Ravens get a lead they must keep their foot on the gas pedal and they must play a full 60-minute ball game.
• Ryan Tannehill has had a monster season for the Titans. He’s picked up 3,819 yards in the air and he’s only thrown seven interceptions. Forcing Tannehill into mistakes isn’t easy this year but that’s the Ravens’ mission today.
• Baltimore ran the football 555 times this season. They’re still the run-first offense they were last year. No matter what, the Ravens can’t abandon who they are in this game. That’s the lesson they hopefully have learned at this point.
• The Ravens have 31 plays this year on the ground that went over 20 yards. Lamar Jackson has 10 of them. Jackson is going to have to create magic in this game. Look for big plays from Jackson on the ground being a key to victory.

This is going to be a good game. It’s two good teams and if they play their best football it should be a lot of fun. Hopefully, Baltimore gets the outcome they’re looking for.