Shut down Ravens running backs, stuff Jackson
BALTIMORE — Whoa. Chalk up another titanic upset road win for the Tennessee Titans. This time by blowout.
Seven days after eliminating the defending Super Bowl champion New England Patriots on their home turf, 20-13, the Titans on Saturday night walloped the 2019 NFL regular-season champion Baltimore Ravens, 28-12, in the first of two weekend AFC divisional playoff games.
Once again, indomitable running back Derrick Henry was the central offensive figure for the Titans.
He ran for 195 yards, all but 56 in the second half. And on the game’s signature scoring play that gave Tennessee a 21-6 lead midway through the third quarter, Henry even threw for a score, on a cool trick play.
The Titans thus advance to the AFC championship game next Sunday, as the conference’s sixth and final playoff seed — either at Kansas City or at Houston, depending on which of those teams wins their AFC divisional playoff game on Sunday in K.C.
It just wasn’t purple’s day. Baltimore was the second playoff team of the day that wears primarily purple that lost, after Minnesota.
The Vikings’ defeat at San Francisco wasn’t a surprise. The Ravens’ was an absolute stunner.
The Titans weren’t fazed one bit by being a 9½-point road underdog, against a Ravens juggernaut that had won 12 straight games since September.
Tennessee led the whole way, too, on a blustery, unseasonably mild Saturday night at M&T Bank Stadium, just before summery rains blew in. It was 20 C at kickoff. Not even the weather was as shocking as the way the Ravens’ season ended.
The Titans defence was up for the challenge as much as the Titans offence, if not more.
Tennessee forced more game-changing errors from the likely regular-season NFL MVP, Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson, than any team had all season.
The Titans stuffed him twice on crucial 4th-and-1 keepers, intercepted him twice, sacked him three times, and forced him to fumble once deep in Baltimore territory.
That might make it sound as though Jackson played terribly. He most decidedly did not. His expert passing kept the Ravens in the game all the way through. He finished with 143 yards rushing and 365 yards passing — 508 total. Wow.
But the Titans led 7-0 after one quarter, 14-6 after two, and 28-6 after three before coasting home.
The story of the first half was Tennessee cashing in two turnover gifts — an interception off a tipped Jackson pass, and a stuffed 4th-and-1 run by Jackson at the Baltimore 45.
Clutch if not prolific Titans quarterback Ryan Tannehill cashed in both turnovers with beautiful touchdown throws.
The first, a nice lob into the far left corner of the end zone, where tight end Jonnu Smith made a fabulous juggling catch with his left hand only, and appeared to get a knee — or maybe just his butt — down before the rest of his body landed into out-of-bounds white paint.
The second, a 45-yard rocket to streaking, wide-open, backup receiver Kalif Raymond — who at full speed split Baltimore’s deep safeties and made a great stab in the end zone, for a 14-0 Titans lead 15 seconds into the second quarter.
Baltimore capped two long second-quarter drives with field goals, and were driving deep into Tennessee territory to start the second half — until Jackson got stoned again on a 4th-and-1 keeper, at the Tennessee 18.
Then the floodgates opened for the Titans.
They quickly scored a touchdown. This one was set up by a 66-yard Henry burst on a 3rd-and-1 from the Tennessee 28, down to the Baltimore six.
The touchdown this time came off a nifty trick play — on 3rd-and-goal from the three, with starting quarterback Tannehill subbed out for former starter Marcus Mariota.
Mariota suddenly motioned from the shotgun out wide to the right. The ball was quickly snapped directly to halfback Henry, who faked a gut run, then jumped up high and threw a lob pass in the end zone. Titans wideout Corey Davis caught it.
Tennessee 21, Baltimore 6 — midway through the third quarter.
Uncommon disaster continued for the Ravens.
On Baltimore’s first play following the ensuing kickoff, Jackson unwisely danced for too long in the pocket. Titans defensive tackle Jurrell Casey — who had a monster game, with two sacks and run-stuffs galore — strip-sacked Jackson and teammate Jeffery Simmons recovered the loose ball at the Baltimore 20.
Six plays later, Tannehill ran in on an option keeper from one yard out: Tennessee 28, Baltimore 6.
The Ravens kept battling, and finally scored a touchdown with 11:04 left on a 15-yard Jackson pass to tight end Hayden Hurst.
By then, some among the 71,254 on hand had already left.
They were not hoarse. There just wasn’t much to cheer about for the home side.
Not that the Titans cared. Can they make it three upset wins in a row to reach Super Bowl LIV on Feb. 3 in Miami?
Hey. Are you gonna sell them short next week?
JoKryk@postmedia.com
@JohnKryk
