The Tennessee Titans shocked the football world when they went on the road and beat the New England Patriots 20-13 in a victory that some have called the ending of that vaunted Pats dynasty. Now, they’re faced with the task of the top seeded Baltimore Ravens, with one of the NFL’s best rushing attacks in ages and MVP front runner Lamar Jackson at the helm, in Baltimore.
Yeah – it ain’t gonna be easy. Las Vegas doesn’t think the Titans have much of a chance at all. The Ravens are 10-point favorites at home, and I haven’t seen a single national media pundit pick the Titans in this game. But, I’m of the opinion that the Titans are actually well-equipped to pull off this upset if Mike Vrabel and company can game plan and coach as well as they did against the Pats last week.
If you really dive into the Ravens schedule, you’ll find a couple of clues as to how the Titans can win tomorrow night. Known for their hot starts, the Ravens scored first in 12 of their 16 games. They’re a whopping 11-1 in those games. Furthermore, nine times they scored the first two scores of the game – they’re 9-0 in those games.
Step one: prevent the hot start
The Titans can do this – look at how they refused the Pats the opportunity to get in the end zone early. Different offenses, sure, but don’t act like the red zone defense wasn’t impressive last week. With all of the team speed the Ravens possess on offense, the Titans need guys who can run. That’s why it hurts that Jayon Brown has been ruled out. But, as disruptive as the defensive line was last week, as well as Rashaan Evans played, and with a secondary that can run and tackle as well, the pieces are in place.
Adoreé Jackson may very well be the key. Hollywood Brown simply can’t get going or the Ravens will find explosive plays on offense. Jackson may be the only guy who can run with Brown, so he has an important job. With a safety like Kevin Byard, the Titans can afford the luxury of going single high and putting an extra guy at or around the line of scrimmage to help stop the run or set the edge. I’m sure Dean Pees will get creative, but I think there’s reason to be optimistic about the match-up because of the Titans personnel. If those two have big games, I think the rest of the defense will be alright.
Bottom line – if they show up like they did last week and execute, they should be able to weather that typical Ravens first quarter storm.
Step two: More Derrick Henry poundage
There’s been a lot of talk about the “suspect” Ravens run defense. It’s still technically the 5th run defense in the league in terms of yards allowed, but that’s a bit of a mirage. Part of what makes their defense so effective is the hot starts on offense. So, if the Titans can hold them off early, they’ve already won half the battle.
In many cases this season, teams had to abandon the run because of the Ravens hopping out to such a big lead. Eight times this season, the Ravens allowed 100 rushing yards or more (Browns, Chiefs, Seahawks, Texans, Bengals, 49ers, Bills, Jets). Two of those times resulted in losses for them. Even in the six wins, only the games against the Texans, Bengals, and Jets were convincing wins.
So, if the Titans can keep from getting down early, they could find success by ramming Derrick Henry down the throat of the Ravens defense. If they do that, they are going to be in this ball game.
Look at how such a game plan worked for the Cleveland Browns – they didn’t allow the Ravens to jump out to a lead and they rushed for 193 yards. Likewise, the Kansas City Chiefs jumped out to a lead and rushed for 140. It’s been a long time since those two losses, but it’s indicative of how things can shape up for the Titans.
Furthermore, look at what the Ravens did against the teams that are still remaining (Chiefs, Seahawks, 49ers, Texans). They’re 3-1, with an average margin of +11.5. Take out that huge win against the Texans, and they’re just +4. Against everyone else, they’re +16.9. Things were a lot tighter when the Ravens faced stiffer competition than the narrative about this team would suggest.
So, I’m not buying into this aura surrounding these Ravens. I don’t know that they are as battle tested as the Titans are. Not to mention, they haven’t played meaningful football in three weeks at this point. Are they historically good statistically? Sure. Have they earned the right to be Super Bowl favorites? Absolutely. Will the Titans have to play another near-perfect game? Yeah!
But, this team can absolutely shock the world.
Stoney Keeley is the Editor in Chief of The SoBros Network. He is a strong supporter of Team GSD and #BeBetter. “Big Natural” covers the Tennessee Titans, Nashville, and a whole wealth of nonsense. Follow on Twitter @StoneyKeeley
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