The 6-3 Tennessee Titans head to Baltimore on Sunday for a game against the 6-3 Baltimore Ravens. Both teams are heading in the wrong direction, going 1-2 in their last three games, and sliding in the AFC playoff race as a result. The Ravens are behind the Raiders -AND- the Dolphins in the wild card race. The Titans are completely out of it now, sliding to the #9 spot.
To say it’s a big game for both teams would be an understatement.
The Ravens are currently 6.5-point favorites, with an over/under set at 49. At the time of this writing, VegasInsider has about 98% of the money coming in on the Titans, so I don’t love that. That’s like the kiss of death – that’s when the sportsbooks are seeing money. ESPN’s matchup predictor gives the Ravens a 68.4% chance of winning this game. So, as far as what I think the Titans have to do to leave Baltimore with a win goes, let’s hit those keys to victory.
Titans Keys to Victory: @ Ravens
Run Defense
It might seem simple, but if the Titans are going to have any shot in this game, first things first, they have to slow down the Ravens rushing attack. The Ravens are currently 2nd in the NFL in rushing yards per game. That’s how they beat you – they just brutalize you and ram it down your throat. They’re 31st in passing offense. It’s no secret what this team wants to do, as Lamar Jackson is having nowhere near the level of success he saw in 2019. If the Titans can key in on stopping the run, it’ll put a lot of stress on that Ravens offense.
Hollywood Brown could have a big game – the Titans have struggled against speed, lining up eight yards downfield from opposing receivers all season long. But by and large, I think the Ravens will be content to hand the ball off as long as they can. The Titans defense can’t allow them to impose their will on offense.
Success with the play action
First things first, y’all better tell Derrick Henry to suit the fuck up on Sunday. It’s obvious now that that’s how this team is going to win. But, if he finds success, the play action can spiral out of it, and that may be the key to getting the offense back on track.
Ryan Tannehill was hit like crazy last week, and if the Titans offensive line keeps allowing hits like that to happen, it won’t be long before he’s holding a clipboard for the rest of the season. But, when you’re already down your Pro Bowl left tackle, and your stud left guard has missed time in each of the last two games, how do you protect him? Ya gotta try and get the Ravens defense guessing and hesitating.
But it isn’t as simple as ‘more play action‘ – they have to execute it well, and that may involve a little more creativity. The Colts were ready for it. DeNico Autry blew up a play because the Titans were making an obvious effort to get away from the left side of that line, and the play action fooled no one. So, this one’s going to have to be a big Arthur Smith game.
Match Intensity
You know this one’s going to mean a lot to the Ravens after the way the Titans smacked them in the mouth in the playoffs back in January. Hell, the Ravens were talking about this one back in the spring when the schedule was first announced. And, as far as the Titans go, people don’t seem to be talking about the body language of this team, but I’ve pointed it out on the show a couple of times. They just seem flat at times – like they haven’t been able to match the intensity of their opponents. I expect this week’s opponent to be pretty amped up.
Play inspired. Play focused. Execute. Get up for this game, play sound fundamentals, and get ready for a bruiser. This one’s going to be physical. All in all, it feels like this is the exact spot for the Titans to come out and surprise us in. Like, we’re ready to declare this team dead in the water and then they come out and rock the Ravens 35-12 or some zany shit like that.
Don’t forget to check out our friends at MANSCAPED this holiday season! Use promo code ‘SOBROSTITANS’ for 20% off your entire order and free shipping. Owen Reed and I spent some time putting last week’s Colts game to bed and talking about this matchup on Sunday on the latest episode of The Unofficial Titans Podcast. You can check this week’s show out here:
Listen to “Ep. 45: Life Comes At You Fast, on to the Baltimore Ravens” on Spreaker.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
Check out the SoBros Shop. Become a Patron. Give us money for no reason. Like us on Facebook. Follow us on Twitter @SoBrosNetwork. Watch on YouTube.
