It’s time, folks – the dust has settled on the 2020 regular season, and we are onto the NFL postseason. The playoffs, baby – all bets are off. It’s a clean slate. If you’re in, you have a shot at hoisting that beautiful sweet Lombardi Trophy. In a match-up that figures to be one of the most physical contests of the weekend, the 11-5 AFC South Champion Tennessee Titans will play host to the 11-5 wild card Baltimore Ravens.
It’s a rivalry that has deep roots in this Titans fan base, but a new chapter has been written over the last couple of seasons. The Titans dominated the Ravens in last year’s Divisional Round, and beat ’em in overtime earlier this season. They’ll have to beat this team for a third consecutive time if they want to advance in this year’s tournament.
And, to be fair to the Ravens, they have been on an absolute tear as of late, with four of their last five wins coming by two scores or more. But is that really enough justification for Baltimore to open as a three and a half point favorite on Sunday? In Nashville?
A lot of stock is obviously being placed into how these two teams finished the regular season. But, when you look at the DNA of each squad and the history between these two franchises, you’ll see that we should be in store for another street fight. This one should be close – so what do the Titans have to do in order to win?
Titans Keys to Victory: vs. Ravens
Hold your water
The Titans defense has been the weak link on this team all season long, but they have the talent to rise up and get a couple of stops. That’s what this game could come down to. But, what makes this Ravens rushing attack the best in the NFL is the way they set up the run and the way they get you before the ball is even snapped. There’s a ton of misdirection concepts in this offense, and they motion a lot before the snap. The Titans defense can’t afford to let this Ravens ground game impose its will.
They tackled well against the Houston Texans, and are capable of hitting hard in this one, too. But, they have to hold their water and maintain their assignments in run defense. Don’t fall for the smoke and mirrors and tackle well. Even better, take the fight to the Ravens and dictate the pace – that’s something the Titans have done well in the last two meetings, too.
Paul Kuharsky tweeted this quote from Mike Vrabel: “At the end of the day, you’ve going to have to force the ball outside and see if you can chase them down.“
The Ravens are going to stack up rushing yards. That’s no secret – but the Titans have to prevent the big play and prevent those dynamic running backs from dominating the game.
Bottle up Lamar Jackson
They’ve done it so well in the last two meetings that you know it HAS to be apart of the game plan going into Sunday. Sure, they may have to figure out some different ways to do it on defense, as the Ravens will likely be prepared for what they’ve been doing, but it has a proven track record of success against. If you keep Lamar Jackson from killing you with his legs, the whole Ravens offense looks different. Last year, they laid the blue print for slowing down the 2019 NFL MVP in the playoffs – how do they continue to build upon that this year? The answer to that could be the critical factor in Sunday’s game.
Clean offense
Derrick Henry is on the roll of a lifetime, and there’s no sign of him slowing down any time soon. There’s nothing really gimmicky to add to this Titans offense to make it go against the Ravens. We might see a couple of gadget plays – remember, Henry threw a touchdown pass in the Divisional Round against the Ravens a season ago. But, all in all, the offense is what got the Titans to this spot, and it should be their bread and butter again on Sunday.
But, when they do have the ball, they can’t make it easy on the Ravens defense – they have to play clean ball….no picks, no fumbles, no dumb penalties. I expect this will be another close, physical ball game. If the Titans do give the ball away, it could be devastating for their chances of playing another playoff game.
It’s always a bloodbath when these two meet – hard hits, trash talk, the whole nine yards. Football at its purest and its finest. This one figures to be another one!
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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