NFL Playoff Preview: Can The TenesseeTitans Slow Down the Baltimore Ravens
BALTIMORE — The AFC Wild Card round didn’t lack excitement, especially in the AFC.
Thanks to a record-breaking ground game, the Titans traveled to the land of no return and defeated the evil empire, New England Patriots. But now they have another task to conquer; Lamar Jackson and the number-one seed Baltimore Ravens.
How Did They Get Here?
The Titans went 9–7 for the fourth consecutive seasons, reaching the playoffs for the second time during that span. Second-year head coach, Mike Vrabel, made the courageous decision to bench Marcus Mariota and go with Rayn Tannehill back in October. The decision led to a 7–3 stretch to end the season, defeating AFC South division champs, Houston Texans, twice. With a Tannehill led offense, the Titans surpassed 400+ total yards six times.
As for the running game, it only got better under Tannehill. Derrick Henry rushed for a league-best 1,509 yards, 309 attempts, and 5.1 average and 16 touchdowns. Henry’s breakout season earned him a spot in the pro-bowl and his team one of the league’s best rushing attacks.
The decision to bench Mariota — a former #2 overall pick — was the defining moment for the Titans’ success and proved Vrabel is a formidable coach (Bill Belichick found that out the hard way).
The Baltimore Ravens won 14 games for the first time in franchise history. The emergence of Lamar Jackson turned the Ravens into one of the most exciting teams of the 2019 season. The consistency they played with on both sides of the ball was unexpected, but it shouldn’t have been.
The Ravens played simple football. The play-calling terminology may be complicated, but the basis of rushing the ball and playing defense makes everything about professional football simplistic.
John Harbaugh, in his tenth season as head coach, redefined his career with the approach he took with Lamar Jackson. Harbaugh added an offensive coordinator that suited Jackson’s skillset and recognized the revolutionary talent his second-year quarterback garnered. During the Flacco years, Harbaugh struggled to find an offensive and coaching personnel that matched Flacco. Greg Roman, the former 49ers offensive coordinator (apart of his brother’s, Jim Harbaugh staff) brought the same offense he used to turn Collin Kaepernick into $100-million quarterback to Baltimore.
Jackson used those revolutionary talents to earn him an All-Pro nod and potential MVP crown, which would be the first in franchise history. Jackson’s 2019 campaign was all about breaking records. He rushed for the most yards as a quarterback, breaking Mike Vick 1,039 record set back in 2006. He also broke the franchise record for most passing yards in a season with 36.
Another pivotal moment, often overlooked, is the addition of Marcus Peters. Early in the season, the Ravens secondary struggled. Fans pointed fingers at every defensive back on the roster, including future Hall of Famer, Earl Thomas. The rebuilt secondary needed time to mesh. The majority of the mishaps were due to miscommunication and blown coverages. Once Peters joined the unit, it was a significant change in production, the Ravens finishing 6th in pass defense, and only allowing 15 passing touchdowns.
Ravens Offense v. Titans Defense
Tennessee’s defense might have a long day. They’re ranked 21st overall in total defense, and the Ravens have imposed their wall on much better defenses.
On the bright side, they did hold Tom Brady and the Patriots to 16 points, but Baltimore has a much more dynamic offense, and that’s because of Lamar Jackson.
The freedom Jackson has in the Run-Pass option offense is much different than containing the Patriots’ dink-n-dunk offense.
The Ravens are possibly going to be without Mark Ingram, which could impact the read-option. Ingram has been one of the more critical pieces in the Ravens offense and Jackson’s biggest supporter. Ingram’s rushing talents will be missed but also the energy he brings to the offense. Gus Edwards and Justice Hill will look to supplement Ingram’s absence. Edwards finished third on the team with 711 yards, so he does have a sufficient amount of game experience. Hill brings a different dynamic to the ground game with his speed, which could cause create more opportunities for the inside-style of Edwards.
Jackson has proven he is more than just a running back that can throw. During the second half of the season, Jackson threw 24 touchdown passes and one interception, two games during that span he threw for five touchdowns. Jackson’s targets are all over the field, nine players catching at least one touchdown pass. Tight end Mark Andrews leads the team with ten touchdown reception, followed by three other players with at least five. The balanced attack has been unstoppable for the Ravens, and it doesn’t look like it will stop anytime soon.
Can Derrick Henry be stopped?
Baltimore fans are no strangers to watching large running backs in Titans uniform. Eddie George had many tough games against the Ravens while being one of the best running backs in the league. Chris Johnson, who wasn’t big in muscle but was a tall back, was one of the few rushers to gain over 100 yards against a Ray Lewis-led defense. This time Derrick Henry will try to replicate that success, but it won’t be easy.
Henry broke Ray Rice’s postseason rushing record, for most yards on the ground in Foxborough, but it shouldn’t have been much of a surprise. The Patriots defense has historically struggled against the run, even during their Super Bowl years, and when you bring the league’s best back to town, historical things might happen. Ravens are ranked 5th in rush defense, allowing 100+ total rushing yards eight times this season. While they may seem like a lot, most of those games, the Ravens were already in the route of victory, but it does give Henry and the rest of the Titans offense a sign of weakness within the rushing attack.
The X-Factor
Mike Vrabel. Vrabel coaching performance against Belichick was phenomenal, and if he can orchestrate that type of output from his team again, the Ravens will have a tough game on their hands. As a former Super Bowl-winning linebacker, Vrabel has an idea of how to stop star players. It will be interesting to see how he attacks the Ravens’ banged-up offense. And most importantly, can he get high production out of his middle-of-the-road quarterback, Ryan Tannehill.
Prediction
The Titans will struggle to match the offensive output of the Ravens. Even without Ingram, the potential MVP is virtually unstoppable. Vrabel will need a legendary coaching scheme to rattle Jackson, but the raucous Baltimore crowd might rattle Tannehill.
Ravens advance to the AFC Championship game, 34–17.
