Titans vs. Ravens: 3 keys to victory for Tennessee in Divisional Round
By Ravi Konjeti
Here are the three keys to victory as the Tennessee Titans face the top-seeded Baltimore Ravens in the Divisional Round of the playoffs.
The Tennessee Titans are here in the Divisional Round for the second time in three years after a victory against Tom Brady and the defending Super Bowl Champion New England Patriots. The Titans face the top AFC team in the Baltimore Ravens led by Lamar Jackson.
The Titans similarly shocked the world two years ago after upsetting Alex Smith and the Kansas City Chiefs with a comeback for the ages. While that team got trounced in the divisional round, this year’s Titans have a realistic shot at winning this game behind Derrick Henry and Ryan Tannehill.
Henry was electric against the Patriots last week, racking up 182 rushing yards and accounting for 75 percent of all of the Titans’ yards. Tennessee needed every yard from Henry and will rely on his dominating presence to control the game this week.
However, the Titans will need more from the passing attack to keep pace with this dynamic Ravens offense. Jackson broke a 1,000 yards rushing, while passing for a league-leading 36 touchdowns this year. The presumptive MVP took the league by storm, leading the Ravens to a 12-game win streak to end the season.
The Titans’ defense was amazing last week, holding Brady to 13 points. Tennessee’s red zone defense looked much better, particularly on that second quarter goal line stand. While Jayon Brown will be out for Saturday’s matchup, returning Adoree’ Jackson last week was a huge boost to a decimated secondary.
The Titans will need to play a near perfect game to pull this victory out. Here are the three keys that can help lead the Titans to victory.