Lamar Jackson, Denver Broncos offense among Titans most exciting 2020 matchups
By Brady Akins
Rashaan Evans & Jayon Brown vs Ravens’ QB Lamar Jackson (Week 11)
The revenge game is a tale as old as time– don’t underestimate it.
Yes, the Titans did a better job of containing the Ravens offense than any team Baltimore faced in the regular season. And yes, watching the Tennessee defense hold a Ravens offense averaging over 33 points a game to just 12 was one of the happiest moments of my life as a sports fan.
But this is a new Tennessee Titans team, one without their 2019 defensive coordinator Dean Pees. More importantly, though, this is a new Baltimore Ravens team. One that kept their reigning MVP quarterback Lamar Jackson, but added a little fuel to the fire in hopes to avenge their team’s early playoff exit at the hands of the Titans.
It will take a complete game from all 11 players on the Titans defense to keep Jackson as contained as they did in the AFC Divisional Round, but no two players are going to feel the strain of Jackson’s diverse skillset than the inside linebacker group, specifically Rashaan Evan and Jayon Brown. With Jackson’s dominant running talent combined with his sharp passing ability, slowing him down is a challenge unlike any other in the NFL.
Luckily, the Titans have two skilled young linebackers in Evans and Brown up for taking on the challenge. Evans played okay in the team’s playoff meeting as a dedicated ‘Lamar Stopper’, finishing with seven tackles and doing a solid job of keeping Jackson contained and holding onto the ball for longer than he might have wanted to, but did get picked on a few times in coverage and burned by Jackson’s speed.
Evans will get a chance to improve his game in Round Two against Jackson, and Brown will get the chance to play him for the first time since Jackson took over as the Ravens’ starter. No matter which way this game tips, the matchup should be fun to watch.