Tennessee Titans vs. Baltimore Ravens Preview and Predictions 01-11-2020
The Baltimore Ravens are favorites to reach the Super Bowl and it's easy to see why, beginning with the fact that the team has not lost since September and closed the regular season on a 12-game winning streak en route to an NFL-best 14-2 record. After having a bye in the first round, the Ravens will host the sixth-seeded Tennessee Titans on Saturday night.
Quarterback Lamar Jackson is the consensus choice to win league Most Valuable Player honors after throwing for a league-high 36 touchdown passes and rushing for more than 1,200 yards to ignite an offense that topped the NFL with an average of 33.2 points per game. "He's from Mars," Tennessee defensive tackle Jurrell Casey said of Jackson. "He's definitely an outer space guy. He's unbelievable. The stuff that he's doing so far this season, it's unreal." The Titans know they must keep from Jackson from running wild and their best chance to prevent that is to follow the blueprint from last week's 20-13 win at New England: feed sledgehammer running back Derrick Henry, the league's leading rusher. "I think if (quarterback Ryan) Tannehill tries to pass on us, I don't think that'll go in their favor," Baltimore safety Earl Thomas said. "We know they're going to try to run the ball."
TIME: 8:15 p.m. ET. TV: CBS. LINE: Ravens -10 O/U: 46.5
ABOUT THE TITANS (10-7): Tannehill led the NFL in passer rating at 117.5 while throwing for 22 touchdowns and six interceptions during the regular season, but he finished with only 72 yards passing in the win at New England as Henry carried the load. The 6-foot-3, 247-pound Henry ran for 211 yards and three touchdowns on 32 carries in the regular-season finale to win the rushing title (1,540) and bulldozed through New England's defense for 182 yards and a score on 34 carries. Rookie speedster A.J. Brown averaged 20.2 yards on 52 receptions for 1,051 yards and eight touchdowns while Corey Davis was next with 43 catches. The Titans ranked 12th in the league against the run, allowing 104.5 yards per game.
ABOUT THE RAVENS (14-2): Jackson not only rushed for the most yards ever by a quarterback with 1,206, including a record five 100-yard performances, but he was spectacular down the stretch with 25 touchdown passes versus one interception over the final eight games. Baltimore may be even more reliant on Jackson's legs because 1,000-yard rusher Mark Ingram did not practice Wednesday due to a calf injury. Jackson's favorite target is tight end Mark Andrews, who led the team with 64 receptions and 10 touchdowns. Thomas and cornerback Marcus Peters are among a league-high 12 Pro Bowl selections for the Ravens, who ranked in the top five defensively in points (17.6), total yards (300.6) and rushing yards (93.4) allowed.
EXTRA POINTS
1. The Ravens established an NFL record by averaging 206.0 yards per game.
2. Henry was limited to 21 yards on seven carries in a 21-0 loss to Baltimore in October 2018.
3. Ravens WR Marquise Brown had seven touchdown catches, the second highest among league rookies.
PREDICTION: Ravens 30, Titans 16
The Baltimore Ravens are favorites to reach the Super Bowl and it's easy to see why, beginning with the fact that the team has not lost since September and closed the regular season on a 12-game winning streak en route to an NFL-best 14-2 record. After having a bye in the first round, the Ravens will host the sixth-seeded Tennessee Titans on Saturday night.
Quarterback Lamar Jackson is the consensus choice to win league Most Valuable Player honors after throwing for a league-high 36 touchdown passes and rushing for more than 1,200 yards to ignite an offense that topped the NFL with an average of 33.2 points per game. "He's from Mars," Tennessee defensive tackle Jurrell Casey said of Jackson. "He's definitely an outer space guy. He's unbelievable. The stuff that he's doing so far this season, it's unreal." The Titans know they must keep from Jackson from running wild and their best chance to prevent that is to follow the blueprint from last week's 20-13 win at New England: feed sledgehammer running back Derrick Henry, the league's leading rusher. "I think if (quarterback Ryan) Tannehill tries to pass on us, I don't think that'll go in their favor," Baltimore safety Earl Thomas said. "We know they're going to try to run the ball."
TIME: 8:15 p.m. ET. TV: CBS. LINE: Ravens -10 O/U: 46.5
ABOUT THE TITANS (10-7): Tannehill led the NFL in passer rating at 117.5 while throwing for 22 touchdowns and six interceptions during the regular season, but he finished with only 72 yards passing in the win at New England as Henry carried the load. The 6-foot-3, 247-pound Henry ran for 211 yards and three touchdowns on 32 carries in the regular-season finale to win the rushing title (1,540) and bulldozed through New England's defense for 182 yards and a score on 34 carries. Rookie speedster A.J. Brown averaged 20.2 yards on 52 receptions for 1,051 yards and eight touchdowns while Corey Davis was next with 43 catches. The Titans ranked 12th in the league against the run, allowing 104.5 yards per game.
ABOUT THE RAVENS (14-2): Jackson not only rushed for the most yards ever by a quarterback with 1,206, including a record five 100-yard performances, but he was spectacular down the stretch with 25 touchdown passes versus one interception over the final eight games. Baltimore may be even more reliant on Jackson's legs because 1,000-yard rusher Mark Ingram did not practice Wednesday due to a calf injury. Jackson's favorite target is tight end Mark Andrews, who led the team with 64 receptions and 10 touchdowns. Thomas and cornerback Marcus Peters are among a league-high 12 Pro Bowl selections for the Ravens, who ranked in the top five defensively in points (17.6), total yards (300.6) and rushing yards (93.4) allowed.
EXTRA POINTS
1. The Ravens established an NFL record by averaging 206.0 yards per game.
2. Henry was limited to 21 yards on seven carries in a 21-0 loss to Baltimore in October 2018.
3. Ravens WR Marquise Brown had seven touchdown catches, the second highest among league rookies.
PREDICTION: Ravens 30, Titans 16




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