The Baltimore Ravens will take on the Tennessee Titans for the third time in the last year. The Titans won the last two meetings, including an upset victory over the Ravens in last year’s divisional-round game.
Both teams possess a lethal ground game. Baltimore ranks number one in rushing yards per game at 191.9, while Tennessee is second with 168.1. The rushing attacks will be the main component of each teams’ game plan.
Ravens Offensive Game Plan: Control the Game
The Ravens are built to play from ahead. They typically jump out to an early lead and lean on their potent run game to keep them ahead. While that usually works, there are times where they fall behind and have to pass more than they’d like to. That scenario is exactly what happened in their playoff loss last year to Tennessee.
Star Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson has attempted at least 28 passes in all four of his losses this season, and that doesn’t include the 59 passes he attempted in last year’s playoff loss to Tennessee. If the Ravens can jump out to an early lead, it will take the pressure off Jackson and the rest of their offense.
Titans Offensive Game Plan: Stay Balanced
Tennessee boasts the best running back in the NFL in Derrick Henry. Henry rushed for a franchise-record 2,027 yards this season. The thing is, Baltimore knows they are going to try and run down their throats like they did last year. Titans quarterback Ryan Tannehill showed this season he is capable of winning a game with his arm. Tennessee needs to use play actions to keep the Baltimore defense on its toes. The Titans rank second in passing yards on play-action plays. That has a lot to do with defenses selling out against the run. This will cause Baltimore to respect the passing game, meaning more run lanes for Henry.
Where were you when this happened? #Titans ⚔️⚔️⚔️ (?: @NFL) pic.twitter.com/gpJLXMSO06
— AtoZSports Nashville (@AtoZSports) May 9, 2020
Ravens Defensive Game Plan: Contain Derrick Henry and A.J. Brown
I’ve touched a lot on Henry and how lethal he can be so I won’t go into much detail here but obviously, the Ravens need to slow him down. In the week 11 matchup between the teams, the Ravens held Henry in check for much of the game. Henry had just 46 rushing yards going into the fourth quarter. He then went off for 50 in the fourth quarter and 37 in overtime, including a game-winning 29-yard touchdown run.
Derrick Henry’s biggest plays vs. the Ravens
— Tennessee Titans (@Titans) November 22, 2020
?: More Week 11 coverage on @nflnetwork pic.twitter.com/xi33RRZsi1
A.J. Brown wasn’t a factor in last year’s playoff game but he made two big catches in this year’s game. His 25 yard catch and run in the fourth quarter put Tennessee in the red zone. Just a few plays later on third and 10, Brown broke multiple tackles on his way to the end zone to give the Titans a late lead. Baltimore needs to make guys like Corey Davis and Jonnu Smith step up.
A.J. Brown had 7 receiving missed tackles forced vs. Ravens
— PFF Fantasy Football (@PFF_Fantasy) November 23, 2020
Most by any player in a game this season (tied with Alvin Kamara) pic.twitter.com/oLae2Ml7v3
Titans Defensive Game Plan: Force the Ravens to Pass
In case you haven’t been able to tell, Baltimore is a run-first team. That’s their identity. They had a league-leading 555 rushing attempts compared to a league-low 406 passing attempts and 2,739 passing yards. While the Ravens trust Jackson’s ability to throw, they’d rather let their run game control the tempo. Tennessee needs to make sure that doesn’t happen. If they can jump out to an early lead as they did in last year’s playoff game, they can make Jackson one dimensional.
Final Thoughts
Ultimately, this game is going to come down to how well each defense can contain the offensive stars. You can’t expect Henry or Jackson to be completely shut down. You just have to hope you can slow them down enough to make them inefficient.
Both teams come into this game with plenty of motivation. Jackson and the Ravens want to avenge their playoff failures from the past two seasons. The Titans are out to show the world their 2020 playoff run was no fluke.
Be sure to tune into the game Sunday, January 10 at 1:05 p.m. ET on ESPN/ABC.
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