The Tennessee Titans look to carry out another upset when they take on the top-seeded Baltimore Ravens in the divisional round of the 2019 NFL postseason.
The Titans shut the New England offense in the second half of their Wild Card game to pull off a stunning 20-13 upset over the defending Super Bowl Champions. Derrick Henry accounted for a total of 204 yards as the 6th seed advanced to the second round at the expense of Tom Brady’s Patriots. Meanwhile, the Baltimore Ravens are the top-seeded team in the 2019 NFL Playoffs. The Ravens dominated the league with a 12-game winning streak that took them to the top. Behind MVP favorite Lamar Jackson, Baltimore heads to this contest as heavy home favorites.
The Tennessee Titans used a strong finish to make the 2019 NFL Playoffs. In the wild card round, the Titans proved that they belong in the postseason by ousting the defending Super Bowl champions New England Patriots at the Gillette Stadium. Tennessee hopes to push further by eliminating the #1 seed in the playoffs in the Baltimore Ravens.
Ryan Tannehill passed for a total of 2,742 yards with 22 touchdowns and six interceptions. Tannehill threw for only 72 passing yards in the Wild Card round. Derrick Henry led the Titan in rushing with 1,540 rushing yards with 16 touchdowns. A.J. Brown had a total of 1,051 receiving yards with eight touchdowns.
Tennessee’s defense ranks 11th against the rush, allowing just 104.1 rushing yards per game but of course, they’re up against Lamar Jackson and the Ravens here. The Titans allowed five catches and one touchdown per game to tight ends this season. That should play to the advantage of Mark Andrews who accounts for 25% of Baltimore’s total receiving yards.
The Baltimore Ravens very well remember what happened last season. They finished the 2019 regular season on a roll but were beaten by the Los Angeles Chargers in the Wild Card round in what was Lamar Jackson’s worst outing in the NFL. The Ravens steamrolled to finish the regular season as the #1 team this year and they’re looking for a different result with Jackson having an MVP season.
Lamar Jackson passed for 3,127 receiving yards with 36 touchdowns and six interceptions during the regular season. Jackson also led Baltimore in rushing at 1,206 rushing yards and seven rushing touchdowns. Mark Andrews led the Ravens with 852 receiving yards and 10 touchdown grabs. Mark Ingram also rushed for 1,018 yards with 10 touchdowns.
While Jackson and the offense have been credited for much of their success, the Baltimore defense excelled under the radar. The Ravens held their opponents to 17.6 points per game while also allowing them to only 92.8 rushing yards per game. During their 12 game-winning run, Baltimore held their opponents to 15.1 points per game and 268.9 total yards per contest.
Tennessee is 6-2 SU in their last eight games played. The Titans are 6-3 SU in their last nine games played on the road, and 5-2 SU in their last seven games played against the AFC North Division. Baltimore is 10-0 SU in their last 10 games played. The Ravens are 6-0 SU in their last six games played at home. Head to head, the Ravens have won two out of the last three meetings between these two teams.
The Titans dethroned the Patriots behind Derrick Henry’s 204 total yards. Ryan Tannehill threw for only 72 passing yards on 8-15 passing with one interception with two fumbles while rookie A.J. Brown was held to one four-yard catch after averaging 100.8 yards with five touchdowns during the final six regular-season games.
Baltimore led the league in rushing and they are expected to get running back Mark Ingram in this contest. Ingram accounted for 31% of the Ravens’ rush production and will be a key factor in this game. And then there is Lamar Jackson. You may slow down the Ravens’ rushing game but stopping Jackson in the open field is another story.
Sure, the Titans limited the New England offense the last time out. But it was more of the Patriots’ offense failing them rather than Tennessee playing excellent defense. Derrick Henry missed Week 16 with an injury and I think the short rest and heavy workload will hurt him here. I think Jackson and his Ravens continue to roll.
PREDICTION: BALTIMORE RAVENS
The Titans are 6-2 ATS in their last eight games played. Tennessee is 6-3 ATS in nine road games played this year, 7-1 ATS in their last eight games played against the AFC conference, and 5-2 SU in their last seven games played against the AFC North division. The Ravens are 9-1 ATS in their last 10 games played. Baltimore is 7-1 ATS in their last eight games played at home, 7-0 ATS in their last seven games against the AFC conference, and 7-2 ATS in their last nine games played in January. Head to head, the Ravens are 2-0-1 ATS in their last three games played against the Titans.
The Ravens have outscored the Titans by 10.67 points per game in their last three meetings. Although Derrick Henry is on a hot stretch right now, the Ravens have the defense to contain him. Ten points is a lot to lay on the line, especially in the playoffs. But then you have to give it to this Ravens team which won nine games this season by nine points or more. This is a big game and I trust Lamar Jackson over Ryan Tannehill in this situation. I’ll take the Ravens here.
PREDICTION: RAVENS
The total has gone over in nine out of the last 10 games played by the Titans. The over is 4-1 in their last five games played on the road. The over is 9-7 in Baltimore’s last 16 games played. The total has gone over in four out of the six home games played by the Ravens against the AFC Conference. Head to head, the under is 2-7-1 in the last 10 meetings between these two teams.
The total has gone over in nine out of the last 11 games played by the Titans with an average combined score of 53.26 points per game. Baltimore is the top-scoring team in the NFL at 33.19 points per game during the regular season. Tennessee has a good defense but I don’t think they can stop Lamar on the ground. I think these teams will play to the over in this game.
PREDICTION: OVER 47
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