Titans Takes Down Super Bowl Favorites Ravens In NFL Playoffs
The New England Patriots one week, the Baltimore Ravens the next. The Tennessee Titans caused another upset on Saturday.
The giant-slaying Tennessee Titans produced a stunning performance to eliminate Super Bowl favourites the Baltimore Ravens from the NFL playoffs.
Tennessee caused an upset when they shocked reigning champions the New England Patriots in the wild-card clash last week to earn a trip to the divisional round.
And the Titans – 9-7 in the regular season – defied the odds again with a sensational 28-12 victory away to Lamar Jackson's Ravens in Baltimore, where Derrick Henry starred on Saturday.
Through to their first AFC championship game since 2002, the Titans will next face either the Kansas City Chiefs or Houston Texans.
Coming off the bye week and a franchise-record 14-2 season, confidence was high within the Ravens camp, but the top seeds found themselves trailing from the outset.
Titans quarterback Ryan Tannehill, who finished seven of 14 for 88 yards and a pair of touchdowns to go with a rushing TD, and his 12-yard throw to Jonnu Smith with less than four minutes remaining in the opening quarter gave Tennessee a 7-0 lead.
Another Tannehill pass, this time a 45-yard throw to Kalif Raymond early in the second quarter, extended the Titans' lead amid silence in front of Ravens fans in Baltimore.
A pair of Justin Tucker field goals gave the Ravens their first points as they went into the half-time break trailing 14-6.
The Titans oozed confidence in the second half and a sequence of brilliance from running back Henry stretched Tennessee's advantage against Baltimore.
After his breathtaking 66-yard run, Henry put the Titans in the red zone and he capped the drive with a jump-pass touchdown throw to Corey Davis as back-up quarterback Marcus Mariota motioned out of the backfield.
Tannehill returned to the field moments later and rushed for a one-yard touchdown – the Titans ending the third period with a commanding 28-6 lead.
Frustrated, Ravens star Jackson – 31 of 59 for 365 yards, a touchdown, two interceptions and four sacks – gave Baltimore some hope with a TD pass to Hayden Hurst with just over 11 minutes remaining in the contest but the Titans were too good.