Lamar Jackson desperately wanted to exorcise the demons infused into his career by the Tennessee Titans, and he did just that with a 20-13 victory at Nissan Stadium on the NFL Super Wild-Card Weekend. Things didn’t start out the way he planned, though, and he had to struggle to get the job done. While the Baltimore Ravens did a magnificent job containing world running back Derrick Henry in the first half and finally the rest of the game, they got off to a rough start in trying to stop Ryan Tannehill.
The latter initially showed throughout the first quarter that he had the ability to take the Titans’ attack – especially with the help of AJ Brown. The Pro Bowl start marked the first touchdown of the game with cornerback star Marlon Humphrey trying to stop him – in a move that Ravens fans will remember as a possible offensive pass interference that was not called in the end zone.
Of course, this simply added fuel to an already violent fire that exists between these two teams, but it was the Titans imposing their will from the start, despite Henry’s struggles. Jackson made a barren interception for defender Malcolm Butler which was the worst pass you will see, leading to a Tennessee field goal, before making two puncture passes to put the Ravens at an attack distance. Unfortunately for him, linebacker Brooks Reed ended the attack with a five-yard sack that forced Baltimore to settle for a field goal in what was their best offensive attack of the game up to that point.
And then it happened: Jackson turns on the burners at the end of the second quarter to pass the Titans for a 48-yard touchdown to tie the game after dropping 10-0 and reaching a top speed of 20.52 mph in the process, by Next Gen Stats .
That was a hint of what would come from Jackson, who extended the drives in the second half with his legs and also with his arm, with the help of a game of 100 yards from the “Hollywood” Brown marquee. The Ravens take revenge and end the league’s best rusher in the process, giving the Titans a taste of their own medicine this time – in a game that listed them as favorites, but initially looked like the losers. The current MVP in the league ran for 137 racing yards and lives to fight another day, after two-time All-Pro cornerback Marcus Peters secured the game’s interception at Tannehill with less than two minutes to go, moving on to the AFC’s divisional game for the first time in his young career.
A full analysis of this AFC South match is underway, but, while you wait, scroll down the live blog below to see the action you may have missed.