Ravens vs. Titans: Tennessee’s keys to victory in Week 11
The Tennessee Titans will face one of their toughest tests of the 2020 season thus far when they travel to M&T Bank Stadium on Sunday to meet the Baltimore Ravens, a team that also owns a 6-3 record.
There will be a lot of attention on the revenge factor of this game after the Titans beat the Ravens in the playoffs last season, but there are bigger things at stake here.
Both teams are in a funk lately, as the Titans have lost three of four and the Ravens have lost two of three. Furthermore, Baltimore and Tennessee sit in second place in their respective divisions and are both jockeying for a wild-card spot in a stacked AFC.
With the Ravens being ahead of the Titans for a playoff spot, this game could have serious playoff implications for both teams, and a win in Week 11 could determine who plays football in January.
If the Titans are going to get it done, there are three things this team needs to do against the Ravens on Sunday.
Attack up the middle
According to ESPN's Adam Schefter, the Ravens are set to be without two of their starting defensive linemen, as defensive end Calais Campbell and nose tackle Brandon Williams are not expected to suit up. This means the Titans should be attacking between the tackles with Derrick Henry, early and often. Henry has seen his carries dip since the start of the season, but the Titans will need arguably their best play-maker to see a heavier workload than he has seen in recent weeks. Pounding the rock with Henry will allow the Titans to sustain long drives and keep Baltimore's potent offense off the field. Furthermore, The King will set things in motion for Ryan Tannehill through the play-action.
Take shots down the field
(Photo by Will Newton/Getty Images)
It remains to be seen if a beat-up Titans offensive line can block long enough to allow it, but the Titans have got to take shots down the field in this game. As Matthew Stevens of Ravens Wire pointed out in our Q&A with him this week, the Ravens come into this game with a "beat-up secondary" and the defense's selling out to stop the run will make that unit even more vulnerable. Once the Titans establish Henry, there should be plenty of room for Tannehill to operate down the field. This is a perfect situation for the Titans signal-caller to finally bounce back after four lackluster showings in a row.
Execute last year's blueprint vs. Lamar Jackson
(Photo by Maddie Meyer/Getty Images)
During last year's playoff victory over the Ravens, the Titans executed the perfect game plan to stop Lamar Jackson and Co., leading to a 28-12 win. The blueprint is already there for outside linebackers coach Shane Bowen to follow, so he should certainly go back to the well. The only question is, can Tennessee execute it with a worse defense than the one that got it done last year? The Titans have got to limit the Ravens' rushing attack, and more specifically contain Jackson, forcing him to throw a ton and win this game with his arm.
