Ravens-Titans takeaways: Lamar Jackson erases a silly narrative
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So much for that blueprint. The Titans were widely praised for their defensive gameplan in last year’s playoff upset, so it wasn’t surprising to see it again on Sunday in Nashville. Tennessee stayed in their quarters shell with the secondary within 10 yards of the line of scrimmage. It worked initially. Outside of a ridiculous scramble by Lamar Jackson, the Ravens had trouble moving the ball in the first half. Tennessee’s edge defenders were stout against Baltimore’s various run concepts while the secondary didn’t let the receivers get behind them. It was the same look the Titans used in the two previous matchups, and 10 quarters later, offensive coordinator Greg Roman finally cracked the code. With Tennessee’s edge defenders looking to set a hard edge in the run game, and the corners playing soft on the outside, the flats were open and Baltimore started attacking them. Patrick Ricard caught two passes to spark the first drive out of the halftime break. Here’s ESPN’s Rex Ryan breaking it down… Those plays essentially served as an extension of the run game and when the Titans adjusted — they started playing more single-high looks in the second half — the Ravens were able to get the traditional run game going a bit more. Unfortunately, that success did not really carry over to the passing game. Speaking of which…
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