Lamar Jackson wanted to get rid of the demons inflicted by the Tennessee titans in his career, and he only did so with a 20-13 victory at Nissan Stadium on the NFL Super Wild-Card Weekend. However, things did not start as he had planned, and he had to fight back to get the job done. While the Baltimore Ravens did a global running rugby Derrick Henry in the first half, and finally for the rest of the game, they had a rocky start to stopping Ryan Tannehill.
The latter initially showed during the first quarter that he has the ability to carry the Titans offense – especially with the help of AJ Brown. The Pro Bowl series was in the first attack of the game, with Marlon Humphrey, who tried the star corner, to stop him. On one play, Ravens fans will remember as a potentially offensive pass interference that went unnoticed in the end zone.
Of course, it merely added fuel to an already raging fire that existed between these two teams, but it was the Titans who imposed their will early on, despite Henry’s battle. Jackson throws an arid interception at defensive back Malcolm Butler, who was just as weak as you will see, leading to a Tennessee field goal before hitting two keyholes to put the Ravens on a striking distance. Unfortunately for him, linebacker Brooks Reed ended the ride with a five-yard bag that forced Baltimore to settle with a field goal on what was the best offensive drive of the game up to that point.
And then it happened: Jackson turned on the surfers late in the second quarter to blow past the Titans for a 48-yard dash to level the game after falling 10-0 and in the process a lightning-fast top speed of 20.52 mph range per subsequent gene statistics.
It was an indication of the coming things of Jackson, who extended the drive in the second half with his legs as well as his arm, using a 100-yard match from the wide Marquise “Hollywood” Brown. The Ravens take revenge and shut down the league’s best rusher in the process, giving the Titans a taste of their own medicine this time – in a game that made them appear to be favorites but was the initial underdog. The reigning league MVP ran for 137 running yards and another day to fight, after Marcus Peters, the All-Pro cornerback, twice secured the interception at Tannehill, with less than two minutes of playing time over and after the AFC. division played for the first time in his young career.
A full analysis of this AFC South collision is on the way, but while you wait, browse through the live blog below for actions you may have missed.