Even if the Ravens trounce the Titans Sunday, a regular-season victory would not erase a playoff defeat. That said, the rematch at M&T Bank Stadium does have high stakes.
Both teams are 6-3 and fighting to stay in playoff contention. Making this game even more important is the fact that the Ravens and Titans go on the road next week to face the first-place teams in their divisions – the AFC North-leading Pittsburgh Steelers and AFC South-leading Indianapolis Colts, respectively.
The Ravens and Titans are both banged up and neither team has played its best football of late. Baltimore has dropped two of its past three games – including a bitter loss at New England this past Sunday night – and Tennessee has lost three of its past four after a 5-0 start.
The majority of pundits we looked at (34 of 44) believe the Ravens will prevail Sunday. Here’s a sample of what the pundits are saying about the game:
The Ravens offense will get on track against a suspect Titans defense.
CBS Sports’ Pete Prisco: “The Ravens have offensive issues, but the best thing to fix that is this Tennessee defense. The Titans upset the Ravens in the playoffs last year, but this Titans team has major defensive issues. … Ravens win it behind a good offensive showing.”
Pro Football Talk’s Michael David Smith: “The Ravens’ offense is struggling this season, but the Titans’ defense is struggling too, and I expect Lamar Jackson to have one of his better games in a Baltimore
CBS Sports’ Brady Quinn: “If [the Ravens] are looking for a tonic to kill the illnesses in the passing game, and I know Marquise Brown and some of the other players are frustrated, well the Titans secondary is obviously the cure, because this group has struggled all year long. They haven’t been able to get pressure on opposing quarterbacks. I think they’ll struggle to stop the run, especially against Lamar Jackson outside on the edges. So this is a good spot for the Baltimore Ravens. They should be able to take advantage of a defense that’s struggling. They should be able to get some of that pass game going.”
Just like in last season’s playoff game, the Ravens won’t be able to stop Titans RB Derrick Henry.
CBS Sports’ John Breech: “The biggest problem for the Ravens is that they’ve gotten worse since that game was played. The offense has regressed and the defense still can’t stop the run, which you may or may not have noticed if you watched the Ravens play the Patriots on Sunday night. The Ravens are surrendering 4.5 yards per carry on the ground this year and I think we can all agree that that’s not ideal when you’re about to face a guy like Derrick Henry.”
Turnovers (or lack thereof) could be a key factor.
Penn Live’s Aaron Kasinitz: “The Titans have committed an NFL-low four turnovers this season and lead the league with a plus-10 turnover margin. … This matters for Sunday, because the Titans’ knack for ball security could put stress on the Ravens. Baltimore’s NFL-long streak of 21 straight games with a takeaway ended during Sunday’s loss to the Patriots, and by regularly generating turnovers and scores earlier in the year, the Ravens’ defense relieved pressure on a struggling offense.”
The Ravens’ advantage on special teams could be the difference in the game.
The Baltimore Sun’s Childs Walker: “Kicker Stephen Gostkowski has made just 12 of 20 field-goal attempts despite making six of seven from 50 yards or beyond. Punter Brett Kern is out with a wrist injury, and the Titans turned to Trevor Daniel, who hurt them with a 17-yard misfire against the Colts. The Titans have allowed 106 more return yards than they’ve produced. … If the game is close, [the Ravens will] benefit from superior special teams.”
Pro Football Talk’s Mike Florio: “The Titans better get their special teams act together. John Harbaugh, former special teams coordinator … if there’s any flaws, if there’s any discrepancies, if there’s any openings, it will be exploited by the Ravens, whether it’s the missed field goals, the blocked punts, the bad punts. That’s why they lost to the Colts last Thursday night.”
