The Ravens enjoyed this London trip. This is far from being the case with the Titans where questions will have to be asked.
Baltimore Ravens (4-2) – Tennessee Titans (2-4): 24-16
Under a beautiful London sun, the Ravens faced the Titans. With the objective of washing away the insult after last week’s defeat against the Steelers. On this point, the mission was successful thanks to a great performance from Lamar Jackson (21/30, 285 yards, TD, INT) passing and on the ground. The rest of the points are completed by kicker Justin Tucker, author of 18 points despite a failed conversion.
Arriving in London a few days before the match, the Titans may have suffered the impact of jet lag. However, Mike Vrabel’s men suffered in attack. Not helped by Tannehill (8/16, 76 yards, INT) still struggling behind his offensive line, the Titans gained more yards on the ground than passing (129 against 104).
Approaching the trade deadlinethe Titans could ask themselves a lot of questions about certain players in the coming weeks, particularly at the quarterback position.
Better offense in Baltimore
After an abysmal performance against the Steelers, the Ravens rectified the situation on the London field. Of the 5 offensive series in the first period, only the last resulted in a punt… covered by the Ravens, allowing Justin Tucker to add 3 new points.
Before that, Lamar Jackson recited his football, completing his first 7 passes of the game, with receivers finally in tune. Like a reception from Odell Beckham Jr. of more than 30 yards, and the first touchdown of the season from rookie Zay Flowers (6 REC, 50 yards, TD). It’s not just the attack that is in good shape for the Ravens. The special teams are also present, with a 70-yard punt return from Devin Duvernay, and 12 points from Justin Tucker on foot.
And the Titans in all this? Only 6 first attempts obtained, including 3 by penalty. A field goal at the start of the match. And then, nothing more, just punts. Derrick Henry (12 races, 97 yards, TD) off, and DeAndre Hopkins (1 REC, 20 yards) muzzled. The attack is sterile. Fortunately, the defense limits the damage to 18 points. But, clearly, the attack already seems to be lacking solutions.
Ryan Tannehill injured
In the second half, the Titans wake up. After Sean Murphy-Banting’s interception, the attack finally materialized with the awakening of Derrick Henry. But, immediately, they fall back into their sleep. Tannehill gets intercepted, then gets injured. Malik Willis replaces him to end the match.
The match becomes tense. Kyle Hamilton gets kicked out. Then, no one moves forward. Or at least, the two teams advance, but with defensive penalties. The end of the match is disjointed. Tyjae Spears is proving to be his team’s best receiver in terms of yards. But, Malik Willis (4/5, 74 yards) cannot throw the ball. Result: he was sacked three times on the verge of a touchdown, and only scored 3 points for his team.
.@Lj_era8 and @ZayFlowers find the end zone 🙌
📺: #BALvsTEN on NFL Network
📱: Stream on #NFLPlus https://t.co/B4mQvLNVjg pic.twitter.com/aKel5uWatP— NFL (@NFL) October 15, 2023
Photo credit: Tiffany Amisse (DNA of Sports)
