The unhealthy blood between the Baltimore Ravens and Tennessee Titans simmered after Tennessee routed the top-seeded Ravens in final season’s playoffs and the manifest animus was on full show throughout a pregame spat on the Ravens’ midfield emblem in Baltimore earlier than a daily season sport two months in the past. The Titans surprisingly received that sport, too.
Sunday, in a chippy, spirited sport, the Ravens acquired their revenge — and rubbed it in — with a 20-13 wild-card sport victory in Tennessee. When Baltimore defensive again Marcus Peters intercepted a go from Titans quarterback Ryan Tannehill with lower than two minutes remaining within the fourth quarter, he and a number of other of his teammates stomped and danced on the Titans’ midfield emblem as they turned to face the Tennessee bench.
The gesture drew a taunting penalty however a 33-yard run by Baltimore quarterback Lamar Jackson two performs later doomed any probability the Titans had for a rally. It was becoming that Jackson was on the heart of the sport’s pivotal closing second for the reason that victory was his first within the postseason in three appearances. For the final two years, promising Baltimore seasons have abruptly ended after residence playoff upsets with Jackson on the helm.
“It was in my thoughts,” Jackson mentioned afterward about his 0-2 postseason report coming into the sport. “I’m glad to get it finished. It wasn’t going to be the identical outcomes. We lastly completed.”
Jackson, whose 48-yard landing run tied the sport at 10-10 late within the first half, had 136 speeding yards on 16 carries and accomplished 17 of 24 passes for 179 yards. However as dominant as Jackson was, Baltimore’s protection might have had the largest influence on the sport’s end result because it held Titans working again Derrick Henry to solely 40 yards speeding on 18 makes an attempt. The longest run from scrimmage for Henry, who led the N.F.L. in speeding for a second consecutive 12 months with 2,027 yards, was 8 yards.
“Our protection was bored with listening to the noise,” Jackson mentioned of reminders that Henry had gashed the Ravens protection of their two most up-to-date conferences.
The sport remained tied till a 4-yard landing run by Baltimore working again J.Ok. Dobbins within the third quarter. A tense wrestle ensued for the remainder of the sport and the groups traded discipline targets within the fourth quarter. Trailing, 20-13, Tennessee took possession of the soccer at their 21-yard line with a bit of greater than 4 minutes remaining within the sport.
5 performs later, the Titans had superior solely 11 yards, and simply after the two-minute warning, Tannehill threw towards huge receiver Kalif Raymond, who slipped — or was pushed — to the bottom as he was making a break for the go. With Raymond at his toes, Peters intercepted Tannehill’s throw. On the finish of the play, Ravens gamers gathered on the Titans midfield emblem.
After the sport, many Ravens, together with Jackson, left the sphere with out taking part within the conventional postgame shaking of palms. Jackson later referred to as the Titans “disrespectful” for his or her habits previous the November common season sport. He added: “There wasn’t no purpose for us to shake palms.”
Baltimore was set to play both in Kansas Metropolis or Buffalo subsequent week, relying on the result of the Cleveland Browns-Pittsburgh Steelers sport scheduled for Sunday evening.
The Saints hope for a miracle-less postseason.
The unhealthy mojo haunting the Saints within the final three postseasons has been well-documented. If Mitchell Trubisky and the Bears (8-8) had been in a position so as to add to the franchise’s sense of playoff doom, it might be an indication that one thing actually odd was afoot in New Orleans. The Bears backed into the playoffs because the N.F.C.’s seventh and final seed on a tiebreaker when matched in opposition to the equally inconsistent Arizona Cardinals (8-8). The Saints, winners of 11 of their final 13 video games, are the second seed, trailing solely the Inexperienced Bay Packers.
The Bears have of late surprisingly rallied behind Trubisky, who was benched at midseason after which returned in the course of Chicago’s six-game dropping streak. Nonetheless, Trubisky completed the season with a 67 p.c completion charge, the most effective of his uneven profession. In his final 5 video games, three of which Chicago received, Trubisky threw seven touchdowns and simply three interceptions. However the Bears are battling their very own playoff woes. They’ve performed solely three postseason video games for the reason that 2006 season and have received only one. Their final playoff sport, a loss to Philadelphia, was memorable for Cody Parkey’s missed 43-yard discipline aim try within the waning seconds that hit an upright and a crossbar — a double-doink — earlier than ricocheting again onto the enjoying discipline.
New Orleans (12-4) has endured accidents to quarterback Drew Brees and the All-Professional huge receiver Michael Thomas, who missed a lot of the common season however returned to follow this week. But the Saints are as soon as once more able to make a sturdy Tremendous Bowl run due to a various speeding assault that’s averaging 141.6 yards per sport. Brees is prone to retire after the postseason, which might add a bit of angst and strain to the Saints’ journey, but when they’ll keep away from freakish last-gasp landing passes and controversial no-calls from the officers, the Bears would appear to be overmatched prey for one of many league’s elite groups.
Browns and Steelers déjà vu? Nope.
You’re not imagining issues: Cleveland did beat Pittsburgh, 24-22, final week. However the Steelers had little to play for in that matchup, and plenty of of their starters had been injured or benched, together with quarterback Ben Roethlisberger.
That received’t be the case this weekend, when the third-seeded Steelers determine to be a extra formidable foe Sunday in opposition to the sixth-seeded Browns (11-5). Cleveland will possible deal with limiting Roethlisberger, 38, who shall be enjoying in his twenty second N.F.L. postseason sport, however his first in three seasons. The long run Corridor of Famer misplaced his final two playoff begins, and positively the Steelers (12-4), who started the season 11-0, must be questioning how for much longer he shall be in uniform to attempt to win a report seventh Tremendous Bowl championship.
The Browns weren’t too wholesome, both, within the final go-round. With out six gamers and three assistant coaches due to constructive coronavirus exams and the league’s tracing protocols, Cleveland nonetheless managed to finish its streak of 17 seasons with out a postseason sport. The outbreak has continued this week, as head coach Kevin Stefanski, together with two extra members of his employees and two gamers, lately examined constructive for the coronavirus and won’t be on the sidelines. (The particular groups coach Mike Priefer would be the performing head coach.)
The Browns protection has been suspect for many of the season, giving up a median of 26.2 factors a sport — in comparison with simply 19.5 factors per sport for the Pittsburgh protection — and their activity acquired extra arduous when defensive finish Olivier Vernon ruptured his Achilles’ tendon final weekend.
Cleveland will want a robust efficiency from working again Nick Chubb, whose 1,067 speeding yards ranked seventh within the league and has been pivotal to the success of the play-action passing of Browns quarterback Baker Mayfield, who took a major step ahead this season with 26 landing passes and solely eight interceptions, a profession low.