Baltimore vs. Tennessee
Ravens’ Defense Returns to Dominant Ways at Home in 21-7 Win Over Titans to Snap 2-Game Skid
After a two-game road losing streak within the division that sent them from first to last place in the AFC South, the Baltimore Ravens came back strong at home, holding a team to 10 or fewer points for the fourth-straight game at M&T Bank Stadium in a 21-7 win over the Tennessee Titans in Week 10 NFL action.
The defense, which gave up 43 points in a 20-point loss in Pittsburgh last week, allowed an early score to the Titans (2-7) but then shut down rookie quarterback Zach Mettenberger, who was making his first road start in the NFL.
Justin Forsett paced the Ravens’ (6-4) offense with 112 yards rushing and two scores, and Joe Flacco also threw for a touchdown to provide enough points for what ended up as a comfortable victory.
“The catalyst was really our defense, obviously,” Harbaugh said after the game. “Forty-five yards allowed in the second half, 210 for the game after 142 in the first quarter. In six series, we had five three-and-outs and a four-and-out. That’s a credit to our defensive players, [defensive coordinator] Dean Pees, and the coaching staff.
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The Ravens forced Mettenberger into throwing an interception (caught by Danny Gorrer) and also sacked him five times. Elvis Dumervil had 2.5 of them while Terrell Suggs had 1.5, and Timmy Jernigan logged one.
“They got a lot of dudes, they got a lot of studs in that front seven—and they know it,” Mettenberger said. "Early in the first half we did a lot of good things to kind of counteract their guys. We just got to ... be able to play like that for 60 minutes.”
It was the performance the defense needed to bounce back at home against a team with a losing record but was coming off its bye week.
“They had an extra week to prepare for us. They did a good job in the first two series,” Dumervil said. “We were just able to settle in. Our crowd was fantastic, and our guys started making plays in the back end, allowing us to get some rushes and kind of get the game going.”
Forsett led a run-first offense with 20 carries and a career-high 112 yards, scoring on two occasions. Bernard Pierce added eight carries for 31 yards, and Lorenzo Taliaferro gained 10 yards on three carries. Forsett was proud of the team’s ability to adjust after a scoreless first quarter and coming off two-straight losses.
“Sometimes, you start slow, but you've got to be able to finish strong, and we showed some resilience,” Forsett said. “[Part of the adjustments was] cutting down the back side for the run and making sure we're picking up all the blitzes, making sure we're on the right guy. They were small things. When you're running the football, you've got to be physical, you've got to be tough. You've got to keep chopping.”
Joe Flacco was 16-of-27 for 169 yards and a touchdown pass to Torrey Smith in the fourth quarter to help seal the victory. Flacco was also a perfect 5-for-5 in a third-quarter scoring drive that went 11 plays and 72 yards, ending with a Forsett touchdown to put the Ravens on top.
It was a tale of two halves, as Baltimore gained just 86 yards in the opening half, and Tennessee managed just 68 yards after the first quarter, not picking up a first down on seven-straight possessions.
The AFC North is bunched up, as all four teams are within a half game of each other. Cleveland defeated Cincinnati to takeover first at 6-3 with the Bengals at 5-3. Pittsburgh and Baltimore are tied at 6-4, but the Ravens are technically in last place with a 2-3 division record compared to the Steelers’ 2-2 mark.
GAME RECAP
The Ravens did not start the game on a positive note, as the Titans got the opening kickoff and went 14 plays and 79 yards to the Baltimore 1-yard line. But on the 15th play, Shonn Green was stopped prior to the goal line by Haloti Ngata and fumbled, which was recovered by Lawrence Guy to keep the Titans off the board.
But the Ravens went three and out deep in Tennessee territory and had to punt. The Titans then drove right back down the field, capped with a touchdown pass from Mettenberger to Leon Washington from three yards out to make it 7-0 Titans.
After each team traded punts, the Ravens got good field position at the Titans’ 46-yard line and took advantage. After a pair of passes from Flacco to Torrey Smith for 14 yards each, the Ravens were in the red zone for the first time and converted when Forsett ran it in from nine yards out to tie the game at 7, which was the score at halftime.
The second half was all Ravens. Both teams went three and out to start the third, and the 11-play drive that resulted in Forsett’s second touchdown of the game followed, putting the Ravens on top 14-7.
After two more quick Tennessee drives, the Ravens started around midfield and again took advantage of the good field position. After four-straight runs, Flacco found Torrey Smith deep down the left side for a 32-yard touchdown reception to increase the lead to 21-7, and with the way the defense was stopping the Titans, the game was out of reach at that point.
UP NEXT
Baltimore gets to rest and heal up on their bye next week and actually gets an extra day of preparation for the next game, which is Monday, Nov. 24 at New Orleans for a prime-time showdown with Drew Brees and the Saints, who are in first in the NFC South despite a 4-5 record. The Ravens are a perfect 3-0 against that division this season.