BALTIMORE RAVENS 13 TENNESEE TITANS 10

January 10, 2009

If there can be such a thing as a stunning victory, this was it.  Despite being statistically outplayed in nearly every way, the sixth seed Baltimore Ravens traveled down to Nashville and emerged victoriously in a heart stopping, breathtaking way as they shocked the Titans by the score of 13-10.

The score was a mirror-opposite of the Ravens 13-10 home loss to Tennessee in week five.  And it was opposite not just on the scoreboard. 

Back in October the Ravens outplayed the Titans through most of the afternoon.  But quarterback Joe Flacco also threw two picks to allow the Titans to hang around for the win. The Ravens committed eleven penalties, including a controversial roughing the passer call against Terrell Suggs to extend Tennessee’s only touchdown drive, a come from behind score with less then two minutes remaining in that game.

In this playoff rematch the tables were turned, right down to a phantom roughing the passer penalty on the Titans’ Jason Jones to extend the Ravens’ only touchdown drive. 

The Titans held the statistical edge Saturday, including total offensive plays (71-52), first downs (21-9), and total yards (391-211).  Kerry Collins looked sharp, particularly in the first half, picking apart the Ravens defense with quick out-patterns and slants.  He connected with unheralded Justin Gage ten times for 135 yards on the game.

And yet, somehow the Ravens withstood the statistical beating and persevered for the win. 

They made the most of each opportunity.  And most of those opportunities were handed to them by the Titans. 

That included three Titans’ turnovers and twelve penalties for 89 yards.  In terms of penalty yards, the Titans were one false start away from matching the Ravens’ entire offensive output of 94 yards in the first half.

It wasn’t just the five fumbles the Ravens forced—recovering two inside their own twenty—that helped them withstand the onslaught.   There were other Tennessee mistakes that helped the Ravens secure the win. The normally accurate Rob Bironas missed a 51-yard field goal attempt midway through the fourth quarter.  While the Ravens’ Matt Stover managed to nail his game-winning 43-yarder in the final minute of the game.  It was Stover’s first playoff game-winning field goal in his 19-year career.

As sharp as he looked at times, when pressured, the veteran Kerry Collins wilted. He threw one ball up for grabs, and into the arms of former Titan Samari Rolle.  He also appeared to panic later in the game when pressured, throwing the ball away prematurely or sailing it over the heads of his receivers.   For the day he was just 4-14 on third down conversions, and the Ravens stopped the Titans on both of their fourth down attempts, once to end the half deep in Ravens territory when Collins botched the shotgun snap.  

It was stark evidence that not panicking, being disciplined, and protecting the football is more important than piling up statistics.  Bend but do not break. Slow and steady won the day.

Of course, a will to survive and luck were also big factors that favored the Ravens.   Not just surviving the unexpected rainy conditions and falling temperatures after playing in over 80º F temperatures Miami the week before.  The Ravens also survived the injury battle as they have all season, withstanding injuries to key starters.  

Terrell Suggs left in the second quarter with a sprained shoulder. Samari Rolle did not finish the game either.  Le’Ron McClain hobbled in and out of the line up.  Willie Anderson left with a shoulder injury and returned later.

Injuries to the Titans offense were also key.  The Titans averaged nearly ten yards a play on offense in the first half, thanks in large part to rookie running back Chris Johnson.  But Johnson hurt his ankle in the middle of the game and would not return.  With Johnson out and his replacement LenDale White not nearly as effective, the Ravens were able to key-in on Collins and force him to be less lethal in the second half. 

In the first half Collins was 15-20 for 177 yards passing. The Ravens held him for 11-for-22 in the second half and just 98 yards. In contrast, for the game Joe Flacco was 11-for-22 and 161 yards.

Flacco’s numbers were helped by his willingness to be aggressive and some degree of luck.  He threw long passes into coverage and yet was never picked off. That included a 37-yard completion to Mark Clayton at the four when two Titans defenders fell down.   Albert Haynesworth was also injured on that key play.

On another key sequence, dropping back into his own end zone to throw, Flacco later admitted, “I nearly pulled a Dan Orlovsky,” referring to the Lions quarterback who did run out of the back of the end zone for a safety earlier this year. Flacco, however, kept his foot inches inside the end line.

So instead of a safety that would have pulled the Titans to within 10-9, the Ravens maintained a field goal advantage midway through the fourth corner.  They had survived again.  As the television cameras panned the Titans sideline, the Titans players had the dejected look of a beaten team. It was hard to understand, knowing they had outplaying the Ravens through most of the game.

Perhaps they realized they had missed their opportunity to seize control of the game in the first half.  Perhaps the Ravens simply wanted the victory too much.  Perhaps the advantage of a bye week and home field advantage in the playoffs is outweighed by the disadvantage of the Titans coasting through the end of the regular season and losing their competitive edge.

For the Ravens, who have played well on the road all year, there was no let up.  There was only sweet redemption for a home playoff loss to the Wild Card Colts two seasons ago, after that Ravens team had coasted into the playoffs.  More than anything, the win also avenged the home loss to the Titans in week four.

Now the Ravens will take on the Pittsburgh Steelers – round 3 between these heavyweights will determine the AFC Championship and the right to move on to Super Bowl 43. The Ravens now have the chance they’ve wanted to travel back to Pittsburgh and avenge yet another loss to a team they outplayed in week five.  Perhaps Joe Flacco will have a chance to show how far he’s come in his rookie season. 

As for now, here’s how Joe, and the rest of the Ravens grade out in this playoff win.

Quarterback: B

Joe Flacco does not wow you with big numbers.  Not a lot about this mild-mannered regular-Joe is awe inspiring except for his rocket-accurate arm and calmness under pressure.  Joe was extremely accurate in this game, and his passes spun so tightly that the ball sailed beautifully even in slow-motion reply.  He showed patience when escaping the Titans’ strong rush up the middle, particularly a dump-off pass to Le’Ron McClain to turn a sack into a long gain. Joe was not sacked on the day and not because of a lack of pressure. He also helped himself with a strong push on a couple of quarterback sneak calls.  His best throw on the day was a go-route to Derrick Mason threaded over the corner before the safety could slide over and stop the touchdown.  It was the play that pulled the Ravens even at the half despite being badly outplayed.

On the negative side, Flacco made a bad decision to roll left and throw right, which was almost picked off. He did miss on a couple deep balls and risked throwing into coverage when other receivers appeared to be more open. He did a particularly poor job of finding his running backs in short routes.  To his credit, he looked deep all day.  When the Ravens needed him to come through most, Flacco did, particularly on critical third-down completions to Todd Heap and Mark Clayton on the final scoring drive. 

Running Backs: C

Le’Ron McClain had a couple of shining moments with shifty moves and a pile-moving run. But the Titans largely contained him on the day.   He had one eight-yard run to start the game, but netted just 4 yards on eleven other carries.  Le’Ron also suffered an ankle injury that reduced his availability and effectiveness.  Willis McGahee was more productive, including a critical eleven-yard gain on the game-winning drive.  The Titans held the Ravens to just 50 yards rushing.

Receivers: B-

The Ravens wide receivers made the most of their opportunities. Mark Clayton made a clutch catch on a ball Flacco threw up for grabs to give the Ravens first down on the four.  Derrick Mason made a nice catch and stayed upright for the Ravens lone score. Mason had his hand on a ball at the five that could have put the game away, but he could not haul it in one handed, perhaps because of his injured shoulder. He was the only receiver with more than two catches on the day, snaring five for 78 yards (a 15.6 per catch average). Marcus Smith made a nice catch on his back on a tipped ball, but it was brought back by penalty.  Todd Heap could not haul in a third down conversion over the middle when sandwiched by David Thornton and Kyle Vanden Bosch.  But he did extend the winning drive with his lone, 23-yard reception.

Tackles: B-

Willie Anderson, Jared Gaither and Adam Terry were not overpowering, but they did neutralized Vanden Bosch and Jevon Kearse as pass rushers.  Anderson was beaten off the edge one time. Anderson went out with shoulder late in first quarter but did fight through the injury to return.

Interior Line: D

Chris Chester, Ben Grubbs, and Jason Brown were schooled by the Titans defensive line.  Missed assignments and an overpowering push, particularly against Chester disrupted the rushing game and flushed Flacco out of the pocket. When not getting flat-out beaten, the Ravens linemen struggled to pull and trap because of the amount of traffic on their side of the line of scrimmage.

Cornerbacks: C

Fabian Washington had a rough day covering Justin Gage.  He was not effective at taking away the inside lane, and played soft on intermediate routes.  He also struggled in run support when Chris Johnson ran to his right.  Washington was more effective playing tight, in deep coverage.  Samari Rolle had an up and down day.  He played too soft and Justin McCareins was effective on stop patterns. He was flagged for holding McCareins away from the play to the other side of the field.  Samari did a nice job finding the ball in the air for an interception.  Later in the game Rolle tightened coverage, jumping one route for a near pick.  When Frank Walker had to come in for an injured Rolle he had trouble covering Gage.

Safeties: B+

Jim Leonhard had an excellent game. He beat a block by tackle Jake Scott on screen pass and closed quickly for a tackle five yards behind the line of scrimmage.   Haruki Nakamuri saw limited action and made a strong tackle on LenDale White to stuff a draw play on third and nineteen.

Ed Reed had a quiet game, and could not get his hands on the ball after accumulating six interceptions in the last three games.  He missed a tackle on Chris Johnson that could have been a safety and was also beaten by Johnson for a long run when he appeared reluctant to plant his shoulder.   For the day, Leonhard had five tackles to Reed’s four and two by Nakamura.

Linebackers: B+

Bart Scott stood out as the most disruptive player on the field, particularly as the game wore on.  Earlier in the game he got himself caught in the flow and was shielded from tackles, including a 32-yard pick up by Johnson. He also missed an open field tackle on Chris Johnson in the flat that went for 28 yards.  But Scott closed quickly on tackles after Johnson was out of the game.  He rattled Collins with a lightening fast blitz and hit Collins as he was throwing the ball.  Bart pushed his way into the backfield repeatedly.  His hit on Alge Crumpler, along with Jim Leonhard, caused a game-clinching fumble on the Ravens six.  Scott also combined with Terrell Suggs to penetrate and nearly get a safety.  Ray Lewis made a highlight reel hit on Ahmard Hall, but Hall held onto the catch for a first down.   Terrell Suggs had a nice sequence where he flattened Bo Scaife and then sacked Collins, but he went out with a sprained shoulder on the play after lying on the ground, as the “classy” Titans fans cheered his injury. Part-time tight end Edgar Jones had to fill in for Suggs, and the Titans could not take advantage of his presence. Jarret Johnson closed fast and knocked a fumble out of LenDale White’s hands as the Titans appeared ready to score.

Defensive Line: A

The defensive line was aggressive in trenches. Haloti Ngata, Justin Bannan, and Marques Douglas won their respective battles in the trenches while controlling the middle of the line.  With the speedy Chris Johnson out of the game, the defensive line was able to render LenDale White, a north-south runner, ineffective. With the running game stalled, the Ravens were able to reduce Collins’ effectiveness, as well.  Trevor Pryce was fast off the ball and penetrated well.  The Titans line seemed to hold repeatedly against the Ravens front three, but it was not called.   

Special Teams: A-

Sam Koch punted eight times for nearly a forty-yard net average.  That included one incredible punt he stuck on the one-yard line.  Another punt landed on the one but bounced into the end zone.  The coverage unit allowed just one punt return, of eight yards. Nakamura was particularly effective in coverage. On kick coverage the team was less effective, allowing a 26 yard average on four kicks.  On punt returns Frank Walker was guilty of his typical holding call. Jim Leonard’s 29-yard return to the Titans’ 41 set up a short Matt Stover field goal to take a 10-7 lead.  Matt went two-for-two on field goals, including the game winner. 

Coaching: B

With the Ravens getting beaten on their offensive line, Cam Cameron should be credited for not leaning too heavily on Joe Flacco’s arm, but also for continuing to strike deep when they did throw the ball.  With the Titans packing the box, Cameron called plays to take advantage of what the Titans gave him. He also resisted trick plays against a defense that does not take a lot of risks.  On defense Rex Ryan effectively pressured Collins to keep the game in check.  John Harbaugh made excellent use of the challenge flag to overturn what had been ruled a Bo Scaife reception along the sidelines, but was revealed to be a bobbled catch.

Officiating: D

Terry McAulay’s crew was spotty, particularly in explaining some calls.  He provided a confused explanation on illegal shift on the Ravens when no player on the line appeared to move.   And perhaps the controversial no-call of the day occurred when it appeared the play clock expired on the Ravens but the play was allowed to continue.  Afterwards McAulay explained that back judge Bob Lawing was responsible for keeping “the real play clock” on the field, and it had not hit zero.  So the Titans could not have challenged for delay of game.  But it underscored that the league needs to tighten up the use of the play clock.  The roughing the passer penalty on Jason Jones smelled of a make-up call for the same infraction that Bill Carollo’s crew called against Suggs in week five.  They flagged some ticky-tacky holding calls, for instance Bart Scott’s hold away from the play, and yet did not call more blatant holds on the line of scrimmage.  They correctly called holding on Derrick Mason, but missed a facemask infraction at the end of McClain’s run on the same play.  They did correctly see David Stewart’s blatant forearm punch to Jarret Johnson’s head.   They overlooked Kevin Vickerson lining head-up over top long snapper Matt Katula on Ravens punt from their own end zone, which is classified as an illegal formation.

Broadcast: D

Normally a Dan Deirdorf broadcast is a bad broadcast.  Deirdorf may not have been at his worst Saturday, but even his best is not great.  He tended to throw out observations that were flat out wrong. Such as calling Adam Terry a guard.  Or he missed obvious on-field details.  The most unforgivable was no mention of the play when Joe Flacco appeared to step out of bounds in the back of the end zone. (Only after the broadcast was it revealed he did not).  And, worse, there was no recovery in the director’s booth to show a replay.  There were multiple occasions where controversial events transpired but no replay was provided to discern what had happened. For instance, the personal foul hit on Jarret Johnson was not shown adequately and a play that was described as possible offensive pass interference on the Titans was never shown on replay.

What this game came down to was the team with the longest-tenured coach in the NFL, and the 36-year old quarterback, could not maintain the same poise as the tight-lipped, rookie coach and the rookie quarterback out of Delaware with the fearless, blank expression.

The swagger may not be the same as the Brian Billick-led 2000 Ravens, but the 2008 edition is nonetheless poised to make the same trip back to a Super Bowl in Tampa if they can win just one more game. 

It’s stunning!