The Baltimore Ravens finally get their chance to taste the 2019 NFL playoffs this week. After sitting out of the first round thanks to holding the top seed in the AFC, the Ravens will go up against the Tennessee Titans in the divisional round.
While there are some reasons to be concerned about the Titans — or any playoff team for that matter –, Baltimore is in good shape for this game. In fact, they have eight great reasons why they’ll not only beat Tennessee but put a whoopin’ on them.
We’ll start off with the biggest reason the Ravens have been so successful this season . . .
Lamar Jackson is unstoppable this year
There’s a reason why Jackson is the presumptive MVP this season and that’s because no defense has really figured out how to stop him. More importantly, Jackson has turned the game back into 11-on-11 football, which favors the offense and forces opposing defenses to match them talent-wise.
Whether it’s been through the air or on the ground, Jackson has been efficient and explosive. He’s created big plays with his arm this season, posting a 66.1% completion rate, along with a league-leading 36 touchdown passes and 9.0% TD-to-attempt rate. He’s done it with his legs, breaking Michael Vicks’ rushing record while posting a 6.9 yards-per-carry rate to lead the entire NFL.
Jackson has been shattering both franchise and NFL records all season long. No offense to the Titans, but they don’t have anything special that the likes of the Buffalo Bills, Pittsburgh Steelers, Los Angeles Rams, New England Patriots, Seattle Seahawks and San Francisco 49er don’t have. If those teams couldn’t stop Jackson from destroying them, I can’t see Tennessee suddenly having the recipe or the secret sauce to get it done.