Titans’ passing offense vs. Ravens’ passing defense:
The Titans’ passing game has been efficient but far from spectacular, especially since Ryan Tannehill became the starting quarterback over Marcus Mariota. They averaged 223.9 passing yards per game, eclipsing 300-yards in a game just three times all season. That doesn’t mean Tennessee doesn’t have weapons in the passing game, though.
Rookie wide receiver A.J. Brown really came on with Tannehill under center. Brown had four games of 100-plus receiving yards in his last six games in the regular season. He finished the year with 1,051 receiving yards and eight receiving touchdowns at an eye-popping 20.2 yards-per-reception average. More impressive was that 465 receiving yards came after the catch, pointing to Brown being able to break tackles and outrun defenders once he gets the ball in his hands.
The Titans also like to target tight ends Jonnu Smith and Anthony Firkser, doing so 26% of the time in the regular season. Tennessee’s tight ends combined for 76 receptions for 948 yards and seven touchdowns in the passing game.
Weapons like Brown and Smith may not be able to help the Titans too much this week, however. The Ravens allowed the fewest receptions to tight ends in the regular season, ceding a mere 52 across their 16 games. They were also an elite force when it came to keeping wide receivers quiet. The Ravens cornerbacks, led by Marcus Peters and Marlon Humphreys, gave up 7.1 yards per attempt to wide receivers — the fourth-lowest mark in the league.
I also wouldn’t expect Henry and the other Tennessee running backs to get a ton of targets in this game. The Titans utilize their running backs through the air far less than the league average, seeing just 47 completions go to the group this season.
Where the Ravens need to be careful is when sending blitzes — something Martindale loves to do. Tannehill has been able to overcome pressure well this season, having a 120.3 passer rating when blitzed in the regular season.
The passing game has been a complimentary piece of the Titans offense this season, enjoying its success on the back of a dominant ground game. But if forced to lean on Tannehill and his receivers, the Titans will find themselves overmatched here.