The Baltimore Ravens’ offense has been prolific this season, breaking franchise and NFL records seemingly every week. Led by quarterback Lamar Jackson and a unique scheme designed by offensive coordinator Greg Roman, Baltimore has been on a roll this season.
The Tennessee Titans will be looking for their second upset of the postseason after taking down the New England Patriots last week. Led by former Ravens defensive coordinator Dean Pees, the Titans will try to craft the answer to Jackson and Baltimore’s league-leading scoring offense.
Let’s break down the Ravens’ passing and rushing attack against the Titans’ defense to see who has the edge in this game.
Ravens’ rushing offense vs. Titans’ rushing defense:
The Ravens won their last 12 games thanks to their record-breaking rushing attack so we can expect them to lean heavily on this phase of the game against the Titans. But Tennessee is no slouch when defending the run and will likely be focusing on this aspect as their main key to the game.
Thanks to quarterback Lamar Jackson and running back Mark Ingram (and let’s not forget Gus Edwards), the Ravens averaged a league-leading 206 rushing yards per game in 2019, while featuring two 1,000-yard rushers for the first time in franchise history. Baltimore’s rushing attack is well balanced using Ingram and Edwards inside to bludgeon defenses while pushing Jackson and running back Justice Hill to the outside as the speed options. When combined with the misdirection of their RPO scheme and one of the best offensive lines in the league, they’ve been able to grind down even the best rush defenses seemingly at will.
Tennessee will be trying to become the first defense to create an answer to the equation. And by allowing just 104.5 rushing yards per game — the 12th lowest mark in the NFL this season — they shouldn’t be a cakewalk to run against. However, as we’ve seen several times this season against the top run defenses in the NFL, those stats can be misleading. The Titans haven’t gone up against as diverse a rushing attack as the Ravens employ and they’ll be tested outside, especially with the injury to linebacker Jayon Brown.
Baltimore enjoyed a great deal of success when rushing outside of the tackle box, averaging 8.5 yards per attempt to the left and 6.2 to the right. This is an area that the Titans showed some vulnerability, particularly to the left.
Behind an offensive line led by the likes of Marshal Yanda, the Ravens should be able to move the ball on the ground against the Titans.