“Here come the Baltimore Ravens. The team nobody wants to play”Those were the words of Ravens All-Pro Ed Reed, prior to Saturday’s Divisional Round playoff with the Tennessee Titans. As it turns out, Reed’s words proved prophetic, as the Ravens defeated the top-seeded Titans 13-10 at LP Field, and are headed back to the AFC Championship Game for the second time this decade.
Taken with the 18th pick out of Delaware in the April draft, Joe Flacco became the first rookie to win two playoff games in NFL history. While avoiding the big mistake, Flacco led a conservative but efficient Raven attack, going 11 for 22, for 161 yards and one touchdown. No interceptions. No fumbles. No problem for the former Fighting Blue Hen.
Flacco’s best pass of the day was a 48-yard strike to Derek Mason with 1:20 left in the first quarter, tying the game at 7.
Mason led Baltimore in receiving with 5 catches, 78 yards and the score.
"We've been confident in ourselves all year," Flacco said after the game. "It seems like we've been on the road for the longest time. It doesn't matter to us. We're going to go out there and battle the crowd, battle the other team, and give it our best."
Baltimore’s defense subscribed to the ‘bend but don’t break’ philosophy most of the afternoon, executing it to a tee. The NFL’s #2 rated defense excelled at getting off the field without relinquishing points, holding Tennessee to a paltry 4-14 on 3rd down conversions.
Ray Lewis and Bart Scott led the charge, each collecting a team-high 11 tackles.
Tennessee will have a hard time looking back and blaming anybody but themselves.
Uncharacteristic of a Jeff Fischer team, the Titans were sloppy all afternoon, committing 12 penalties for 89 yards and three crucial turnovers.
With 12:05 remaining in the half, Tennessee was forced to start from their own 1-yard line. However, Kerry Collins drove the Titans down to the Baltimore 32, before ending the drive with an interception to Samari Rolle.
On Tennessee’s next drive, they were again on the move, before losing the football when LenDale White fumbled on a third down run. The half ended, tied 7-7; with Tennessee kicking themselves for squandering the two possible scoring drives.
For Tennessee the most devastating turnover was still to come. With Baltimore holding a slim 13-10 lead, Tennessee’s sure handed tight end, Alge Crumpler, fumbled the ball over to the Ravens, one yard shy of the end zone. It was a crippling turnover that all but sealed Tennessee’s fate.
In addition to their undisciplined play, Tennessee also had to deal with the loss of running back Chris Johnson, towards the end of the first half. Johnson was in the middle of an amazing game, already gaining 100 yards (72 rushing, 28 receiving) when he injured his right foot.
Johnson opened the scoring on Tennessee’s second drive of the game, getting loose on the right edge for an 8 yard touchdown run. The Titan offense was never the same after losing the rookie, scoring only three points the rest of the way.
While Baltimore was playing it close to the vest with their young quarterback, Tennessee decided to let veteran Kerry Collins air it out. Collins did everything possible without the threat of a running game, completing 26 of 42 passes for 281 yards, no touchdowns. It was obvious that Collins’ first target was Justin Gage. Gage caught 10 balls for 135 yards. The combo did everything imaginable except find the end zone.
Ultimately, too many costly penalties and the three untimely turnovers; coupled with the loss of their best player, led to Tennessee’s demise.
With :53 seconds remaining in the game, Baltimore veteran Matt Stover trotted on the field to deliver the death blow. The 43-yarder was good off the foot, as Stover’s two fourth-quarter field goals were all Baltimore needed to get back to the AFC title game.
"I would say this would be the No. 1 [kick in my career]," Stover said, before adding, "but we've got some more kicks, too. So let's just be humble about that."
The Baltimore Ravens are now one game away from Super Bowl XLIII. They will need one more win away from home to get to Tampa. The immediate question is whether their road show will be traveling to San Diego or Pittsburgh next weekend?
“Here come the Baltimore Ravens. The team nobody wants to play”
Words have never been so true.
Photo from AP, quotes from ESPN.com
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