Titans come off bye to top Ravens for third straight win
Titans top Ravens for third straight victory
NASHVILLE— The Tennessee Titans are interested only in stacking up victories right now. To them, reaching the halfway point of the regular season tied atop the AFC South standings means they have time to fix what they must do better.
Marcus Mariota passed for 218 yards and two touchdowns as the Titans beat the Baltimore Ravens 23-20 Sunday for their third straight victory.
“There’s no question that we have still a lot of work to do,” Titans coach Mike Mularkey said. “There’s no question about that in a lot of areas. But if we can find a way at whatever time in the game to make a play to win the game, that’s all that matters.”
Derrick Henry added for a 1-yard touchdown run for Tennessee (5-3), and safety Kevin Byard also intercepted two passes, giving the second-year pro five picks over his past two games and tying him for the most in consecutive games since the AFL-NFL merger in 1970. He’s the first player with that many since DeAngelo Hall (Washington Redskins) in 2010.
The Titans, who were coming off their open date, also sacked Joe Flacco twice and scored 13 points off Byard’s first interception and a shanked punt. The Ravens (4-5) outgained Tennessee 341-257, but they head into their open date having lost three of four games.
“We’ve been beat up all year, so this will be a good chance to hopefully get healthy and get
some guys back,” Ravens coach John Harbaugh said. “We were hoping to win this game to get some momentum going into the bye and come out healthy. We’ve got to get on a roll.”
Flacco tried to rally the Ravens with two touchdown passes in the final 8:56, the last a 1-yard pass to Mike Wallace with 46 seconds left that pulled Baltimore within 23-20. But Justin Tucker’s onside kick attempt didn’t travel 10 yards, skittering almost sideways off the tee before being recovered by Titans linebacker Daren Bates.
Eric Weddle started the rally by picking off Mariota’s overthrown pass for a Baltimore defense that came in with an NFL-best 12 interceptions. Flacco hit Javorius Allen with a 3-yard touchdown pass with 8:56 left to pull the Ravens within 16-13.
The Titans answered with a 75-yard drive Mariota capped with an 11-yard touchdown pass to Eric Decker with 3:58 left. The veteran wide receiver broke loose after seeing other options bottled up by the Ravens.
“It was kind of a vet-savvy move,” Mariota said.
The Titans led 10-3 after the first quarter, their best opening period this season. Mariota threw his first touchdown pass inside an opponent’s 20 this season on a 16-yarder to Rishard Matthews, and it also was the Titans’ first touchdown in the first quarter since the season opener.
The Titans used rookie cornerback Adoree Jackson on offense for the first time this season, doing so on their opening drive. He went up the middle for a 20-yard gain on a handoff. But Matthew Judon sacked Mariota on third down, forcing the Titans to settle for a field goal.
The Ravens answered on the next drive with a fake punt, and punter Sam Koch hit Chris Moore for 16 yards on fourth-and-7. Titans cornerback Brice McCain was flagged for a face-mask penalty, with Moore’s helmet coming off to reach the Tennessee 13. But the Ravens settled for a field goal.
“We need to be better,” Flacco said. “It’s as simple as that.”
The Titans finished with touchdowns on all three drives inside the Ravens 20.
“When you can pull these tough ones out, especially against a good team like Baltimore, it builds confidence,” Mariota said.
Tennessee running back DeMarco Murray finally got off the injury report this week, but he hurt a knee in the second quarter. He returned and finished with 19 yards on nine carries.
Titans left tackle Taylor Lewan didn’t hide his fury after Ravens linebacker Matthew Judon hit Mariota after the Titans quarterback threw away a pass near the sideline. Officials flagged Ravens linebacker Za’Darius Smith for unnecessary roughness for a hit on Mariota in the second quarter, but in Lewan’s opinion, that wasn’t enough.
“It’s ridiculous. It’s getting out of hand,” Lewan said. “People get mad and go, ‘Oh, you’re doing too much.’ No. If they’re not going to do it, then we need to do it. I’ve already been warned once about talking to the refs by the NFL. I got a letter about that, but I’m like, ‘Protect our quarterback.’”