The Baltimore Ravens beat the Tennessee Titans 24-18 on Sunday at M&T Bank Stadium. Baltimore scored touchdowns on all 3 of its red zone trips and never turned the ball over. Tennessee converted 2 of 4 red zone chances and gave the ball away twice.
That efficiency covered for a sloppy day. The Ravens were flagged 13 times for 131 yards and went without a point after halftime, but the first-half cushion held.
How It Happened
Derrick Henry opened the scoring with a 5-yard touchdown run early in the first quarter. Tennessee answered with Tony Pollard's 3-yard run, and Joey Slye's extra point tied the game at 7.
Baltimore took control in the second quarter. Lamar Jackson hit Zay Flowers for a 19-yard touchdown, then found Mark Andrews from 3 yards out late in the half. Tyler Loop capped the period with a 64-yard field goal as time expired.
The third quarter belonged to the defenses. Slye's 33-yard field goal was the only score.
Tennessee finally reached the end zone again with 1:12 left in the fourth quarter. Cam Ward threw a 3-yard touchdown pass to Wan'Dale Robinson, then hit Gunnar Helm for the two-point conversion. That pulled the Titans within a score, but they got no closer.
Key Performers
Lamar Jackson: 2 TD passes – 19 YDS to Zay Flowers, 3 YDS to Mark Andrews
Tyler Loop: 64-yard FG, 3-3 extra points
Derrick Henry: 5-yard rushing TD
Cam Ward: 3-yard TD pass to Wan'Dale Robinson, two-point conversion pass to Gunnar Helm
Ravens passing: 23-29, 272 net YDS, 0 INT
Titans passing: 20-31, 212 net YDS, 1 INT
Ravens rushing: 30 ATT, 112 YDS
Titans rushing: 26 ATT, 85 YDS
The passing game was the difference between the offenses. Baltimore averaged about 9 yards per pass to Tennessee's 7, and Jackson's two scoring throws came in the quarter that broke the game open.
Neither side ran the ball well, and neither side was efficient on third down, with each team going 2 of 10.
Tennessee's offense leaned on Baltimore's mistakes. The Titans picked up 6 first downs on penalties, but they also committed an interception and a lost fumble.
What It Means
Baltimore moves to 3-1 and finally has a home win to go with an unbeaten road record. The Ravens are now 1-1 at M&T Bank Stadium and 2-0 away from it.
The home-road split is still the story of their season. This win came with a scoreless second half and a pile of penalty yards, which is not the profile of a team that has figured out how to play in its own building. The road version of Baltimore has been perfect; the home version just survived a winless opponent.
Tennessee drops to 0-4, losing twice at home and twice on the road. The Titans totaled nearly 300 yards, but they also turned the ball over twice and came away without a touchdown on half of their red zone trips.