Getty The Ravens celebrate a late interception with a big celebration.
The Baltimore Ravens made a huge statement by beating the Tennessee Titans 20-13 in the divisional round of the playoffs on Sunday, and the victory may not have been possible without some major motivation.
Entering the game, the Ravens were smarting from earlier losses to the Titans and were clearly motivated in the wake of their defeat where Tennessee trash talked them in a major way as well as gathered on their logo pre-game. Obviously, the Ravens never forgot the transgression, and gathered on the Tennessee logo following the upset playoff win.
Here’s a look at the scene:
The Ravens ran out to the Titans midfield logo after that last interception and were called for a “taunting” penalty.
Obviously, the Ravens were fired up after the final interception of the game and were more than pleased to be the one handing the Titans their final loss of the season on home field. It was payback from last year when the Titans dominated Baltimore at home, and payback from earlier this season when it happened again. Before that game, the Titans made a big deal at the middle of Baltimore’s home field. The Ravens were unhappy, and used the act as motivation for this game in a big way.
Some might call the act poor sportsmanship, but others might say it was just desserts after the way the Titans acted just a few months ago. What goes around often comes around in the NFL, and this was clearly the case.
Lamar Jackson: No Reason to Shake Titans’ Hands
After his first ever playoff win, Jackson was in no mood to be humble as it related to the Titans. Every player on the Ravens had a long memory from the last encounter, and it was no surprise to see Jackson turning down handshakes from the other side after the game. There were some serious hard feelings from the team’s previous meeting, and Jackson made that clear with his actions after the game.
Most would say that Jackson should be a bit more classy, but after his first playoff win ever, the quarterback may have earned the right to act however he pleases. Jackson was clearly very frustrated with the behavior of the Titans players, and that made it easy for them to react in this way following the massive win.
Lamar Jackson’s First Playoff Win Huge
The Ravens didn’t just have a roadblock against the Titans coming into this game, they also had one as it relates to the quarterback position. Lamar Jackson had never won a playoff game, and had seen plenty of frustration as a result in the NFL media and elsewhere circle. For him to get the win against the Titans is a huge statement, and one that most likely meant a lot to him considering the opponent and the amount of trash that was talked before the game and especially after the loss last season.
After such a win, Jackson earned the right to behave however he wanted, as well as his team. It’s tough to tell a set of players who hasn’t been there before how to act. Now that the Ravens have this win under their belts, they can move on and focus at the task at hand.
As it relates to the Titans, though, now the sides are clearly even.
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