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The Baltimore Ravens are getting set for a huge weekend matchup against the Tennessee Titans in the playoffs, and the teams are no strangers to each other considering their past results.
Last season, the Ravens were thumped by the Titans 28-12 in the divisional round. After that, the Titans won an overtime game against the Ravens this season that was very hard fought and tough. It’s clear the team’s don’t like each other much, and it’s clear that could play a major role in what happens for this matchup as it gets going.
On Good Morning Football, host Peter Schrager explained why he’s excited for the matchup, and said the Ravens have been preparing for this game for a long time.
Schrager said:
“You think Ravens-Titans and you think that’s not one of the great NFL rivalries. Then you go back to Eddie George and Ray Lewis. You go back to what’s been happening the last few years. Let’s talk about Mike Vrabel and John Harbaugh and some of the brew-ha-ha’s. This is playoff football. The Ravens are a proud franchise, the last two times the Titans came into M&T Bank Stadium, they bullied them, they outmanned them. They looked them in the eye and said ‘we’re not only going to push you around and beat you, we’re going to dance on your logo and not shake your hand afterward.’ I do think it plays a role, I think it plays a huge role. This is quietly a game that I can imagine the Ravens players and coaching staff are getting really fired up about. They don’t beat us three times in a row. They certainly don’t out-bully us, and they certainly don’t administer their will on us. I think the Ravens are going to come out ready to fight.”
Some of the on-field events have sent a big hint as it relates to what could play out on the field in this matchup. Both sides play tough football and have managed to make toughness their hallmark. With this in mind, it’s a major collision course between the sides and a game that could be one of the better ones of the weekend.
What Went Wrong for Ravens in Losses to Titans
If the Ravens are ready mentally, that’s excellent news because they will need to be engaged in a big way It’s not a stretch to say that the Ravens were less physical in both of their recent defeats to Tennessee. In this season’s matchup, the Titans rushed for 173 yards. In the playoffs, the total was 217 yards. Obviously, Derrick Henry has been a big part of the mix for the team in terms of the domination. On defense, the Ravens will have to be much tougher in the trenches and find a way to hold even in terms of the ground game. If they cannot man up in the trenches while showing their own physicality on offense, it could be another long day for the Ravens.
Toughness will have to be the hallmark for the Ravens, and if their mindset is good, that would be excellent news for the team.
Ravens-Titans a Huge Rematch
If the Ravens are extra motivated for this game as Schrager hints to the masses, the reasoning has everything to do with last season and earlier this season and the results of those games. Last year, the Ravens were punched in the face repeatedly in the biggest upset of the playoffs when the Titans came to town and won in the divisional round. Baltimore had a shot at a rematch this season, but lost 30-24 in overtime after blowing an early 21-13 lead in the game. In both games, the Titans have been way more physical, which raises alarm bells for the Ravens, who thrive on physicality.
This time, the Ravens have to step up and find a way to put together a solid effort for a win. Mindset could play a huge role in if they are able to get this done on the field this weekend, and the team could benefit by being excited and engaged.
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