Tennessee Titans: Ryan Tannehill must own the big moment
Ryan Tannehill is ready to make his second playoff start on for the Tennessee Titans but he may have to do more against the Ravens than he did the Pats.
The Tennessee Titans are already the underdog darlings of the 2020 NFL Playoffs after upsetting the New England Patriots in the Wild Card Round. But after going on the road and taking down the No. 3 seed out of the AFC, they must go on the road once more, this time to take on the top-seed in the conference and a team that’s won their last 12 games behind the MVP frontrunner, the Baltimore Ravens.
Traveling to Baltimore offers a much different challenge than the Patriots did. While New England was a tough team for Ryan Tannehill and Derrick Henry to move the ball on, the Ravens are going to be difficult to seemingly keep up with. After all, they were the best and most efficient offense in the NFL this season behind Lamar Jackson, Mark Ingram and a phenomenal scheme.
Against the Patriots, however, one thing that stood out in a glaring manner was how little Tannehill was asked to do. It was an all-Henry, all the time gameplan as the quarterback threw the ball just 15 times, having only 72 yards with one touchdown and one interception for the game, his first career playoff start. That may not be possible against the Ravens, however.
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The Titans find their success by putting the ball in Henry’s hands and letting their rushing attack control the clock and game. However, the Ravens not only do the same but they are far better at it with their multi-faceted rushing attack. Baltimore was the league’s best running team by a wide margin and has been stopped by next to no one all season.
What that boils down to is the fact that the Ravens are going to play that Titans preferred gameplan better than they will be able to. Subsequently, Tennessee is going to have to look for other answers — namely, Tannehill.
When Tannehill took over the offense at midseason, it was a revelation for the Titans. His willingness to take risks and shots down the field to the likes of A.J. Brown, Tajae Sharpe and Corey Davis has tremendously opened things up, ultimately leading them to this point. But he’s going to need to take those risks on Saturday night.
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Tannehill can’t get away with throwing the ball 15 times in this game. Yes, Tennessee still needs Henry to thrive but they need the quarterback to take shots and convert on some of those shots for big plays. If not, they simply aren’t going to be able to keep up with the Ravens, especially with the game in Baltimore.