Three Bold Predictions for Ravens-Titans

With their hard-earned victory over the New England Patriots, the Tennessee Titans earned a trip to Baltimore to take on the NFL's top team, the number-one seeded Baltimore Ravens. It may not be as one-sided as it looks, either. Here are three bold predictions for this week's game.

1. This will be an offensive shootout

Don't be fooled by the second half of the Patriots-Titans game, where absolutely no points were scored until Tom Brady's pick-six in the final minute. Both the Titans and Ravens are perfectly equipped to put points on the scoreboard, and they match each other on offense strength-for-strength - particularly on the ground. While the Titans have the NFL's number-one rusher in Derrick Henry, the Ravens as a team had more rushing yards than any team in NFL history with their combined attack of Heisman winners Mark Ingram and Lamar Jackson.

2. Lamar Jackson will erupt for a huge day

Speaking of Jackson, the presumptive NFL MVP's postseason debut last year was a game he would like to forget. Against the Los Angeles Chargers in the AFC Wild Card game, he completed less than half of his passes and didn't come alive until Baltimore were too far behind to mount a serious comeback.
That game is fresh in the mind of Jackson, who says the game still motivates him. Expect him to carry that motivation into the matchup against the Titans, who possess a middle-of-the-road defense that finished 24th in passing yards allowed.

3. The Ravens' defense will make the difference

Jackson and the Ravens' offense has dazzled us so often we tend to forget that their defense has also played a big part in their journey to the best record in the NFL, especially in the second half. Only two teams allowed fewer points than Baltimore this season, and only New England allowed fewer first downs. Their major concern will be containing Derrick Henry, but the Titans can't use him on every snap. Once in a while Tennessee will have to turn to the arm of Ryan Tannehill, which could pose a problem if he continues to play as sloppily as he did for much of Saturday night's game against New England.