You almost get a sense that the Titans like being the underdogs at this point.
Tennessee has been counted out since the beginning of the postseason, including before they recorded a 20-13 road win over the New England Patriots.
Even after a dominant showing, no one saw the Titans embarrassing the Ravens in M&T Bank Stadium on Saturday the way they did on the 28-12 victory over what many considered to be the best team in the NFL.
Here are five takeaways from the contest as the Titans prepare for their first AFC Championship appearance since 2002.
1. The Titans’ defense managed to shut down the NFL’s best offense without key players.
No Cameron Wake. No Malcolm Butler. No Jayon Brown.
Those are big losses for the Titans that are further magnified in tough postseason matchups.
But Mike Vrabel and defensive coordinator Dean Pees concocted the perfect game plan against a Baltimore team that came into the game with a 14-2 overall record and an average of 33.2 points per game.
The Titans held them to 12, and capitalized on three takeaways.
2. Derrick Henry can do it all.
We’ve seen Henry’s name mentioned in trade moves the Titans should make on more than one occasion in the past, which now seems nothing short of ridiculous.
Henry is at the heart of the team’s rushing offense, and is arguably the most important player on the team at this point.
He finished out Saturday’s contest as the team’s leading rusher with 30 carries for 195 yards, also jumping in at quarterback for a play and delivering a touchdown pass to wide receiver Corey Davis.
3. Lamar Jackson struggled.
The quarterback battle between Tannehill and Jackson was a major storyline heading into this one, and rightfully so.
The signal-caller who finished the season with the best passer rating, and the passer who set the record for most rushing yards in a season by a quarterback.
Tannehill finished the game completing 7-of-14 passes for 88 yards with two touchdowns, along with six rushing attempts for 13 yards and a touchdown.
Jackson was 31-for-59 passing for 365 yards with one touchdown, two interceptions and a fumble. He also had 20 carries for 143 yards, never finding the end zone strictly off of his own mobility.
You could almost argue that Tannehill looked more like Jackson than Jackson himself.
4. Winning the turnover battle was just as important as we thought it would be.
Jackson had thrown just six interceptions this year heading into the postseason, but he was picked off twice and lost a fumble against the Titans.
This proved costly, with Tennessee producing touchdowns on two of the three turnovers.
It’s safe to say Jackson wishes he could have a play or two back in this one.
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