In Playoff Upset, Titans Defeat Ravens 28-12

The Baltimore Ravens entered the NFL postseason with plenty of momentum on their side. They were widely predicted to defeat the visiting Tennessee Titans in a home game on Saturday night and advance to the conference finals. Instead, their dreams of a spot in this year’s Super Bowl came to an end as the Tennessee Titans rode into Baltimore underdogs and rode out victors.

With an impressive 28-12 win, the Titans will head to the AFC Championship game for the first time since 2002.

The @Titans are the 3rd team since the 1970 merger to beat the No. 1 scoring offense (Ravens) and No. 1 scoring defense (Patriots) in the same postseason.

The other 2 teams both won the Super Bowl (1988 49ers, 2004 Patriots). pic.twitter.com/TaQlGhQtxm

— ESPN Stats & Info (@ESPNStatsInfo) January 12, 2020

Tennessee’s victory came via strong performances from the entire team. Derrick Hardy had a particularly strong game, including one 66-yard carry; he ended up with 195 yards total for the night. And quarterback Ryan Tannehill continued his run of impressive form, passing for two touchdowns over the course of the game.

The best story of the NFL playoffs is … Ryan Tannehill?

• traded from Miami
• was a backup
• got the starting job in October
• got the Titans into the playoffs
• beat the Patriots
• beat the Ravens
• is going to the AFC Championship game pic.twitter.com/WlyPNUAkPN

— SB Nation (@SBNation) January 12, 2020

Tennessee took an early lead and finished the 1st quarter up 7-0. They outscored Baltimore over the next two quarters as well, including racking up 14 unanswered points in the 3rd. Baltimore did manage to score 6 more in the 4th — the only team to do so — but it wasn’t enough to bring them back into the game.

At NFL.com, Nick Shook writes that the Ravens are the first #1 seed to fall to a #6 seed since 2010. These playoffs are shaping up to be a time when anything can happen — and there are plenty more games to come.

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