Ravens Hold Off Tennessee; Head To Atlanta

The Ravens beat Tennessee 24-18 on Sunday and are 3-1. They led 24-7 at halftime, lost Lamar Jackson to an ankle injury on the last sack of the half, and did not score again.

It wasn’t pretty after halftime, and it doesn’t have to be. As we remind ourselves weekly, this is a week-to-week league and the Ravens are 3-1.

The win ends a four-game losing streak at M&T Bank Stadium that dated to last season. It also keeps Baltimore level with Cleveland, which beat Pittsburgh 27-24 on Thursday to get to 3-1. Cincinnati lost to Jacksonville 22-17, so the Bengals and Steelers are both 2-2.

Jackson’s ankle is the biggest question coming out of the game. Given that he was on the sideline in pads for most of the 2nd half, I wouldn’t think there is extended concern.
Still, we have to see if he plays next Sunday night, and if he’s compromised at all if he does.

What Happened

Tennessee’s second play was an interception. Trenton Simpson caught Cam Ward’s throw over the middle, with Mike Green pressuring Ward, and returned it 24 yards to the Titans’ 37. Five plays later Derrick Henry scored from the 5 on fourth-and-1. A week ago the Ravens went for a fourth-and-1 from their own 30 and didn’t get it. This one was at the other team’s 5.

The Titans answered with a 10-play, 70-yard drive and a 3-yard Pollard touchdown. Carnell Tate’s 22-yard catch was the big play, the first of nine.

Baltimore then scored on two long drives in the second quarter.

• 81 yards in six plays. Henry ran for 4, 14 and 11. Jackson hit Matthew Hibner for 25 and Zay Flowers for the 19-yard touchdown.
• 98 yards in eight plays. It started at the 2 and went backward a yard on a false start. Jackson found Andrews twice to get out, Bateman for 28 and Flowers for 52, then Andrews for the 3-yard score.

Between those drives, Tennessee had first-and-goal at the 8 and came away with nothing. More on that below.

The last minute of the half changed the game. Kyle Hamilton stripped Tate at the end of a 33-yard catch and Starks recovered at the Baltimore 35. Jackson moved the offense to the Tennessee 41. Jermaine Johnson II sacked him with 12 seconds left, and Jackson was hurt on the play. Loop came on at third down and hit from 64 yards. It drizzled all day in Baltimore, with temperatures in the low 60s.

That kick is the longest in the history of the stadium, per Jeff Zrebiec. Justin Tucker’s 58-yarder in 2022 was the old mark. It’s the second-longest in team history behind Tucker’s 66 in Detroit.

The second half belonged to Tennessee. The Titans kicked a field goal on their first drive, the teams traded six punts, and Loop missed wide left from 40. Ward then went 70 yards in two minutes, hit Wan’Dale Robinson for a 3-yard touchdown and found Helm for the two-point conversion with 1:12 left. Starks recovered the onside kick and Tyler Huntley knelt twice.

	1	2	3	4	Final
Titans	7	0	3	8	18
Ravens	7	17	0	0	24

Without Jackson

Jackson’s half: 15 of 20 for 222 yards and two touchdowns, with no interceptions and two sacks. That’s 11.1 yards per attempt. The offense had 268 yards and 24 points at the break.

After the break it had 116 yards and no points.

Huntley completed 8 of 9 for 63 yards. Nothing was thrown downfield, and Tennessee sat back in zone and let him throw short. His longest completion was an 18-yarder to Bateman on third-and-5, and it was the only third down the offense converted in six tries with him at quarterback. Henry carried 14 times after halftime for 34 yards.

The five real possessions with Huntley:

1. Punt. An Andrews false start made it first-and-15 before the first snap.
2. Punt. Flowers lost 6 on a third-and-4 catch. Durham Smythe was hurt on this drive.
3. Punt. Henry converted a third-and-1 with a 7-yard run to the Tennessee 36. A hold on Walker brought it back, and the third-and-11 throw was incomplete.
4. Punt. An illegal shift wiped out a 4-yard run, Henry lost a yard on third-and-2, and Keondre Jackson’s false start on fourth-and-3 moved it back before the punt.
5. Missed field goal. Eleven plays, 53 yards, and Loop wide left from 40.

Three of the five crossed midfield. Three of the five had a Baltimore penalty. With a two-score lead and a backup quarterback, running Henry and throwing short is the reasonable plan. It still has to produce a first down on third-and-2, and the penalties turned manageable downs into long ones.

Zrebiec reported Jackson walked to the locker room late with a limp. That’s all we know currently.

Short Yardage

In Rio, Henry’s five fourth-quarter short-yardage carries lost 5 yards and converted nothing. We asked at what point you adjust.

Against Tennessee, Henry had seven carries with 1 or 2 yards to go. He converted five.

Situation	Result
4th and 1, Titans’ 5 (1st quarter)	5 yards, touchdown
2nd and 2, own 27 (2nd)	4 yards
2nd and 1, Titans’ 43 (3rd)	No gain
2nd and 1, own 31 (4th)	11 yards
3rd and 2, midfield (4th)	Loss of 1
2nd and 2, own 33 (4th)	6 yards
2nd and 1, own 48 (4th)	3 yards

A sixth conversion, the 7-yard run on third-and-1, came back on the Walker hold. Both failures came after halftime, with Huntley at quarterback and the threat of Jackson keeping the ball gone.

Henry finished with 23 carries for 73 yards, 3.2 per carry, with a long of 14. He had 9 for 39 in the first half.

The context is who was blocking. Vega Ioane made his first start at center with Jovaughn Gwyn, Ethan Pocic and Danny Pinter all on injured reserve. Andrew Vorhees started at right guard, a spot he said he hadn’t played since his sophomore year at USC, per Ravens.com. Vorhees left with a foot injury and Emery Jones Jr. replaced him. Ronnie Stanley was active after the toe injury.

Across from them was Jeffery Simmons. “He has the ability to wreck the game,” Jesse Minter said during the week. Simmons was in on four stops of Henry for a combined 4 yards and batted a pass. He did not have a sack. Tennessee’s two sacks went to Jacob Martin and Harris, who split one, and Johnson.

Ioane had one bad snap, with Huntley in the fourth quarter. Huntley recovered it, and a Tennessee offside wiped out the play.

The fourth-and-1 touchdown came from a different look than the one Dallas kept stopping, with Henry taking the handoff already moving downhill. That’s the adjustment we asked about last week. On the ones that failed, Tennessee had defenders in the backfield before Henry got started, and that’s a blocking problem more than a play-calling one. Declan Doyle has shown he’ll change the picture. At some point this line also has to beat the man across from it. Obviously that’s a harder proposition with guys in and out of the lineup. Maybe if they can build some consistency, that will have a chance to improve.

Penalties

Baltimore was flagged 13 times for 131 yards. Tennessee was flagged five times for 32. The Titans had 21 first downs, and six came by penalty. The Ravens had none by penalty.

Last week the problem was the offensive line, with six flags in Rio. This week the line had one, a Rosengarten false start at the 2 that cost a yard. The other 12 came from everywhere else.

Unit	Flags	Yards	What
Defense	6	90	Two pass interference calls (Chidobe Awuzie 39, Hamilton 11), Hamilton’s unnecessary roughness, Trenton Simpson’s horse collar, Tavius Robinson’s illegal use of hands, Wiggins’ illegal contact
Offense	6	36	Holds on Sarratt and Walker, false starts on Flowers, Andrews and Rosengarten, an illegal shift
Special teams	1	5	Keondre Jackson’s false start

Four of them changed drives.

• Hamilton’s unnecessary roughness came after an incompletion on third-and-10. It would have been fourth-and-10 at the Baltimore 35. Instead Tennessee had a first down at the 20.
• Awuzie’s interference was 39 of the 76 yards on Tennessee’s field-goal drive.
• Sarratt’s hold cut a 29-yard Jackson scramble to a net of 7. Baltimore punted two plays later.
• Walker’s hold took back Henry’s third-and-1 conversion at the Tennessee 36. Baltimore punted after one more snap.

Three Baltimore penalties gave Tennessee 35 yards on one second-quarter drive. That drive ended at the 2 without points.

The Defense

The numbers are good. Tennessee gained 297 yards at 5.1 per play, ran for 85 on 26 carries, and went 2 of 10 on third down. Pollard had 16 carries for 48 yards. The defense forced two turnovers and the offense turned both into points, 10 in all.

The best sequence was at the goal line in the second quarter. Tennessee had first-and-goal at the 8 and gave it to Pollard four straight times: 3 yards, 2, 1, and nothing. Madubuike made the stop on the fourth-down direct snap at the 2. Baltimore went 98 yards the other way for a 21-7 lead.

Then there’s Tate. The rookie caught nine passes for 145 yards on 12 targets, a week after his previous career highs of six for 58. Marlon Humphrey left with a calf injury and Awuzie replaced him. Hamilton spent a lot of the day around Tate, with a pass breakup, the forced fumble and an interference call all coming on throws his way.

And there’s the last drive. A week after allowing go-ahead and tying drives in the fourth quarter in Rio, the defense gave up 70 yards in two minutes with a 14-point lead. It had the drive stopped. Ethan Burke’s sack and a 5-yard catch left Tennessee at fourth-and-11 with 1:51 left. Ward threw to Tate for 33 to the 3.

The pass rush had one sack for the second straight week, this time without Trey Hendrickson, who was ruled out with the finger. Burke got it in his first game with defensive snaps, per Ryan Mink. Green, starting in Hendrickson’s place, was credited with pressure on three throws, including the interception. Ward came in having been sacked five times in three games, per Ravens.com, and he ran four times for 27 yards, 22 of them on the last drive.

How Tennessee moved the ball is what will bother people. Ward got the ball out fast and threw underneath most of the day, which keeps a rush from getting home no matter who is rushing. If you’re going to give up the short throws, you have to tackle and you have to take the ball away. Baltimore did take it away twice. It also let a winless team with one of the league’s lowest-scoring offenses move the ball more easily than it should have, and this was supposed to be the game where the defense got right. It won the game at the goal line and with two turnovers. It still hasn’t played four good quarters.

In 2026, we’re told NFL teams don’t spend much time in pads and tackling in Training Camp.
So you get games in the first Week or 2, where teams look unready for actual game conditions.

Okay, that’s just how it is.

But this was the fourth game of the year, and we’ve entered October.
I’m not saying the Ravens Defense was unprepared to play today. That would be hyperbolic.
I am saying, we’re still waiting to see better tackling, and just overall physicality from this group.
There is talent at all 3 levels of the defense, but they feel like their still searching to find their identity.

There are multiple ways to play the game.
I think the best defenses are built when they think less, and attack more.
Go hit someone.

To be fair, lots of successful defenses are of the bend but don’t break variety.
It can work, especially with a complimentary offense.
But it does leave me wanting more, and missing all of the great defenses of years past that simply imposed their will vs. seemingly being comfortable with being dictated to.

Last Week’s Things To Watch

We listed six. Here’s how each came out.

1. Who snaps the ball. Ioane, with one bad exchange that didn’t count.
2. Short yardage. Better. Five of seven for Henry, including a fourth-down touchdown, against none of five in the fourth quarter in Rio.
3. Whether Baltimore has the ball. It did: 33:08 to 26:52, and 61 plays to 58.
4. The interior rush and Madubuike. Madubuike made the fourth-and-goal stop and was credited with pressure on two throws. The team had one sack.
5. Offensive line penalties. One, for a yard. Everyone else had 12.
6. Whether they put Tennessee away. They controlled the game with Jackson on the field. With him off the field, it became a one score game with 1:12 left.

Takeaways

Jackson. Fifteen of 20 for the second straight week, this time for 222 yards in a half. The offense scored 24 with him and none without him. Now we wait and see what his availability for next week looks like.

Flowers. Eight catches for 118 yards and a touchdown on 10 targets. Six of the catches and 119 of the yards came from Jackson. Music City Miracles expected Alontae Taylor to draw him. He left briefly in the fourth quarter and returned. At-least three of his eight grabs were really high-caliber. He’s been excellent so far when available here in 2026.

Loop. He won the game in Rio from 56 and set the stadium record today from 64. Then he missed from 40 with a chance to make it a three-score game, which gave back some of the trust the 64-yarder earned.

The injury list. Jackson (ankle), Humphrey (calf), Vorhees (foot) and Smythe (Achilles) all left this game, per Mink. That’s on top of Hendrickson’s finger and three centers on injured reserve. The line that finished the game had a rookie guard at center and Jones at right guard.

The young rushers. Green started for Hendrickson and Burke played on defense for the first time. Burke had the sack. Green pressured Ward on the interception. The team total was one sack for the second straight week.

Trenton Simpson & Teddye Buchanan. Simpson had the early pick. Was good to see Buchanan back in-action and have a tackle.

Hibner and Andrews.  Combined for 61 yards and a score. Andrews isn’t done, and Hibner having 2 catches for the second straight week is encouraging. Smythe was the best blocking TE, losing him is a blow.

Bateman. With Flowers out against the Saints, Bateman had 7 catches for 88 yards. In the 2 games since, he has 4 catches for 83 yards.  Glad to see him have have a couple of catches again today, but I’d like to see him get more targets.  Flowers and Henry are the primary weapons. Andrews remains the safety valve. To me, Bateman reaching his ceiling is what would make the offense that much harder to defend. Jakobi Lane could return in a few weeks. Bateman needs to take advantage of the opportunity available now.

The O-Line.  Of course all of the weapons can only be at their best if the line in-front of them is giving them a chance. As we said above, when evaluating we have to factor in all of the injuries so far. I think for the next Month, I just want to see the group gain some continuity. Hopefully avoid any further injuries. Let guys get some snaps under their belt together. Hopefully then their play can improve. Would say that all Lineman typically love run-blocking. You want this group to get more comfortable, and look more physical? Lean on the running game.  Also give them some help with additional blockers and larger sets.

Week 5: At Atlanta

The Ravens play the Falcons next Sunday night, Oct. 11th, at 8:20 p.m. ET on NBC at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta. DraftKings has Baltimore as a 6-point favorite with a total of 49.5. ESPN’s Match-Up Predictor gives the Ravens a 70.9% chance.

We are writing this before Atlanta plays tomorrow. The Falcons are 1-2 and at New Orleans on Monday night. In our Week 4 preview we picked the Saints. Whatever happens, Atlanta will be playing next Sunday on a short week.

Two different Falcons teams

Cooper Rush started the first two games and the offense did not run a red-zone play in either. Michael Penix Jr. came back in Week 3 from last November’s ACL tear, and the Falcons won 35-14 in Green Bay. They fell behind 7-0, scored 27 straight and outrushed the Packers 242 to 17.

Bijan Robinson ran for 194 yards and two touchdowns. Drake London caught nine passes for a career-high 194. After a slow first quarter, Penix completed 16 of 18 for 234 yards and a touchdown, per The Falcoholic, with career highs in snaps under center and throws between the numbers. Kevin Stefanski is in his first season as Head Coach.

When Atlanta has the ball

Robinson is the first problem. Baltimore held Tennessee to 3.3 yards per carry on Sunday, but it gave Javonte Williams 98 yards on 19 carries in Rio.

London is the second. A rookie receiver just had 145 yards against this secondary after Humphrey left. If Humphrey’s calf keeps him out, the job falls to Awuzie and Wiggins.

The Falcoholic wrote that Atlanta got the ball out of Penix’s hands quickly against Green Bay, partly because the line has been suspect in protection. A quick passing game makes that harder, with or without Hendrickson.

Look to see what Kyle Pitts does tomorrow vs. the Saints. He’s going into that game with just 2 catches in 3 games, after 88 receptions last year.

When Baltimore has the ball

Who’s under Center for the Ravens?

Atlanta’s secondary is thin. A.J. Terrell is on injured reserve. CJ Henderson allowed 40 yards on 11 targets against Green Bay, while Mike Hughes gave up five catches on six targets for 89 yards and a touchdown, per The Falcoholic. If Hughes is still starting, Flowers against him is the matchup to find.

Up front, Baltimore goes on the road with Ioane at center for a second week and a right guard still to be settled. The Ravens signed veteran center Andre James during the week, though he is coming back from a high ankle sprain.

Former Raven Za’Darius Smith has 2.5 sacks.  The Falcons are high on their 2026 4th Round pick Kendal Daniels who is starting at LB out of Oklahoma.

2nd year Safety Xavier Watts was a 2x All-American at Notre Dame.

Fellow Safety Jessie Bates is the star of the Atlanta Defense. He’s a 3x 2nd team All-Pro.

Things To Watch

1. Jackson’s ankle. The practice reports on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday are the story of the week. Does he practice? Does he play if he doesn’t practice?
2. Humphrey’s calf, and who covers London if he can’t go.
3. Right guard. Vorhees’ foot, Jones, or someone else next to Ioane.
4. Robinson on early downs. Atlanta ran for 242 in Green Bay. Baltimore can’t let the Falcons live in second-and-short.
5. Penalties. Twenty-two flags for 209 yards over the last two games.
6. Finishing. Dallas tied it with seven seconds left in Rio. Tennessee scored with 1:12 left on Sunday.

 

If Jackson ends up not playing next week, I hope we find that out earlier in the week. Forget the subterfuge about giving the Falcons multiple things to prepare for.
If Jackson isn’t able to play, my focus is on what game plan can Doyle operate with Huntley to best give the Ravens an opportunity to win.
Clearly it would start with feeding Henry, and since Huntley can’t push the ball down the field; you are looking for quick hitters to your weapons.