The Titans have reached the halfway point of the NFL season, and find themselves in the thick of the race in the AFC South. Sunday, they knocked off the Baltimore Ravens 23-20. The Titans improved to 5-3 with the win, and remain tied with the Jaguars atop the AFC South. The 5-3 mark is the team’s best record at the halfway point since the 2010 season. The Titans have now won three straight.
Titans quarterback Marcus Mariota completed 19-of-28 passes for 218 yards and two touchdowns in the contest, along with a passer rating of 100.0. An 11-yard touchdown pass from Mariota to receiver Eric Decker capped off a nine-play, 75-yard drive to give the Titans some breathing room with 3:58 left, and the team held on.
The Titans took a 3-0 lead at the end of their first possession on a 48-yard field goal by kicker Ryan Succop. It capped off a drive that included a 29-yard completion from Mariota to receiver Rishard Matthewson the team’s first offensive play, and a 20-yard run by cornerback Adoree Jackson, who lined up in the backfield. The Ravens tied the game at 3-3 on a 30-yard field goal by kicker Justin Tucker. Then came a flurry of activity.
Byard intercepted a pass thrown by Ravens quarterback Joe Flacco after it was tipped downfield by teammate Logan Ryan, and he returned it to the Baltimore 46-yard line. Mariota took off on first down, and after hurdling a Baltimore defender, he had a seven-yard gain. Mariota then connected with receiver Corey Davis a 23-yard completion. Davis toe-tapped the sideline to record the catch. On the very next play, Mariota connected with Matthews for a 16-yard touchdown to make it 10-3.
Another Tucker field goal, this one from 49 yards, made it 10-6. The Titans extended the lead to 16-6 on a one-yard touchdown run by Derrick Henrywith 2:24 in the second quarter, and led by that score at the half. After a scoreless third quarter, the Ravens cut the lead to 16-13 midway through the fourth quarter on a three-yard touchdown pass from Flacco to running back Javorius Allen. But the late touchdown pass from Mariota to Decker gave the Titans the momentum back, and the Titans were able to hold on after a late Baltimore touchdown.
The Titans face the Bengals next Sunday at Nissan Stadium.
(Courtesy TitansOnLine.Com)