NASHVILLE —The AFC South champion Tennessee Titans (11-5) host the Baltimore Ravens (11-5) this week in a wild card playoff game. Kickoff at Nissan Stadium is scheduled for 12:05 p.m. CST on Sunday, Jan. 10.
With their 41-38 victory at Houston last week, the Titans earned a division title and the AFC’s fourth seed. It is their third playoff berth in five years since general manager Jon Robinson was hired and the second consecutive playoff appearance under head coach Mike Vrabel. The 2019 squad advanced to the AFC championship game.
This week’s matchup is accompanied by an air of familiarity. It is the fifth all-time playoff matchup between Tennessee and Baltimore and the second such encounter in as many years. The Titans traveled to face the Ravens in the divisional round of the 2019 playoffs and won 28-12 to knot the postseason series at 2-2. Eleven months later, on Nov. 22, the Titans returned to M&T Bank Stadium for a regular season battle and prevailed 30-24 after running back Derrick Henry scored on a 29-yard run in overtime.
The game features the NFL’s top two rushing teams. The Ravens’ 191.9 rushing yards per game paced the league, while the Titans ranked second at 168.1.
The Boys from Tennessee. ⚔️
We All We Got. #NeverSatisfied pic.twitter.com/VzVteFA8yv
— Tennessee Titans (@Titans) January 6, 2021
THE BROADCAST
This week’s contest will be nationally televised on ESPN and simulcast on ABC, including Nashville affiliate WKRN News 2. The broadcast team includes play-by-play announcer Steve Levy, analysts Brian Griese and Louis Riddick, reporter Lisa Salters and officiating analyst John Parry. ESPN Deportes will provide the Spanish-language presentation.
Fans can livestream the broadcast on their mobile devices from the Titans Mobile App (iOS and Android) and on TennesseeTitans.com mobile web. Restrictions apply. For more information and additional streaming options visit TennesseeTitans.com or NFL.com/ways-to-watch.
The Titans Radio Network and Nashville flagship 104.5 The Zone will carry the game across the Mid-South with the “Voice of the Titans” Mike Keith, analyst Dave McGinnis, sideline reporter Amie Wells, and gameday hosts Rhett Bryan and Jonathan Hutton.
Westwood One Sports will broadcast the game to a national radio audience. Play-by-play announcer Brandon Gaudin and analyst Rod Woodson will have the call.
How'd the @Titans make it to #SuperWildCard Weekend?
HINT: Lots of ???
?: #BALvsTEN | Sunday 1:05pm ET on ESPN/ABC
?: NFL app // Yahoo Sports app pic.twitter.com/wfKbquhMO9— NFL (@NFL) January 9, 2021
TITANS WIN FIRST DIVISION TITLE IN 12 YEARS
Last week at Houston, Tennessee clinched the division crown when Sam Sloman bounced a 37-yard field goal attempt off the right upright and through as time expired in the fourth quarter. It gave the Titans their first AFC South championship since 2008 and the right to host a playoff contest for the first time since they hosted the Ravens in a divisional matchup on Jan. 10, 2009.
Henry captured his second consecutive NFL rushing title in 2020 after posting a franchise-record 250 rushing yards against the Texans. He accumulated 2,027 rushing yards on the season, making him just the eighth player in NFL history to reach the 2,000-yard rushing mark. He also led the NFL with 17 rushing touchdowns.
Quarterback Ryan Tannehill started all 16 regular season games in 2020 and delivered one of the franchise’s best seasons by a quarterback. His 40 combined passing (33) and rushing touchdowns (seven) were the most by any Titans/Oilers player, while he also ranked third on the team’s single-season passing yards list (3,819).
Wide receiver A.J. Brown had 151 receiving yards at Houston, including a touchdown and a 52-yard catch to set up Sloman’s game-winner. He concluded his second season with 1,075 receiving yards and 11 touchdown catches.
THE RAVENS
Head coach John Harbaugh now has led the Ravens to a playoff berth in nine of his 13 seasons with the organization. His team enters the 2020 postseason as the AFC’s top wild card and the fifth overall seed in the conference. They won 38-3 last week at Cincinnati, tallying their fifth consecutive victory after beginning the season 6-5.
A season after winning the 2019 Associated Press NFL Most Valuable Player Award, Baltimore quarterback Lamar Jackson passed for 2,757 yards and 26 touchdowns in 2020 and rushed for another 1,005 yards and seven touchdowns.
