Don’t miss the playoff game between the Ravens and the Titans on Sunday at 1 p.m. on RDS and RDS Direct.
Avant-match Ravens-Titans
NASHVILLE – Defensive end Calais Campbell knows the time has come to demonstrate why Baltimore made his acquisition in March: Sunday will be the third round of the “Ravens vs. Derrick Henry” shock on Sunday.
The challenge? A second-round berth in the National Football League playoffs.
A year ago, Henry helped the Titans surprise the Ravens, the American Association’s top regular season team, in their second-round playoff duel.
Henry had notably accumulated 195 rushing yards and even completed a touchdown pass in a 28-12 victory.
The Ravens traded a fifth-round pick to the Jacksonville Jaguars to get their hands on Campbell.
Six times elected to the Pro Bowl since the start of his career, Campbell missed the second round on November 22.
In that game, Henry totaled 133 rushing yards – including 89 yards on ten carries in the fourth quarter and overtime – in a 30-24 victory for the Titans. The final play was Henry’s 29-yard sprint for a touchdown.
“Derrick Henry is one of the best running backs in the history of the sport, and right now he’s in a bubble,” said Campbell.
“So, yes, I take pride in participating in this challenge and trying to stop it. “
Ravens center tackle Brandon Williams also missed that game, but he will be available for Sunday.
The Ravens (11-5), the fifth-ranked American Association overall, have won their last five games.
They ended the regular season with an unequivocal 38-3 win over the Cincinnati Bengals.
“Now we’re going to see them again in the same scenario (as last year),” Williams said of the Titans.
“We know what happened last year, and obviously we don’t want the same thing to happen again. “
Henry became the first running back since LaDanian Tomlinson, in 2006-07, to finish first in the NFL in rushing yards in two consecutive seasons.
In 2020, he had a career-high 2,027 yards, including a 250-yard performance – another personal high – in the Titans’ 41-38 victory over the Houston Texans last Sunday.
It was thanks to this victory that the Titans finished first in the South section of the American Association for the first time since 2008.
Now Henry is preparing for the playoff games in which he has always excelled. Only Terrell Davis (672) and John Riggins (640), had more rushing yards than Henry (630) after five playoff games.
“We all know what is at stake,” Henry said. “Win or come home, and when you win, you keep playing. “
The other threat
Curbing Henry will be the priority of the Ravens’ defense. But it will also have to stop quarterback Ryan Tannehill, who has accumulated 3,819 yards through the air this season.
By the way, he made a personal mark by throwing 33 touchdowns, and he was the victim of only seven interceptions.
The playoffs that begin on Saturday include quarterbacks Tom Brady, Patrick Mahomes, Russell Wilson, Lamar Jackson – Tannehill’s rival with the Ravens – and a few other big names.
Tannehill may not have the reputation of those stars, but he remains a threat, having completed two touchdown passes in each of his last two games against the Ravens.
“I think he’s a lot better than what’s been said about him over the years,” Ravens head coach John Harbaugh said.
In addition, the duel will bring together the two best ground attacks in the whole league.
Led by Jackson, rookie JK Dobbins and Gus Edwards, the Ravens averaged 191.9 yards per game. The Titans followed with an average per game of 168.1 yards, and Tannehill matched Jackson’s production with seven rushing touchdowns.
As for Henry, he led the NFL with 17 majors by the run.
