The matchup has lost some of its mystique now that Eddie George and Ray Lewis aren’t colliding in the middle of the field play after play
http://www.tennesseetitansteamonline.co ... ota-jersey , but there is still some bad blood here, especially with Titans fans. Since the Ravens came into existence in 1996, these two teams have met 19 times in the regular season with the Titans holding a slim 10-9 advantage. However, the real drama has come from the playoff matchups. The Ravens have a 2-1 advantage there and have ended the seasons of (arguably) the two best Titans teams of the Tennessee era. The 2000 and 2008 Titans both finished 13-3 and entered the playoffs as the AFC’s 1 seed. Both teams lost in the Divisional Round to the Ravens at home. Baltimore is the only team to win a road playoff game in Nashville and they’ve done it twice.Both those losses still sting worse to me than any game that didn’t involve Kevin Dyson getting tackled at the 1-yard line, so there is always just a little more juice for these games even though it’s no longer a divisional rivalry. Here are the six matchups I’m most looking forward to in the next installment of Titans-Ravens.Adoree’ Jackson vs John BrownAfter a terrible season from Joe Flacco in 2017, the Ravens completely overhauled their passing game targets this past offseason in an effort to jumpstart their air attack. Baltimore added wide receivers Michael Crabtree, John Brown, and Willie Snead in free agency and then drafted tight ends Hayden Hurst and Mark Andrews. Brown has surprisingly been the most productive of that group, racking up 396 yards on just 19 catches with 3 touchdowns. The Ravens move their wide receivers around a good bit, but Brown gets most of his snaps out wide on the right side of the formation. That will put him in Adoree’ Jackson’s coverage for most of the day and that will be a strength on strength matchup. Jackson is currently PFF’s 13th highest rated cornerback. He’s been targeted 31 times, but has given up just 16 catches for 164 yards, 1 touchdown, and 2 interceptions. His speed and easy movement skills make him an ideal fit for covering the speedy Brown. This will be a battle to watch all game. Jurrell Casey vs Alex Lewis and Marshal YandaJurrell Casey has been borderline unblockable in 2018, in part, because he’s been freed up to move around the defensive line instead of sticking on one side of the field. That keeps Casey in a 3-technique alignment between the guard and tackle most plays and makes him tough to double team. He’s also moved all over the field on pass rush downs, lining up both inside and outside as well as flipping to either side of the field. This week he’ll draw matchups with Ravens left guard Alex Lewis and right guard Marshal Yanda most of the game. The difference between those two is pretty stark. Yanda has 140 career starts under his belt and had been to six straight Pro Bowls before a fractured ankle cost him the majority of the 2017 season. He’s off to another good start this year with a PFF grade of 74.9 through 5 games, good for 8th highest among guards. Yanda versus Casey will make for some must-see battles in the trenches.On the left side, Casey may find more success. Alex Lewis will be making just his 14th career start and currently ranks as PFF’s 55th ranked guard. Look for Casey to test Lewis early on, especially on big 3rd downs.Kevin Byard vs Joe FlaccoLast season, Byard picked off Flacco twice, once on a deep ball that Logan Ryan deflected up in to the air and then a second time on an ill-advised throw down the sideline. He very nearly got a third on a throw into the endzone when he and Adoree’ Jackson collided while going for the pick in the air. Byard has yet to get his first interception this season after tying Darius Slay for most in the NFL with 8 in 2017.
