The Titans had enough offense to make this interesting. They just kept throwing away their own chances.
Tennessee fell 24-18 to the Ravens in Week 4, dropped to 0-4, and left the afternoon with the kind of loss that feels painfully familiar: a handful of explosive plays, a few real signs of life, and too many self-inflicted wounds to cash any of it in. Cam Ward gave the Titans late-game hope, but it wasn’t enough to overcome the mess that built up earlier.
The day started with a small shift in the script. After opening every game this season with a run, the Titans finally used a pass to begin a drive.
Brian Daboll dialed up play-action and hit Chimere Dike for 15 yards. Then the good vibes disappeared in a hurry.
Tony Pollard couldn’t hang on to an off-script Ward throw on the next snap, and Baltimore turned it into an interception.
That turnover set up Derrick Henry to get his moment against his former team almost immediately. On fourth-and-1 from the Titans’ 5-yard line, Henry powered into the end zone while carrying a defender with him. Tennessee had the opening kickoff, but Baltimore was up 7-0 before the 12-minute mark.
The Titans did answer. On their second possession, they put together an 11-play, 65-yard drive that ended with Pollard punching in a touchdown on third-and-goal.
After managing only one first down in the first half against the Giants in Week 3, Tennessee’s first two drives against Baltimore produced six first downs and a touchdown. For a stretch, the offense looked alive.
Then the Titans helped the Ravens again.
Special teams was a problem from the start. Dike brought the opening kickoff back 40 yards, but two promising return chances were wiped out by holding penalties. Those drives ended in a punt and a turnover on downs, and the unit kept handing away momentum the Titans had briefly built.
The most baffling sequence came on fourth-and-goal from the Ravens’ 1-yard line midway through the second quarter. Instead of taking a more conventional shot, Tennessee went back to the wildcat look with Pollard.
It didn’t work. Pollard was stuffed, Baltimore took over leading 14-7, and the Ravens quickly marched 99 yards to stretch the margin to 21-7.
Before halftime, Tennessee had one more chance to tighten the game. Down 21-7 with less than a minute left, Ward connected with Carnell Tate for a 35-yard gain into Ravens territory.
But Kyle Hamilton punched the ball loose, a teammate recovered, and Tyler Loop cashed in with a 64-yard field goal. If the Titans had turned that drive into points, the second half would have looked very different.
It didn’t.
Lamar Jackson opened the third quarter on the sideline with an ankle injury and was listed as questionable to return, with Tyler “Snoop” Huntley taking over. But Baltimore didn’t need Jackson to survive the rest of the way. Tennessee couldn’t do anything offensively after halftime and was outscored 11-0 after Jackson left the game.
For all the frustration, Tate was still the clear bright spot. The fourth overall selection turned in a career day with nine catches for 145 yards, while also drawing multiple penalty flags on the Ravens’ secondary.
Even with the fumble attached to his afternoon, the performance looked like a breakthrough. Tate played like a real WR1.
In Other News...
Titans Suddenly Have A Lineup Problem They Can't Afford In Baltimore
The Titans head into their Week 4 trip to Baltimore with more uncertainty than they probably wanted this early in the season, as injuries have put parts of the lineup in flux. Tyjae Spears and Garrett Dellinger are among the players listed as questionable, and Robert Saleh has already acknowledged that availability is still very much up in the air as the week moves on.
For a Tennessee team trying to stabilize its rotation and settle on the best mix up front, the timing is not ideal. Baltimore has a way of exposing any soft spots, so the Titans may have to adjust their starting group if the injury report breaks the wrong way, and the last thing they can afford is another last-minute scramble before kickoff. [Read more 🡒]
Titans Walk Into Baltimore Facing A Derrick Henry Problem Again
Baltimore brings the old problem right back onto Tennessees schedule, with Derrick Henry set to face the Titans after moving on from the franchise following the 2023 season. Since joining the Ravens, Henry has been piling up the kind of rushing production that once made him the centerpiece of the Titans offense, and now Tennessee has to deal with him from the other sideline.
For Robert Salehs group, the challenge is familiar even if the uniform is different: find a way to slow a runner who still forces defenses to commit extra attention while Tennessee keeps pushing forward with Cam Wards development. The Titans task gets tougher up front, too, with two injured offensive linemen now on injured reserve, leaving less margin for error in a matchup already shaped by one of the leagues most familiar headaches. [Read more 🡒]
Titans Suddenly Face A Real Tony Pollard Trade Decision
The Titans 0-3 start has already pushed them toward seller territory, and that means every veteran on the roster is suddenly part of the conversation. Tony Pollard is one of the most interesting names in that mix. With Tennessee expected to listen ahead of the NFL trade deadline and Pollard playing on the final year of his contract, ESPNs Adam Schefter has pointed to the running back as a likely candidate to move if the Titans decide to reshape the roster.
Pollards situation is especially notable because running back help can be hard to find for contenders this time of year, and a few teams could fit that description. The Green Bay Packers, Seattle Seahawks and Minnesota Vikings are among the clubs that could be looking for help in the backfield, which gives Tennessee a potential market if it chooses to deal him. The bigger question is whether the Titans prefer to keep a proven contributor in place or turn an early losing streak into a chance to collect future value. [Read more 🡒]