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AFC Playoffs Betting Preview: Baltimore Ravens at Tennessee Titans

One of the most intriguing matchups of Sunday’s slate of games features a battle in the AFC between the Baltimore Ravens (11-5) and the Tennessee Titans (11-5). The Titans will host this one at Nissan Stadium with kickoff scheduled for 1:05 P.M. Eastern.

Ever since the “COVID” game where they lost to the Steelers 19-14, the Ravens have been one of the league’s hottest teams. They come into the playoffs having won five straight games, including a 38-3 win over the Bengals last Sunday. In the victory, Lamar Jackson threw for three touchdowns while J.K. Dobbins rushed for 160 yards and two scores.

The Titans clinched the AFC South last weekend with a 41-38 win over the Houston Texans on the road. In the victory, Derrick Henry rushed for 250 yards and two touchdowns on 34 carries. They will need Henry to continue his dominant season to get by a stout Ravens’ defense.

Despite playing on the road, the Baltimore Ravens are the slight favorites in this one. They are -178 to win while the Titans’ moneyline sits at +150. The spread features Tennessee (+3) with the over/under at 54.5.

By The Numbers

Offensively, these are two of the best teams in football. In terms of scoring, the Titans rank fourth in the NFL, averaging 30.7 points per game. The Ravens fall just a few spots behind them at seventh, averaging 29.2 points.

Defensively, it is all Baltimore. The Ravens currently rank second in scoring defense, allowing opponents just 18.9 points per game. The Titans fall to 24th, allowing 27.4 points per game.

Ravens Hoping Lamar Jackson Can Step Up In Playoffs

While it has been an excellent finish to the regular season, the real question is can the Ravens win the postseason with Lamar Jackson under quarterback. Thus far, he is 0-2 in the postseason, but he is out to change the narrative and prove he can lead this team to a Super Bowl.

On the season, Jackson was solid. He threw for 2,757 yards, 26 touchdowns, and nine interceptions. Jackson also led the team in rushing with 159 carries for 1,005 yards and another seven scores.

While he is dangerous on his feet, he has a couple of other dangerous weapons in the backfield. Both J.K. Dobbins (805 yards, nine touchdowns) and Gus Edwards (723 yards, six touchdowns) can do damage. Dobbins comes into this one having scored a touchdown in six straight games.

Defensively, the team is led by Patrick Queen (106 tackles), Yannick Ngakoue (eight sacks), and Marcus Peters (four interceptions).

Titans Hope To Run Their Way To Victory

While this offense can beat you in many ways, it is the running game that is the most lethal. Derrick Henry has had a season for the record books, and he wants to keep it going and run his way to a Wild Card victory.

As just the eighth player ever to rush for more than 2,000 yards, Henry finished the regular season with 378 rushes for 2,027 yards and 17 touchdowns. The last time these two played, he rushed for 133 yards and a game-winning touchdown in overtime.

However, the Titans offense is not one-dimensional. Ryan Tannehill had a great season this year, throwing for 3,819 yards, 33 touchdowns, and seven interceptions. His leading receiver this season was A.J. Brown (70 receptions for 1,075 yards and 11 touchdowns).

The biggest question is the Titans’ ability to stop the Ravens on defense. They ranked 19th in opponents rushing yards per game (120.8) and 29th in passing yards allowed (277.4).

Ravens Keep On Rolling

Just as a caveat, if Derrick Henry has the type of game that he had last week, all bets could be out the window. I don’t see that happening, though. In their lone matchup this season, the Ravens had bottlenecked Henry until the fourth quarter, and I anticipate them making an even more concerted effort this time around.

While Tennessee’s offense is solid, their defense has been atrocious, and the Ravens should be able to move the ball with some ease. This one could be close throughout, but the fact that the Ravens are dominant on both sides of the ball while Tennessee is dominant on just one will play a significant factor.

For my money, I like Baltimore to win and to cover the three-point spread.

BETTING PICK: Baltimore Ravens (-3).

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