The Tennessee Titans improved to 5-0 with a gutsy 13-10 win over the hated Baltimore Ravens.
Facing a hostile crowd fueled by the performance of a physical Raven defense, Kerry Collins capped off an 11-play, 80-yard late 4th quarter drive with a game-winning TD strike to forgotten veteran TE Alge Crumpler.
More thoughts on today’s victory, after the jump.
Game balls
For three and a half quarters, visions of Super Bowll XXXV emerged as Kerry Collins once again struggled mightily against the Raven defense, tossing two interceptions while being bewildered by Ray Lewis and company.
With a little over six minutes remaining in the 4th, Collins stepped up as he completed six passes on the Titans’ game-winning TD drive.
Kerry took a page out of Shaquille O’Neal’s free-throw shooting notebook by making his throws when they mattered the most.
Bo Scaife’s solid season continued today, as indicated by his 7-catch, 72-yard performance. Scaife has emerged as a great safety valve for Collins and despite the presence of former Pro Bowl TE Alge Crumpler, Bo has without a doubt been the team’s best tight end in 2008.
My final game ball goes to veteran LB Keith Bulluck, who tallied seven solo tackles while assisting on six others. Keith’s veteran leadership was often on display during a game where, as a result of the offense’s struggles, it was imperative for the “D” to hold their end of the bargain.
Mission accomplished, Keith.
Other solid performances
Brandon Jones did a solid job of filling in for injured WR Justin Gage. He caught three passes for 54 yards and survived a lethal hit by Bart Scott on a crossing route.
As I mentioned in a recent article, Alge Crumpler had been MIA up to today’s game. However, as veterans tend to do, Crumpler stepped up when he was needed the most with his game-winning touchdown reception.
The offensive line had a tough time opening up holes but they did a fine job of keeping the jersey of Kerry Collins clean on the afternoon while shutting out the Ravens’ defense in the sack department.
Gripes
At times, the Titans were their own worst enemies as a result of several dumb penalties committed. The Titans were flagged 10 times and despite their ability to overcome their own mistakes today, penalties are more than capable of haunting them somewhere down the road.
Lendale White only amassed four yards on three rushing attempts. For the season, White is averaging a putrid 2.6 yards per carry.
Thank God for Chris Johnson.
Entering today’s contest, the Tennessee Titans had sacked opposing quarterbacks 15 times in 2008. Against Baltimore, the defensive line failed to get a lot of pressure on rookie QB Joe Flacco, as the Titans went sackless on the afternoon.
I’m not that upset about the D-line’s performance and I expect them to once again demonstrate their ability of taking down opposing quarterbacks against future opponents.
Final thoughts
-I love the intensity that Cortland Finnegan brings to the table, but sometimes, that tenacity needs to be controlled.
-Once again, Tony Brown jumps offsides. Some things never change.
-Nice effort by David Thornton on what appeared to be an INT, but unfortunately, the refs weren’t buying it.
-Hats off to Nick Harper for sealing the game with an INT.
-Derrick Mason is still one of the game’s better possession receivers.
What are your thoughts on today’s huge Titan victory?
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