Titans bring Ravens back to earth with 26-13 drubbing…

The Ravens had no answer for Keny Britt… or for Matt Hasselbeck, who picked them apart despite being under some decent pass rush pressure…

Lacking tempo and erratic on offense as quarterback Joe Flacco struggled to make connections…. confused and torched on defense by the Tennessee Titans’ suddenly potent passing game….the Ravens had a potential statement game turn into a bad day, absorbing a 26-13 defeat at LP Field in Nashville on a hot and humid Sunday.

The Titans’ vaunted Wide-9 pass rush scheme really upset Joe Flacco’s timing and command… here DT Karl Klug busts up a play for an 8-yard loss in the 2nd quarter…

“It was a humbling experience,” said cornerback Cary Williams after the defense allowed Matt Hasselbeck to pass for 358 yards, completing nine passes for 135 yards and one touchdown to Kenny Britt. “It was a humbling loss.”

“Their team came ready to play and we didn’t,” said running back Ray Rice, who provided the Ravens’ top offensive moment on a 31-yard screen play for their lone touchdown. “I’m not going to make any excuses. Our team is not going to make any excuses. They were the better team.”

 The Ravens were unable to capitalize on scoring opportunities during a listless first quarter where Flacco stumbled his way into a zero quarterback rating as he completed only 2 of his first 8 throws for 17 yards and one interception. It was one of the worst games of his career as Flacco finished with 15 of 32 completions for 197 yards, one touchdown and two interceptions for a 51.2 passer rating. It was in contrast to Flacco delivering three touchdown passes against the Steelers.

“I think everyone didn’t play well, and that’s the bottom line,” Harbaugh said when asked specifically about Flacco. “We win as a team, and we lose as a team. I’m not going to sit here and nit-pick one guy or another guy.”

Although the pass protection was suspect, resulting in three sacks, Flacco was also guilty of staring down reads and holding onto the football too long. “Obviously, we didn’t do too many things that helped us out there,” Flacco said. “We turned the ball over, all things that aren’t really a good recipe for winning football games.”

Flacco got picked off in the first quarter by cornerback Alterraun Verner when he locked onto wide receiver Lee Evans. And Flacco’s fourth-quarter interception to cornerback Jason McCourty happened when a throw intended for tight end Ed Dickson got deflected. “I got a little greedy trying to make a play and let Ed make a play,” Flacco said. “It wasn’t a very good one on my part.”

The Ravens managed only 15 first downs to the Titans’ 21, and Baltimore converted just three of 10 third-down opportunities. They rushed for just 45 yards to average 2.6 per carry after rushing for 170 yards against the Steelers.

Baltimore intercepted Hasselbeck when outside linebacker Terrell Suggs grabbed a pass deflected by defensive tackle Haloti Ngata, but that was the lone turnover the Ravens forced after setting a franchise record with seven against the Steelers. “They beat us by winning in every way you can beat a football team,” Harbaugh said. “I thought they had something to prove and they proved it. We didn’t play as well. Everybody is going to have a theory and none of them are going to be right.”

There are some tough facts to face after this setback, though, according to Aaron Wilson of the Carroll County Times.

The Ravens’ blockers struggled to protect Flacco or create holes for Rice to run through with the exception of a well-executed screen where he broke through several tackles, and center Matt Birk and guard Marshall Yanda ran interference for him. The Ravens did limit Pro Bowl running back Chris Johnson to just 53 yards on 24 carries. But they were unable to solve Britt or his wide receiver colleague Nate Washington, who caught seven passes for 99 yards.

“We are a great team,” Suggs said. “We ain’t even worried about it. We knew we weren’t going to go undefeated. That is the only thing that this game really confirmed. This team never had illusions of grandeur.”

The Titans built a 17-10 lead they never relinquished when backup running back Javon Ringer dashed untouched into the end zone on a fourth-and-1 in the third quarter as strong safety Tom Zbikowski got tied up with a blocker. The Ravens had tied the score heading into halftime on a Billy Cundiff 41-yard field goal with no time remaining after a 77-yard kickoff return by David Reed. However, that drive could have ended with a touchdown if not for Flacco being sacked by Dave Ball on a nice spin move on third down.

In the fourth quarter, the Ravens had to settle for a 29-yard Cundiff field goal after a lengthy 11-play drive that got them down to the 6-yard line before the march fizzled. “We didn’t make enough big plays down the field in the passing game,” Harbaugh said. “We have to do that. We have to make plays on third downs. We have to make plays downfield to open up the running game as well.”

Now, the Ravens have to regroup as they travel to play the St. Louis Rams next Sunday.

“We always bounce back,” middle linebacker Ray Lewis said. “None of us came out and said, ‘Let’s go 16-0.’ We have been battle-tested so many times. The 24-hour rule is win, lose or draw you come back to work and it’s over. The next week is upon us.”

So much of this loss sticks with me because I think the Ravens defense did a great job of containing RB Chris Johnson… but I think they really underestimated how great a receiver Kenny Britt is…and Britt just tore up the Ravens’ coverage schemes. Also, the “under-estimation” factor may have played into game prep for Matt Hasselbeck at QB… I don’t think the Ravens were ready for Hasselbeck’s ability to read defenses and adjust on the fly. He sliced and diced the Ravens’ secondary despite the presence of a half-decent pass rush and fairly decent secondary coverage with his 1-step-drop technique. It was a beautiful offensive game plan for the Titans.