The Tennessee Titans (2-4) have their first losing streak of the 2023 season after dropping their Week 6 game in London to the Baltimore Ravens (4-2), 24-16.
The Titans got off to a sluggish start on both sides of the ball on Sunday.
After an opening series field goal, Tennessee’s offense went into witness protection the rest of the first half. Meanwhile, the Ravens did just about whatever they pleased through the air and this game would’ve been a blowout if not for the defense buckling down and making stops in the red zone.
Tennessee’s offense got a much-needed helping hand from cornerback Sean Murphy-Bunting in the third quarter after he picked off a Lamar Jackson pass in Ravens territory, which the Titans turned into six to make it 18-13.
After a stop, the Titans had a chance to take the lead late in the third quarter but Ryan Tannehill, who left the game early with an ankle injury, tossed an interception to crush Tennessee’s momentum.
After two Ravens field goals, the Titans added their own with under one minute left to play but were unable to convert the onside kick to give themselves a chance to tie it up and send it to overtime.
Even if they had converted the onside kick, the lackluster Malik Willis-led offense likely wouldn’t have been able to do much with it, as the second-year signal-caller did not look good in his first outing of 2023.
The Titans will now head into their bye with a lot to think about. But before we look ahead, here’s everything we know about Week 6.
Final score: Ravens 24, Titans 16
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | F |
| BAL | 6 | 12 | 0 | 6 | 24 |
| TEN | 3 | 0 | 10 | 3 | 16 |
Titans' top performers
RB Derrick Henry: 12 CAR, 97 YDS, TD; 2 REC, 16 YDS
CB Sean Murphy-Bunting: 3 tackles, INT, PD
DL Denico Autry: 4 tackles, TFL, blocked PAT
Instant analysis: Offense
-Nicholas Petit-Frere replaced Andre Dillard at left tackle in the second half. There was no announcement of an injury for Dillard, so it looks like he was benched. NPF’s blocking was fine but he did commit a pair of bad penalties.
-The Titans’ red zone issue reared its ugly head again. Tennessee was just 1-4 in that area and are now 2-13 in the red zone in losses this season. The Titans were also a dreadful 1-9 on third downs.
-Ryan Tannehill wasn’t sharp, as he had multiple poor throws during the game, including an interception that killed the Titans’ momentum in the third quarter. The pass was underthrown and was likely a result of his injured ankle. He completed just 50 percent of his passes and threw for 76 yards. He should’ve had a touchdown to Nick Westbrook-Ikhine but the wideout dropped it. Tannehill suffered an ankle injury in the third quarter and did not return. It remains to be seen how serious the injury is but he’ll have a bye week to get right.
-Malik Willis replaced Tannehill but didn’t do much and certainly wasn’t better. He completed a 49-yarder to Tyjae Spears but it was on a screen in which Spears did most of the work. Willis was holding the ball for too long, an issue we saw during the preseason. He did have a trip to the red zone but it was an ugly trip to say the least and the Titans settled for a field goal.
-Pass protection started off very strong but was inconsistent from the second quarter on. Tannehill was sacked twice and Willis four times, although some of those were on the Liberty product.
-Run-blocking was a bit better this week but still inconsistent. Tennessee averaged 6.8 yards per carry on the strength of Derrick Henry scampers of 64 and 15 yards. The Titans failed to find the end zone on the drive with the 64-yard run. The Titans also stopped going to Henry, as evidenced by his 12 carries.
-As you can guess by looking at Tannehill’s yards, Titans wide receivers didn’t do much. NWI led the way with 25 yards and had a bad drop in the end zone. DeAndre Hopkins drew two pass interference penalties to help the Titans notch their first field goal but finished with just one catch for 20 yards. The Titans finally targeted him in the red zone but didn’t convert on multiple tries. Tyjae Spears was Tennessee’s leading receiver thanks to his 48-yard catch in the fourth quarter.
Instant analysis: Defense
-Kristian Fulton started the game before being replaced by Tre Avery. Fulton would re-enter the game in the third quarter. The LSU product didn’t do anything to blow the game up.
-Sean Murphy-Bunting picked off a pass in Ravens territory in the third quarter, setting the Titans up for their only touchdown.
-The Titans’ pass-rush was non-existent for the second straight week. Pressure was few and far between and the Titans notched just one sack.
-As a result of zero pass-rush, the Ravens had no issue moving the ball through the air between the 20s. The defense did a good job buckling down in the red zone, though, holding the Ravens, who entered the game as one of the league’s best in that area, to just 1-6. The Ravens were 8-16 on third downs.
-Run defense was much better, with Baltimore averaging 3.6 yards per carry. Unfortunately, that doesn’t mean much in another losing effort.
Instant analysis: Special teams
-Tennessee’s punt return defense gave up a 70-yard return to Devin Duvernay. Baltimore capitalized with a field goal six plays later.
-Denico Autry blocked a PAT for the seventh time in his career.
-Kyle Philips muffed a punt near the end of the first half. He had no business trying to field it with one second left on the clock and the Ravens turned it into another field goal.
Titans injuries
TE Josh Whyle (concussion): Whyle was initially listed as questionable to return but was later ruled out.
WR Chris Moore (concussion): Moore was ruled out with a concussion after an ugly helmet-to-helmet hit from Ravens safety Kyle Hamilton, who was ejected for it.
QB Ryan Tannehill (ankle): Tannehill had his ankle rolled up on during the third quarter. He stayed in the game at first but later went to the locker room. Malik Willis replaced him and Tannehill did not return.
Titans highlights
HAROLD LANDRY 💪
📺: Watch #BALvsTEN on @nflnetwork pic.twitter.com/vBav04h814
— Tennessee Titans (@Titans) October 15, 2023
Denico Autry with the 7th blocked PAT of his career 😤
📺: Watch #BALvsTEN on @nflnetwork pic.twitter.com/yuKsOqkHoh
— Tennessee Titans (@Titans) October 15, 2023
Devin Duvernay’s top speed: 19.82 mph
Ryan Stonehouse’s top speed: 19.76 mph
Yes, Tennessee’s punter is an 85 speed on Madden.
(via @NextGenStats)pic.twitter.com/9nkf1VeNWg
— Jonas Shaffer (@jonas_shaffer) October 15, 2023
SMB INT!
📺: Watch #BALvsTEN on @nflnetwork pic.twitter.com/qb247frMy7
— Tennessee Titans (@Titans) October 15, 2023
Good things happen when King Henry lines up at QB 👑 pic.twitter.com/5x6Io1gBSP
— Bussin' With The Boys (@BussinWTB) October 15, 2023
ELECTRIC @tyjae22 ⚡️
📺: Watch #BALvsTEN on @nflnetwork pic.twitter.com/YaLS0quFcu
— Tennessee Titans (@Titans) October 15, 2023
What's next?
The Titans now move to 2-4 on the season and they’ll be in the cellar in the AFC South by themselves if the Houston Texans can win in Week 6.
Tennessee will have a bye in Week 7 before taking on the Atlanta Falcons in Nashville in Week 8.
