Jan. 10 (UPI) — Lamar Jackson and the Baltimore Ravens hung on for a 20-13 wild-card win over the Tennessee Titans on Sunday at Nissan Stadium in Nashville.
It was Jackson’s first win in the NFL playoffs, as the Ravens (12-5) avenged their upset loss to the Titans in last year’s divisional round. He was 0-2 in the postseason entering Sunday’s game.
“It feels great,” Jackson said after Sunday’s win over the Titans. “I’m happy we got it done. … We stayed focused. We didn’t get rattled. My coaches didn’t get rattled.
“I threw a [expletive] — I’m sorry — dumb interception. But we kept fighting and made it happen.”
Jackson, the reigning NFL MVP, shifted momentum with a 48-yard touchdown scramble late in the second quarter. The scoring run, which was the second-longest in postseason history by a quarterback, tied the game 10-10 and erased the Ravens’ early 10-0 deficit.
The 24-year-old Jackson completed 17 of 24 passes for 179 yards and one interception, adding 136 yards and one score on the ground. He joined former San Francisco 49ers signal-caller Colin Kaepernick as the only quarterbacks to total at least 100 rushing yards and one rushing touchdown in a playoff game.
Ravens rookie running back J.K. Dobbins gave his team the lead for good with a 4-yard touchdown run early in the third quarter. The teams exchanged field goals in the final quarter, but the Titans (11-6) were unable to mount a comeback.
Titans quarterback Ryan Tannehill was 18 of 26 passing for 165 yards and a touchdown. He also threw a costly interception on the Titans’ final drive after receiver Kalif Raymond slipped while running his route. The slip led to a Marcus Peters interception that sealed the victory for Baltimore.
Derrick Henry, who finished with more than 2,000 rushing yards in the regular season, recorded a season-worst 40 yards on 18 carries for the Titans. A.J. Brown led the team with six catches for 83 yards and a touchdown.
“This definitely is going to sting probably in my mind for the rest of this year until we suit back up,” Henry said.
Baltimore will play either the top-seeded Kansas City Chiefs or Buffalo Bills in the AFC divisional round next weekend.
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