Ravens @ Titans
Final Score: Ravens 24, Titans 16
Writer: Brett Ford (@FadeThatMan on Twitter)
Justin Tucker fantasy managers rejoice.
You’re a wizard Tucker 🪄 pic.twitter.com/zUMo7TSQzt
— Baltimore Ravens (@Ravens) October 15, 2023
In a stadium where footballers nearly always kick the ball, Tucker endeared himself to the Brits with a kick-six, that’s six made field goals, as the Baltimore Ravens took down the Tennessee Titans, 24-16, on Sunday morning in London, England. For the Titans, Derrick Henry made a handful of nice plays but was on the sideline for what felt like more than usual as Tyjae Spears cut into his touches. Ryan Tannehill was largely ineffective before suffering an injury and Malik Willis looked like what Lamar Jackson was at the very beginning of his career.
Let’s dig in.
Three Up
- Zay Flowers – Caught his first career touchdown and was a centerpiece of the passing game
- Tyjae Spears – Spears outsnapped Derrick Henry, 31-29. This is not a typo.
- Malik Willis – Looks like he might be the starter going forward, so… buckle up, Tennessee.
Three Down
- Ryan Tannehill – He was bad and then got hurt. Even if he’s healthy, he might not start after the bye week.
- DeAndre Hopkins – I still don’t understand why he signed with Tennessee.
- Rashod Bateman – He’s an afterthought in the Ravens’ offense.
Baltimore Ravens
Quarterback
Lamar Jackson: 21/30, 223 Yards, TD, INT | 13 Carries, 62 Yards
Lamar Jackson was effective and efficient, made good decisions, and took care of the football, sans one errant throw. He’s not the same game-breaking runner that he was a couple of years ago, but he doesn’t have to be. If he’s given time in the pocket, his improved accuracy and poise make him a better overall quarterback, which is what the Ravens need right now to win games. He might not be the same fantasy asset he was in his MVP season, but he’s shown a consistently high floor with a pretty high ceiling too.
Running Back
Gus Edwards: 16 Carries, 41 Yards | 1 Target, 1 Reception, 12 Yards
It appears that Gus Edwards will carry the majority of the load in the Ravens’ backfield moving forward, especially in game scripts like this one where Baltimore is looking to run out the clock the entire second half. Edwards doubled his running mate in carries and even pulled in a pass for a 12-yard gain. Though his efficiency has taken a step backward from a season ago, he still holds value as the early-down back in this offense.
Justice Hill: 8 Carries, 35 Yards | 3 Targets, 3 Receptions
Though he got the starting nod, Justice Hill remained the typical change of pace and third-down back in this game. He dominated the two-minute drill snaps and was in the game for more than 60% of the Ravens’ third downs. His involvement in the passing game will allow him to maintain some shred of fantasy value for those in need of RB depth as he was targeted three times on just 11 routes run.
Wide Receiver/Tight End
Zay Flowers: 1 Carry, 1 Yard | 8 Targets, 6 Receptions, 50 Yards, TD
Finally, we can crown Zay Flowers as the Ravens’ top wide receiver option after he found the end zone for the first time in his young career on Sunday.
FIRST NFL TOUCHDOWN FOR @ZayFlowers ❗️❗️❗️
Tune in on NFL Network! pic.twitter.com/Zvr50jOkdp
— Baltimore Ravens (@Ravens) October 15, 2023
Flowers continues to be heavily involved with plays specifically designed to get him the ball in space. In addition to his shiftiness, Flowers appears to be a very good route-runner, getting open on intermediate routes quite frequently. He’s become a favorite target of Jackson’s, nearly even surpassing Andrews in his connection with his quarterback.
Mark Andrews: 1 Carry | 6 Targets, 4 Receptions, 69 Yards
Mark Andrews was still heavily involved in the gameplan, as he always is. But for the first time in his career, Andrews has to compete for targets and production with a budding alpha wide receiver in Flowers. He’ll have his big games yet, but this just wasn’t one of them.
Nelson Agholor: 3 Targets, 2 Receptions, 40 Yards
Nelson Agholor caught two passes for solid gains early in the game but was shut out the rest of the way. His first reception was a designed wideout screen that went for close to 20 yards. It’s encouraging to see the Ravens designing touches specifically for him.
Odell Beckham Jr.: 4 Targets, 2 Receptions, 34 Yards
Odell Beckham Jr. made one big play across the middle of the field on a crucial third down but was silent after that. The veteran appears to be working his way back into the rotation but was on the field less than any of the other Ravens’ wideouts in this game, with just 29 snaps.
Rashod Bateman: 3 Targets, 2 Receptions, 15 Yards
Rashod Bateman appears to be an afterthought in this offense, and he didn’t exactly inspire the coaching staff with his effort on Jackson’s errant interception throw.
How Rashod Bateman doesn’t even attempt to make a play on this ball (yes, it’s a poorly thrown one) is beyond me. #Ravens pic.twitter.com/b8rgec6IqM
— Bobby Trosset (@bobbybaltim0re) October 15, 2023
Patrick Ricard: 1 Target, 1 Reception, 3 Yards
Tennessee Titans
Quarterback
Ryan Tannehill: 8/16, 76 Yards, INT
Ryan Tannehill put up one of his worst games of the season, statistically, before being pulled with a lower-body injury. Tannehill was hurt midway through the third quarter and tried to go back out and get the job done, but came up short on a deep throw. It appeared he was unable to really drive the ball downfield on this specific throw, and it was easily picked off.
WE'LL TAKE THAT❗️@GenoStone22 INTERCEPTION!
Tune in on NFL Network! pic.twitter.com/zIwBhjAdhA
— Baltimore Ravens (@Ravens) October 15, 2023
Tannehill continues to struggle with accuracy this season, completing just 50% of his passes in this game and sitting at just 62.0% completion percentage on the season, his lowest mark since 2015.
Malik Willis: 4/5, 74 Yards | 3 Carries, 17 Yards
Malik Willis entered the game in the late stages for the Titans, attempting to get the team back into the game. Down two scores, Willis led a 10-play drive for 55 yards for a field goal. Willis continued to hold onto the ball too long, taking four sacks and scrambling three times on 15 dropbacks. Most of his passing yardage came on a screen pass that went 48 yards against the Ravens’ prevent defense. If he starts after the bye week, it severely detracts from the fantasy value of Titan wide receivers while propping up his check-down options, Okonkwo, Spears, and Henry.
Running Back
Derrick Henry: 12 Carries, 97 Yards, TD | 2 Targets, 2 Receptions, 16 Yards
Men this large are not meant to move THAT fast.
King Cat for 64 yards!
📺: Watch #BALvsTEN on @nflnetwork pic.twitter.com/N8JXXbwnBD
— Tennessee Titans (@Titans) October 15, 2023
Derrick Henry picked up more than two-thirds of his rushing yards on this one play and punched in a rushing score on the next snap for the Titans’ only touchdown of the day.
The game script in this one worked against Henry, or else he may have had an even bigger day. Perhaps a week off will give the big back the time he needs to get a little healthier and stay on the field more often, because he was on the sideline quite a bit in this game, enough to potentially worry fantasy managers.
Tyjae Spears: 4 Carries, 15 Yards | 1 Target, 1 Reception, 48 Yards
For the third time this season, Spears was on the field for more snaps than Henry was, outsnapping the King, 31-29. Most of that was due to the game script with the Titans trailing by multiple scores for nearly the entire second half, but Spears’ role has grown in nearly every game up to this point.
Wide Receiver/Tight End
DeAndre Hopkins: 5 Targets, 1 Reception, 20 Yards
Hopkins was on the field for 48 out of 55 offensive snaps but caught only one pass for 20 yards against a Ravens secondary that is good but not great. The fact that Hopkins voluntarily chose to come to Nashville and latch on to a passer the caliber of Ryan Tannehill is still baffling to me. The five targets are encouraging, but the usage and production just aren’t to the level that fantasy managers were looking for when they drafted him.
Chigoziem Okonkwo: 4 Targets, 2 Receptions, 18 Yards
Okonkwo was targeted four times and brought in two of those. Managers may want to hold if Willis sticks as the starter. He has a habit of holding onto the ball too long and may need a safety outlet for checkdowns, a perfect role for an athletic tight end who can make plays after the catch.
Nick Westbrook-Ikhine: 4 Targets, 3 Receptions, 25 Yards
The most consistent presence in the Tennessee passing game outside of Hopkins, NWI was on the field for 39 out of 55 offensive snaps.
Josh Whyle: 1 Target, 1 Reception, 11 Yards
Chris Moore: 1 Target, 1 Reception, 6 Yards
Kyle Phillips: 2 Targets, 1 Reception, 6 Yards, 1 Fumble (Lost)