Day two of Wild Card Weekend kicks off in Nashville, where the 11-5 Tennessee Titans will host the 11-5 Baltimore Ravens in a rematch of last year's AFC Divisional Round game. The No. 5 seed Ravens enter the playoffs on a five-game winning streak, while the No. 4 Titans hit a walk-off field goal to win the division last weekend against Houston.
Here is a quick preview of Sunday's matchup, along with a free pick. Currently, Baltimore is a three-point favorite on the road.
Previous Matchup
Sunday will be the second time these teams have faced off against each other this season. The first matchup came in Week 11, when running back Derrick Henry scored the overtime winner as the Titans won 30-24 in Baltimore. Henry finished the day with 133 rushing yards, while Ryan Tannehill threw for nearly 260 yards with touchdowns to tight end Jonnu Smith and wide receiver A.J. Brown.
For the Ravens, Lamar Jackson combined for more than 230 passing and rushing yards with a TD pass to tight end Mark Andrews as well. As a whole, Tennessee out-gained Baltimore 423 to 306 in total yards.
Stat Comparison
The Titans offer a more-balanced offense than the Ravens do, but both teams can score. Tennessee averages 30.7 points per game, fourth in the NFL, while Baltimore averages 29.3. These are also the top-two teams when it comes to running the football, with Baltimore holding the 192 to 168 edge in rushing yards, and both also have top-five third-down offenses. However, while the Titans are 23rd in passing yards, the Ravens are dead-last with 171 passing yards per game.
Defensively, the gap is much larger. Baltimore has allowed the second-fewest points per game with 19, while Tennessee is 24th with 27.4 points allowed. The Ravens are also within the top-10 in yards allowed and third-down defense, whereas the Titans are 28th and 32nd, respectively. The Titans also amassed just 19 sacks as a team, with only the Jaguars and Bengals earning less.
Betting Trends
Beginning with the visitors, the 11-5 Ravens went a decent 10-5-1 ATS this season, including a 5-2-1 record ATS on the road. Not only has Baltimore won five straight heading into the game, but they've covered in each of them. They have also won 12 of their last 14 games on the road.
For the home team, the 11-5 Titans went just 7-9 ATS at home, including a .500 record ATS in their eight games in Nashville. Tennessee has won five of their last seven games and four of their last five against the AFC, but have also gone 3-9-1 ATS in their last 13 games against an AFC North opponent.
Betting Pick
Both teams will enter the game with relatively-good health, making this one of the more evenly-matched games on Wild Card Weekend. That being said, I like Baltimore to get their revenge. The Ravens are a team no one wants to play right now, coming off a game where they had more than 400 rushing yards as a team.
Both teams will score points, but Baltimore's defense will also make the stops needed to win this game. Give me the Ravens to win and advance.
Betting Pick: Baltimore Ravens (-3).
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