BALTIMORE — The two most recent times the Tennessee Titans played in Baltimore were in 2020. Derrick Henry was on their side then, and boy was he decisive.
He rushed for 195 yards as Tennessee beat the Ravens in a playoff game that January. Then the Titans returned for a regular-season matchup the following November and topped Baltimore in overtime on a 29-yard touchdown run by Henry.
So much has changed since.
When the Ravens host Tennessee on Sunday, Henry will be on the home sideline, having left the Titans via free agency after the 2023 season. Tennessee is 6-31 since his departure, and Henry’s eight-year tenure with the franchise that selected the 2015 Heisman Trophy winner from Alabama in the second round of the 2016 NFL draft almost feels like a different football lifetime.
The Titans unveiled new logos, branding and uniforms earlier this year, they’re on their second head coach since Henry moved on, and they’ll even be moving into a new domed Nissan Stadium right next to the current open-air one in Nashville next season.
“They’ve got a whole different thing going now,” Henry said. “Going to be a crazy moment to be playing against the team that I came in the league playing for. But I’m not trying to make too much of it.”
The Ravens (2-1) are back from Brazil after a pulsating win over the Dallas Cowboys in Rio de Janeiro last weekend. The Titans (0-3) have shown few signs of progress this season, Robert Saleh’s first as head coach, aside from a competitive home loss to the Philadelphia Eagles.
Baltimore, which had its own coaching change from John Harbaugh to Jesse Minter, has lost four straight home games dating to last season. If the Ravens can’t snap that skid now, then when?
On the other hand, this has been an unusual series. The most recent time the teams met was in London in 2023, and Baltimore won that matchup at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. In the 26 other games between these clubs, the road team has won 15 times, including all five playoff meetings.
“We can’t dwell on the past too much. Like I said, it is a week-to-week league, and screw whatever happened in the past,” Baltimore safety Kyle Hamilton said. “We are trying to win football games here and now, and I think we want to have the stadium rocking. We want to have fans that support us, have confidence in us, believe in us, give them a reason to come out, be loud, have something to cheer for at the game and leave that stadium happy.
“A lot of the past few games, nobody has left that stadium happy unless you were from the other team. So it is up to us to fix that and get back to winning ways at home.”
Tennessee, coming off a 12-7 road loss to the New York Giants, put starting guard Fernando Carmona Jr. on injured reserve with a foot injury. That doesn’t make life any easier for quarterback Cam Ward, who was intercepted by the Giants in the end zone with 24 seconds left as the he tried to cap a 2 1/2-minute drive with a touchdown.
Baltimore has problems of its own on the offensive line after losing its top three options at center already. It will be up to dual-threat quarterback Lamar Jackson to keep the offense functional — and up to the Titans to try to contain him.
“It’s four guys for six gaps and an elite runner. So he’s elite in that regard and finding open lanes and finding ways to scramble and create off schedule,” said Saleh, who had a second stint as defensive coordinator for the San Francisco 49ers last season before being hired by Tennessee.
“But it’s always a challenge going against him. We feel good about the speed we have on our D-line, and hopefully our rush and coverage match and we’ve got a chance to run them down.”
Just don’t forget to watch out for Henry, too.
Tennessee Titans head coach Robert Saleh reacts on the sideline during the second half of last Sunday’s game against the New York Giants in East Rutherford, N.J. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II)
TENNESSEE TITANS (0-3) at BALTIMORE RAVENS (2-1)
When: Sunday, 1 p.m. Eastern
TV: CBS
Odds: Ravens by 11 1/2
Last week: Titans lost at New York Giants 12-7; Ravens beat Dallas Cowboys 34-31 in Rio de Janeiro.
Last meeting: Ravens won 24-16 on Oct. 15, 2023, in London.
Series record: Ravens lead 14-13.
Matchup to watch: Baltimore’s offensive line against Tennessee’s defensive front. If the Titans are going to pull off an upset, it will likely be via a low-scoring game in which the Ravens can’t overcome their O-line injuries enough to keep the ball moving.
Stats and stuff: Tennessee has eight first downs in the first half so far this season; every other NFL team has at least 18. … Titans rookie linebacker Anthony Hill leads the league with 34 tackles. … Baltimore receiver Zay Flowers leads the NFL with 23.4 yards per catch this season. All 10 of his receptions have earned a first down. … Jackson, a two-time NFL MVP, enters the game with the best career passer rating in league history (102.4) and leads the league this season with 9.8 yards per attempt. … Baltimore’s Calais Campbell can tie Jim Marshall (282) for the second-most games played by a defensive lineman in NFL history.