After upsetting the New England Patriots in the Wild Card round, the Tennessee Titans have another tough matchup ahead of them. The Titans will travel to Baltimore to face the 14-2 Ravens with a chance to make it to the AFC Championship for the first time since 2002.
It certainly won't be an easy task as the Ravens have dominated throughout much of the 2019 NFL season.
However, the Titans come in with momentum and swagger and could knock off the Super Bowl favorites depending on a few X-factors.
Harold Landry III
The Titans traded up in the 2018 draft to draft Landry out of Boston College. After starting only three of 15 games as a rookie, Landry has taken over as a full-time starter for Tennessee this year. The 6-foot-2, 252-pound outside linebacker has developed into the Titans' best pass rusher with nine sacks on the year.
Landry also leads the Titans in QB hits with 14. Lamar Jackson is notoriously hard to hit and even harder to bring down. Landry has a great first step, burst and knows how to get great angles on tackles.
The Titans will need a strong game from the second-year pass rusher if they want to rattle the MVP frontrunner in his own home stadium.
Not only do the Ravens have an electrifying offense, but they also have one of the best defenses in the league. One of the best players on that defense is cornerback Marcus Peters. Peters is one of the best corners in the game and will likely be matched up with Titans leading receiver A.J Brown.
In that case, Tennessee will most definitely need production from third-year wideout Corey Davis. By far the best receiver on the team last season, Davis hasn't had the monster season that many expected out of the former No. 5 overall pick.
This season, Davis has posted 43 catches and 601 yards but only has two touchdowns. Davis hasn't posted a 100-yard receiving game this season and while the Titans probably won't need that kind of production to win, it would certainly help if Davis can step up.
In the Wild Card game against the Patriots, Davis was locked up, catching zero of his two targets and ending the game with zero yards. Davis also hasn't scored a touchdown since Week 7. At 6-foot-3 and 209 pounds, Davis has the size to capitalize on a big game opportunity.
Tennessee will likely rely on the run but Davis certainly remains an X-factor.
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