Instant analysis: Ravens’ win vs. Titans creates more questions than answers

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The Ravens held on Sunday to beat the Tennessee Titans, 24-18, but a handful of injuries to contributors cast a pall over the team’s first home win in 10-plus months.

Quarterback Lamar Jackson, the star of the first half, left just before halftime after suffering an ankle injury on a sack and did not return. He watched from the sideline until late in the fourth quarter as the Ravens withstood a late push.

Cornerback Marlon Humphrey (calf), right guard Andrew Vorhees (foot) and tight end Durham Smythe (Achilles tendon) were ruled out with injuries. The Ravens (3-1) were already down to their fourth option at center, Vega Ioane, because of injuries up front. Emery Jones became the third Ravens lineman to play significant snaps at right guard this season.

Jackson went 15-for-20 for 222 yards and two touchdowns before leaving the game. Backup Tyler Huntley was 8-for-9 for 63 yards, but the offense moved into field goal range on just one of five second-half drives. Penalties were a problem throughout, as the Ravens finished with a season-high 13 for 131 yards.

Running back Derrick Henry had 23 carries for 73 yards and a touchdown against Tennessee (0-4), where he played the first eight years of his career. Wide receiver Zay Flowers had eight catches for 118 yards and a touchdown, breaking a record he shared with tight end Mark Andrews for the most 100-yard receiving games (11) in Ravens history.

Andrews’ 3-yard touchdown catch with less than four minutes left in the second quarter capped an eight-play, 98-yard drive and extended the Ravens’ lead to 21-7. Kicker Tyler Loop hit a career-long 64-yard field goal, the longest in M&T Bank Stadium history, as time expired to push the Ravens’ lead to 17.

Titans quarterback Cam Ward flashed his talent in the first half but finished 20-for-31 for 222 yards, one touchdown and an interception. The Ravens were double-digit favorites over Tennessee and ended a four-game home losing streak that had stretched to November 2025.

A good time for a bad injury game

Sunday was the Ravens’ worst injury game in a while. And they should be thanful the opponent was Tennessee.

The Ravens could hardly move the ball after quarterback Lamar Jackson left the game late in the first half. And they could hardly pick a worse offense or worse quarterback to test a questionable Ravens defense.

We’ll know pretty soon how serious these injuries are. But I’m not sure how much we can take away from a game or an opponent like Sunday’s.

— Jonas Shaffer, Ravens reporter

More than a football field’s worth of penalties

With so many injuries, the margin for error shrinks even further in an already detail-oriented league. Penalties, especially presnap penalties, are one of the easiest errors to avoid. They should especially be avoided if you’re on a team that claims to zero in on the smallest details and emphasize doing things the right way. And yet the Ravens are now in the top three for most penalties in the league (though Carolina had not yet played at the time of publishing).

Penalties have kept the Ravens behind the sticks, and they’ve wiped out big plays. The worst part is they’re not being called only on the handful of young players who had significant roles in the game. Veterans Mark Andrews, Zay Flowers, Nate Wiggins and more are committing penalties. Ravens coaches and players have said limiting penalties is a priority … yet the number continues to climb. The Ravens are lucky the Titans are simply not a good team, considering their 131 penalty yards were more than the length of a field. But, without their starters, they will need to play cleaner games.

— Giana Han, NFL reporter

Nothing gets easier on offensive line

It’s clear the Ravens will be dealing with injuries up and down their front for the entire season. With the team already down three centers, losing Andrew Vorhees and tight end Durham Smythe against the Titans piled on a nightmare scenario. A team that was built to run now has to second-guess every short-yardage scenario because of the attrition among its blockers.

It’s really bad next week, given the Atlanta Falcons have been rock solid stopping the run. Derrick Henry is a weapon, but his use is limited if you don’t have guys who can create running lanes for him. Assuming Lamar Jackson is back from his ankle injury next week, he will again have his work cut out for him to keep this offense from stagnating.

— Kyle Goon, columnist

Not this again

Sigh. And so the Ravens’ season threatens to become “Will Lamar Jackson play, and how healthy is he anyway?” Jackson is a terrific passer — let’s get that out of the way to start — and can be effective even if hobbled. But to truly carry the Ravens against top teams (behind a mediocre and banged-up offensive line), he needs to be able to escape and improvise.

Jackson’s injury looked like a standard sprained ankle, and it seems entirely possible the Ravens sat him out of an abundance of caution (and because they believe in Tyler Huntley’s ability to manage and close out a game). But Jackson’s health is all that really matters coming out of this one; he was playing at an MVP level, and the season relies upon that, especially because Jesse Minter has not immediately fixed the defense.

— Chris Korman, editor