Titans vs Ravens winners, losers as first half red-zone issues, turnovers persist
· Yahoo Sports
The Tennessee Titans' slow starts are becoming a weekly issue they can't overcome.
Tennessee fell behind 24-7 by halftime to the Baltimore Ravens, and couldn't fully take advantage of Lamar Jackson's second-half absence in a 24-18 loss on Oct. 4 at M&T Bank Stadium.
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The Titans (0-4) turned the ball over twice in the first half while throwing in a turnover-on-downs in a goal-to-go situation.
Cam Ward had 222 yards on 22-of-31 passing with a touchdown and an interception.
Jackson missed the second half with an ankle injury, and the Titans defense did not allow a point to the Tyler Huntley-led offense in the final 30 minutes. But the result was already at hand.
Here are the Titans' winners and losers from their Week 4 loss to the Ravens (3-1).
Titans vs Ravens winners and losers
Winner: Rush defense largely shuts down Derrick Henry
For all the talk about Derrick Henry's first game against his old team, the Titans defense largely shut down the future Hall of Fame running back.
Henry got a couple quality runs in the first half, including back-to-back runs for first downs leading to Zay Flowers' touchdown in the second quarter. He also scored on a fourth-and-1 carry to open the scoring.
But otherwise, there were no famous stiff-arms or long runs to add to Henry's highlight reel.
Henry finished with 73 rushing yards on 23 carries (3.2 yards per carry) and two catches for six yards.
Winner: Carnell Tate (mostly)
Tate looked more like the WR1 the Titans drafted him to be than at anytime through the first four weeks. Tate totaled 145 yards on nine catches across 12 targets
He and Cam Ward both showed a glimpse of what the Titans want the future to be in the final touchdown drive. On fourth-and-11, Ward scrambled around while Tate broke open, and the two connected for 33 yards to set up a Wan'Dale Robinson touchdown catch.
The Titans' first-round pick finished with his first 100-yard receiving game as a professional.
But Tate's day was also buoyed by a fumble late in the first half after a 35-yard catch, with the ball punched out by Kyle Hamilton. The Ravens turned the turnover into points before halftime.
Loser: Red-zone offense, again
To be fair, the Titans did cash in on a touchdown on its first red-zone opportunity in the first quarter.
But on two other attempts, Tennessee turned the ball over on downs and settled for a short field goal.
The turning point of the game was in the second quarter, with the Titans inside the Baltimore 5-yard line down 14-7. Tennessee opted to go for it on fourth-and-goal from the 2, with Tony Pollard lined up in the wildcat.
On an odd play in the shotgun with a couple fakes carried out, Pollard was stuffed for no gain.
Eight plays later, Baltimore finished off a 98-yard drive with a Mark Andrews touchdown catch.
In the third quarter down 24-7, the Titans settled for a Joey Slye 33-yard field goal after a 10-play drive.
The Titans aren't explosive enough or good enough in other areas to miss out on points in the red zone and still win games on the road against quality opponents. It's becoming an unsightly trend in 2026.
"That's been the first four games of the season, missed opportunities in the red zone," Cam Ward said after the game.
Loser: Linebackers in coverage versus Zay Flowers
Zay Flowers victimized two Titans linebackers for big plays in the first half as the Ravens plotted out a two-score lead.
First, Flowers beat Anthony Hill across the middle on a 19-yard touchdown catch. It's difficult enough for veteran defensive backs to cover the Ravens' top receiver, and rookie linebacker on Flowers was a bad matchup for the Titans.
Robert Saleh noted postgame that the Ravens often like to isolate the middle linebacker on pass plays, and the Titans tried to give their linebackers some "backstop" help throughout the game.
Flowers was working against Cody Barton later in the first half, beating the veteran linebacker for a 52-yard catch up the sideline that led to another Ravens touchdown.
"That one is on me," Saleh said. "I've got to call something better."
Flowers had 118 receiving yards on eight catches against the Titans, with a lot of that work coming against linebackers.
This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Titans vs Ravens winners, losers as first half red-zone issues, turnovers persist