BALTIMORE — Derrick Henry didn't exactly run the ball down his old team's throat.
That might be all the comfort the Tennessee Titans took away from their 24-18 loss against the Baltimore Ravens on Oct. 4 at M&T Bank Stadium.
Henry rushed for 73 yards and a touchdown on 23 carries in his first meeting against Tennessee, which fell to 0-4 for the second consecutive season and fourth time since 1997.
The Titans were scoreless in the second half until their final touchdown with under two minutes in the fourth quarter, and the Ravens (3-1) recovered an onside kick to seal it.
Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson, who left the game with an ankle injury at intermission, needed one half to sink the Titans, throwing for 222 yards and two touchdowns as Baltimore
(3-1) built a three-score lead that the Titans ultimately didn't overcome.
Titans first-year coach Robert Saleh — who remains searching for his first victory in Nashville — watched his team for the third consecutive week miss opportunities to snap what's now a six-game losing streak dating back to last season.
Titans quarterback Cam Ward finished 20-of-31 passing for 222 yards, one touchdown and one interception.
Titans’ first-half turnovers costly
The Titans had the ball for nearly a minute longer than Baltimore in the first half and were beneficiaries of eight Ravens penalties for 68 yards.
And yet the Titans trailed 24-7 after Baltimore kicker Tyler Loop hit the second-longest field goal in Ravens history, a 64-yard make through drizzly air as time expired in the first half.
The Titans’ two first-half turnovers created a 14-point swing.
Tennessee gave the ball away within the game’s first minute for the second straight week when Ward’s forward lateral deflected off running back Tony Pollard’s hands, directly to Baltimore linebacker Trenton Simpson for an interception.
Five plays later, Henry plowed Titans safety Kevin Winston Jr. into the end zone for a 5-yard touchdown and the Ravens led 7-0 with 12:09 in the first quarter.
The Titans missed a chance to cut the deficit to one score late in the first half. The Titans were driving past midfield when Ravens defensive back Kyle Hamilton stripped the ball away from receiver Carnell Tate after a 32-yard pickup.
Titans struggles in red zone early on both sides of ball
The Titans’ third-down defense was good in the first half, getting off the field on 3-of-4 chances.
But Jackson led crushing drives of 81 and 98 yards and the Ravens were perfect in the red zone by halftime.
Baltimore shredded Tennessee’s defense on the 81-yard drive to start the second quarter, needing six plays to score. The Ravens went up 14-7 with 12:16 until halftime when Zay Flowers raced past linebacker Anthony Hill Jr. and extended his arms for a short pass that went for a 19-yard touchdown.
Along the way, Baltimore added heavy doses of Henry, who averaged 6.6 yards per carry on his first six touches.
Tennessee squandered a scoring chance from fourth-and-goal from the Ravens’ 2-yard line in the second quarter. Pollard took a direct snap and was stuffed at the line on his fourth straight carry from inside the 8-yard line.
It was costly.
Jackson hit a wide-open Mark Andrews for a 3-yard touchdown on the next series to go up 21-7 after a dominant 98-yard drive.
Better first-quarter start
Tennessee's response to the early interception was encouraging.
After the turnover, Ward led a 10-play, 70-yard drive that lasted 6:13 and ended with Pollard’s 3-yard TD to tie it at 7-7.
By that point the Titans already had seven first downs with 5:56 left in the first quarter, after netting just one total in the entire first half against the Giants in Week 3.
Tyler Palmateer covers the Tennessee Titans for The Tennessean. Have a story idea for Tyler? Reach him at tpalmateer@tennessean.com and on the X platform, @tpalmateer83.
This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Baltimore Ravens stuff Tennessee Titans in Derrick Henry reunion
