Tennessee Routed in Baltimore: Ravens 41, Titans 14

A 41-14 loss to the Baltimore Ravens on Sunday afternoon was the last thing the playoff-bound Tennessee Titans needed on their resume.

This was the division game that stood between the Titans and their Dec. 26 showdown with Jacksonville at Adelphia Coliseum. Although it looked like Tennessee would enter that game with a perfect division record, Baltimore (5-7) relished its role of spoiler.

After falling behind 17-14 in the first half, it appeared as if the Titans might take control of the game early in the third quarter. On the Ravens opening drive of the half, quarterback Tony Banks' fumble was recovered by Tennessee safety Blaine Bishop.

The Titans could not capitalize on the turnover, and Baltimore refused to provide Tennessee with any other opportunities to capture the games' momentum.

Banks completed a 54-yard missle to wide receiver Qadry Ismail on the following Baltimore possession. The pass eventually set up a one-yard touchdown pass from Banks to wideout Justin Armour.

From that point on, the Ravens continually provided the salt for Tennessee's wounds. The Titans efforts to abandon the ground attack in favor of throwing the ball were thwarted by the excellent Ravens' secondary. Tennessee only had 65 rushing yards, but never connected on any deep plays.

The Titans failed to score in the second half, however, Baltimore did enough scoring for both teams. The Ravens added a Matt Stover 27-yard field goal early in the fourth quarter to push the Baltimore lead to 27-14.

Trailing by two touchdowns, the Titans embarked on their last crucial drive of the game midway through the fourth. Quarterback Steve McNair's fourth down attempt misfired, though, and Tennesee's comeback hopes died.

Banks added his fourth touchdown pass of the afternoon to receiver Jermaine Lewis. Baltimore's final seven points came courtesy of a McNair interception that was returned 47 yards by cornerback Rod Woodson.

McNair had his best game since undergoing back surgery early in the season. The five-year veteran completed 28-of-48 pass attempts for 288 yards. Tight end Frank Wycheck was on the other end for 10 of those passes for a total of 87 yards.

The Titans' streak of 13-consecutive division victories was ended on Sunday, but there are more important things to worry about. Whether or not this team can bounce back from the Baltimore debacle will be seen on Thursday night when Tennessee takes on the Oakland Raiders.

The short weeks won't give the Titans an opportunity to fix everything that went wrong at Baltimore, but at least they only have to think about this loss for four more days.