15 October 2023
In a country known for soccer, it was fitting that the Ravens did their share of kicking Sunday at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
It was also needed.
With their offense moving down the field at will for much of the afternoon against the Tennessee Titans but struggling to find the end zone, the Ravens (4-2) relied on the right leg of Justin Tucker. The most accurate kicker in NFL history, Tucker delivered, converting on all six field goal attempts to lift the Ravens to a 24-16 win.
It was Tucker’s second career game with six field goals. He converted on kicks of 41, 28, 23, 29, 20 and 36 yards.
The Ravens’ lone touchdown came on a 10-yard pass from quarterback Lamar Jackson to Zay Flowers in the second quarter. It was the first career touchdown for the rookie first-round draft pick, and it helped give the Ravens an 18-3 lead at the half.
They nearly squandered it over the final 30 minutes.
Leading 18-6 midway through the third quarter and with the ball on their own 26-yard line, Jackson overthrew Rashod Bateman on the right sideline. The third-year receiver hardly made an attempt at jumping for it and Sean Murphy-Bunting intercepted it, returning it to the 25.
One player later, after a false start by the Titans (2-4), Ravens safety Kyle Hamilton was flagged for a personal foul on a hit to the head of receiver Chris Moore as he broke up quarterback Ryan Tannehill’s pass to the end zone. Hamilton was ejected, the ball was moved to the 15-yard line and Derrick Henry scored on the next play to cut the deficit to five.
But two more field goals from Tucker, including a chip shot from 20 yards after a Geno Stone interception and an ensuing 13-play, 54-yard drive that chewed up 6:38 gave the Ravens all the cushion they needed.
Titans kicker Nick Folk connected on a 38-yard field goal with 38 seconds remaining to cut the score to 24-16, but the Titans failed to recover the onside kick.
Still, it was a sputtering performance by a Ravens offense that came into the game third in the NFL in red zone efficiency.
For much of the first 30 minutes against the Titans, the Ravens couldn’t finish off a drive, stalling inside Tennessee’s 25-yard line on each of their first three possessions. The Ravens outgained the Titans 242 yards to 66 in the first half.
Jackson was also surgical, completing 13 of 17 passes, including his first seven of the game, for 149 yards and a touchdown. He finished 21-for-33 for 223 yards with one touchdown and one interception and had a team-high 62 yards rushing on 13 carries.
Tannehill was just 8 of 16 for 76 yards with an interception before being knocked out of the game in the fourth quarter. Henry, meanwhile, finished with 97 yards on 12 carries with most of his yardage coming in the second half.
This story will be updated.
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