After halftime, the injuries took over. The Ravens' official site reported that Jackson hurt his ankle during the game, and Baltimore didn't score in the 3rd or 4th quarter. Marlon Humphrey (calf) and guard Andrew Vorhees (foot) were both ruled out for the rest of the game, and tight end Durham Smythe left with an Achilles injury. So the secondary lost its best corner and an already thin line lost another guard, in the same half the Ravens stopped scoring. Baltimore came into this game a heavy home favorite. It left with a list of injuries to check on before next week.
Tennessee deserves some credit for the second half. The Titans had scored 37 points in 3 games. They outscored Baltimore 11-0 after halftime, with a field goal in the 3rd quarter and 8 points in the 4th, and put up 18 for the game. That's their 2nd-highest total of the season, behind only the 20 they scored against the Eagles. Ward kept them in it after the Giants loss, when he threw a late interception in the end zone. The box score search turned up season totals rather than a clean single-game stat line, so we won't guess at his numbers. Either way, the scoreboard shows an offense that finally found a gear, about 2 quarters too late.
The line score explains the result. The Titans played the Ravens even in the 1st quarter and won the second half, but lost the 2nd quarter 17-0, and that was the game. Without Trey Hendrickson, the preview figured Tennessee's banged-up front would hold up better than expected. It didn't hold up in the 2nd quarter, when Baltimore got 17 points out of its possessions. The Titans played without cornerback Jaylon Jones, defensive tackle Jackie Marshall, guard Drew Moss and tight end Kylen Granson, and that lack of depth showed whenever Baltimore had the ball before halftime.
The preview called the trip home from Rio de Janeiro a test of focus. The Ravens passed half of it. Their first half was as sharp as anything they've shown this season. Their second half was 0 points with a hobbled quarterback and a defense missing Humphrey. Baltimore is 3-1 with 2 straight wins, but Jackson's ankle is now the most important injury on the roster. The drizzle that set in late at M&T Bank Stadium didn't help either team's passing game.
For Tennessee, it's 0-4, with all 4 losses coming by 13 points or fewer. The scoring problem looked better for 1 half, but the Titans still haven't had 4 good quarters. A team that loses the middle 2 quarters 17-3 isn't going to beat a contender on the road, even one that stops scoring for an entire half.