Lamar Jackson's 48-yard touchdown run and Marcus Peters' game-winning interception get the limelight (as they should), but every win has less-heralded key plays that add up to a victory.
There were almost too many to count in Baltimore's 20-13 triumph over the Tennessee Titans in the wild-card playoffs.
Here's a look at 10, in chronological order:
#1- 1st QT (2:30) – Titans, 1st & 10 at BAL 28
The Titans were already up, 7-0, and had just hit a 35-yard pass to tight end Anthony Firkser on third-and-1 to put them in scoring range. Tennessee had a shot to take a two-touchdown lead and they handed off to running back Derrick Henry to charge into the red zone. That's when Ravens rookie defensive tackle Justin Madubuike bench pressed his blocker and charged into the backfield, making Henry change directions. Madubuike still tracked him down for the tackle for a 1-yard gain. The Titans had to settle for a 45-yard field goal and a 10-0 lead.
#2 - 1st QT (0:14) – Ravens, 3rd & 7 at BAL 28
The Ravens offense went three-and-out on its first drive and Jackson was intercepted on a deep pass on the previous drive. The Titans were rolling and had a chance to get out of control early. Jackson ran for no gain on first down and J.K. Dobbins picked up just three yards on second down. On third down, Jackson dropped back and had a free blitzer (Titans cornerback Adoree Jackson) in his face. Jackson stiff-armed him and rolled to his right before flicking a pass about 25 yards just before reaching the sideline. Mark Andrews stayed alive and hauled it in for a 17-yard gain. The offense got some momentum and ended up kicking a field goal.
"That was huge," Jackson told Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer. "We had to convert. We didn't want to put our defense out there on the field, no points being scored. We kept getting off the field pretty fast, the guys on the defensive end were playing playoff football. We knew it was going to be a tough game, and we knew we'd have to make the best of those chances. Tough catches. I knew I had to make tough throws. We pulled it out there. And Mark did a great job."
#3 - 2nd QT (7:27) – Titans, 3rd & 5 at TEN 36
The Ravens had some momentum, but Tennessee still had the lead and back-to-back scoring drives. Facing a key third down, the Ravens defense showed blitz but brought just a four-man rush. Derek Wolfe was lined up over the center and was engaged by two blockers at first. He stayed patient with his rush and found a lane to the left, dropping Ryan Tannehill for a seven-yard sack and forcing a punt.
#4 - 2nd QT (4:43) – Ravens, 2nd & 9 at BAL 36
The Ravens had already picked up one first down on the drive when Jackson slung a backwards pass to Marquise Brown in a play Baltimore hadn't run all season. Brown had stumbled coming out of his motion, but recovered in time to catch it, but it was what he did after the catch that mattered most. Titans defensive back Desmond King had a chance to hit Brown for a loss, but Brown put a nasty juke move on him and sprinted up the sideline for a 15-yard gain. Jackson's 48-yard touchdown run came three plays later.
#5 - 2nd QT (2:32) – Titans, 1st & 10 at TEN 25
The Titans had time to mount a drive before the end of the half, but that was short-circuited on first down when defensive end Jihad Ward leapt to deflect a Tannehill pass. Instead of knocking it down and bringing up a second-and-10, Tannehill caught the rebound and Ward brought him down for a 10-yard loss. Tennessee was immediately in a second-and-20.
"It's huge. Just got to knock that thing down. Just instinct, ball coming at me, I caught it," Tannehill said. "Put yourself in long yardage situation, then we miss the second down-play by a couple inches on the sideline, and now you're in third and forever. Definitely hurt us."
#6 - 3rd QT (14:55) – Ravens, 1st & 10 at BAL 23
The Ravens' first play in the second half got the offense rolling. Offensive Coordinator Greg Roman dialed up another wrinkle, hitting fullback Patrick Ricard in the flats for a wide-open 11-yard gain. It also helped to stretch the Titans out a little horizontally and set the tone with Ricard's physicality.
#7 - 3rd QT (11:46) – Ravens, 3rd & 2 at TEN 44
Baltimore had a key third down and faked a handoff to Gus Edwards. Edwards instead ran through it and turned into a lead blocker. Jackson, who had been bottled up on the ground for much of the day, found the edge and raced 23 yards to put the Ravens in scoring position for Dobbins' eventual 4-yard touchdown.
#8 - 3rd QT (5:09) – Ravens, 1st & 10 at BAL 7
The Ravens were backed up to their own 7-yard line when they tried another backwards pass. It came in hot for Brown, who got just enough of his right hand on it to pin the ball to his helmet and pick up a 4-yard gain. The Ravens ended up going three-and-out, but if Brown had dropped that pass, it would have been a disaster deep in their own territory.
"Honestly, I was like, 'I think this is a backwards throw,'" Brown said. "So, I was doing everything in my power just to hold on to the ball. Luckily, it ended up good [and] in our favor."
#9 - 4th QT (10:10) – Titans, 3rd & 2 at BAL 40
Justin Tucker had just missed a 52-yard field goal, giving the Titans good field position. They were on the brink of field-goal range themselves and Henry had his longest run of the day (eight yards) on first-and-10. After a second-down deep incompletion, Tannehill swung a pass outside to tight end Jonnu Smith. Ravens safety DeShon Elliott had it sniffed out the entire way and came screaming downhill to lay a big hit on the Titans' 250-pound tight end, knocking the ball loose. The Titans surprisingly elected to punt on fourth-and-2.
#10 - 4th QT (1:45) – Ravens, 2nd & 10 at BAL 38
The Ravens had the ball following Peters' pick, but it wasn't over yet. The clock was stopped after an incompletion when Jackson found a crease to run along the right side for a huge 33-yard gain that flipped the field and essentially sealed the win. Willie Snead IV and Ricard had key blocks and Jackson wisely stayed in bounds to keep the clock running.
