Baltimore Ravens head coach John Harbaugh believes the playoff win over the Tennessee Titans could be “the best” he’s ever had in football.
After the defeat to the Titans in the playoffs last season, and then the loss during the regular season, the Ravens had a chip on their shoulder going into the Super Wild Card game on Sunday.
Defensively, the Ravens held running back Derrick Henry to 40 yards on the ground from 18 carries and Marcus Peters came up with a game-clinching interception with two minutes to play in the game.
Lamar Jackson finished the game with 136 rushing yards and a touchdown to clinch his first playoff in his NFL career. Baltimore will head up to face the Buffalo Bills on Saturday night for a place in the AFC Championship game.
Baltimore make statement against Tennessee in playoffs
After trailing by 10 points after the first quarter, Baltimore rallied and showed their metal to get through a tough game, which Harbaugh admitted “meant a lot” to everyone due to what was at stake – a place in the next round of the Playoffs.
“Right now, it’s the number one best win,” Harbaugh said in his post-match press conference. In perspective, it’s going to be a top five for sure, but right now, for me, this is the best win ever.
“Not just because what was at stake, but because of the guys and what it meant to our team and to our guys. What it meant to all of our guys.
“This maybe the best win I’ve ever been associated with. The defensive effort; it was disciplined, it was eyes on your luggage, it was finishing, it was running to the ball, it was tackling.
“Up front, our defensive line did a phenomenal job against their very good offensive line, so we had them stopped a lot of times before they got started. All those things came into play.”
Ravens stuck together and responded, says Harbaugh
J.K. Dobbins and Jackson, who finished the game with 136 yards on the ground, both rushed for touchdowns in the game, with the latter going on a stunning 48-yard dash, during a run of 17 unanswered points for the Ravens.
It wasn’t just their offense that stood up when it mattered, but their defense limited Titans running back Henry, who had rushed for 2,000 yards during the regular season, to just 40 yards on the ground all game.
Peters sealed the victory for Baltimore by picking off Ryan Tannehill’s intended pass to Kalif Raymond, which was then followed by the team running over to the Titans logo in the middle of the pitch – in response to Tennessee doing the same back in Week 11.
Harbaugh, with the post-season win over the Titans, now holds the most Playoff victories on the road by any coach and the Ravens head coach said the team stuck together after the adversity the team went through during the regular season – going on a three-game losing streak and people writing them off.
He said: “It had so much meaning for our guys and for us together, the things that we’ve been through together this year, how our guys have responded, how our leaders have led and how our guys have stuck together.
“All the things that really matter, all the things that, to me, aren’t always counted on the scoreboard, but are counted in life and that you remember for the rest of your life. Those are the things that give it meaning.”