I Remember The Titans
These two have a history! The Ravens have met the Titans 17 times, that's more than any other team outside their division and only one game less than they've played the Browns who are in their division.
The Ravens' first game against the Titans was in 1996 when the Titans were the Oilers and playing their last season in Houston in a half-filled Astrodome.
It was a perfect storm for the two relocated franchises; they peaked at just about the same time. The Titans hadn't had a winning season in five years when Jeff Fisher turned it around with a 13-3 season in 1999.
The Browns-Ravens franchise had gone five years without a winning record when Brian Billick's 2000 Ravens caught lightning in a bottle and won Super Bowl XXXV.
I Remember the Titans!
**November 12, 2000- Less Than Perfect
The Titans were a perfect 12-0 in their new Adelphia Coliseum home. Baltimore was about to change that in what might be the wildest game in Ravens history.
Remember? it was tied 17-17 with 2:30 left when Trent Dilfer threw an 87 yard pick six to the Titans Perry Phoenix, a missed extra point made it 23-17, game over!
Not so fast my purple friends, Trent Dilfer took the Ravens 70 yards in nine plays and hit Patrick Johnson with a two-yard TD pass with 25 seconds left, the extra point gave the Ravens a 24-23 lead and a remarkable win, ALMOST!
The Titans returned the kick-off to their own 44, and then Steve McNair made a brilliant 20 yard scramble to the Ravens 25, there were four seconds left. The remarkable win was slip-sliding away. Al Del Greco, who had missed the 4th quarter extra point, for the win.....
WIDE RIGHT!! Ravens win 24-23. In the last two and a half minutes they were driving to win the game, appeared to lose it on Dilfer's interception, then won it on Dilfer's drive, lost it on McNair's scramble and won it on wide right. One of the best games I've ever broadcast!
**January 7, 2001- Round 2
Same season, same place but the stakes higher as the Ravens and Titans met in the 2nd round of the playoffs. Many felt the winner of this game would win the Super Bowl.
It was a 10-10 slugfest in the 4th quarter when Al Del Greco (remember him) was ready to give the Titans the lead with a 37 yard field goal. That's when Keith Washington and Anthony Mitchell may have made the biggest play in Ravens history. Washington blocked the field goal attempt and Mitchell returned it 90 yards for the TD.
With 6:41 left, Ray Lewis then made the signature play of his Hall Of Fame career, stealing a pass intended for Eddie George and going 50 yards for the TD that put it away. The 24-10 win paved the way for a Super Bowl ring.
In their first two years at Adelphia Coliseum the Titans went 15-2; those only two losses came less than two months apart, both to the Ravens.
**November 12, 2001- Frantic Finish
The defending Super Bowl champs went back to Tennessee in one of the craziest endings in Monday Night Football history.
Down 16-10 Steve McNair appeared to have won the game for the Titans with a last second run. But after several minutes of sorting out the chaos the officials ruled the game would be decided on one un-timed play.
Jamie Sharper and Corey Harris stopped McNair short of the goal line and the Ravens had another wild win in Tennessee.
**January 3, 2004-Titans Revenge
In the wild card playoff game in Baltimore, Todd Heap caught a TD pass from Anthony Wright with 4:30 left to tie the game 17-17. But Gary Anderson hit a 46 yard field goal with 29 seconds left to give the Titans a 20-17 win.
**November 12, 2006- Down not out!
Steve McNair returned to Nashville and led the biggest comeback in Ravens history, throwing three TD passes against his former team as the Raven rallied for a 27-26 win.
Yes, I remember the Titans and their history with the Ravens. Both teams are off to good starts and Sunday we'll see two of the NFL's best defenses. More on that match-up later.
3 and out!
Scott
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