BALTIMORE – Tyler Huntley was 16-of-18 passing for 110 yards and a touchdown in the first half, and the Baltimore Ravens extended their record streak of NFL preseason victories to 21 with a 23-10 win over the Tennessee Titans on Thursday night.
Rookie quarterback Malik Willis ran for a touchdown for the Titans, but Huntley put Baltimore ahead to stay with a 14-yard scoring strike to Shemar Bridges in the final minute of the second quarter. Bridges, an undrafted rookie out of Fort Valley State in Georgia, had four catches for 62 yards.
“I like Shemar,” Ravens coach John Harbaugh said. “He’s a big, physical guy. He goes up and gets the ball, he posts a lot of good speeds in practice, he plays hard on special teams in practice.”
Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson, who was the league MVP two years ago, and Titans running back Derrick Henry, a two-time league leader in rushing, were among the standouts who didn’t play.
Huntley was Jackson’s top backup last season, when he made four starts. He was sharp in this preseason opener, although his completions were mostly short ones.
“Tyler played great. His numbers were off the charts,” Harbaugh said. “He really ran the offense well. Timing was really good in the passing game. I thought the O-line looked pretty good.”
Baltimore hasn’t lost a preseason game since falling 20-19 to the Atlanta Falcons on Sept. 3, 2015.
Willis, a third-round draft pick from Liberty, started for the Titans with veteran Ryan Tannehill held out. Willis scored on a nifty 7-yard run in the second quarter, spinning back toward the Tennessee sideline and then slipping past a couple of defenders near the goal line.
Willis was 6-of-11 passing for 107 yards and ran for 38 yards on five carries.
“He needs to try to throw the ball when guys are open, be more decisive,” coach Mike Vrabel said. “Wanted to get him out there and wanted to see how he responded. He did OK.”
Ravens safety Kyle Hamilton, a first-round draft pick this year, recovered a fumble by Julius Chestnut at the Tennessee 22-yard line. Baltimore converted that short field, scoring the game’s first points on a 4-yard run by Mike Davis.
The Titans led 10-7 before Huntley guided a 10-play, 58-yard touchdown drive near the end of the first half to put the Ravens in front. Baltimore kicker Justin Tucker added three field goals after the break.
Logan Woodside took over at quarterback for Tennessee in the third quarter and was intercepted twice, including one underthrown pass that Daryl Worley picked off at the Baltimore 2.
Willis entered in the middle of Tennessee’s first offensive drive of the second half – immediately after Willis gained 17 yards on a scramble.
“I wanted Malik to throw the ball,” Vrabel said. “And he wasn’t.”
Anthony Brown relieved Huntley and went 10-of-15 for 117 yards. Brett Hundley also played a bit toward the end.
Jordan Stout, drafted to replace longtime punter Sam Koch in Baltimore, averaged 47.8 yards on four punts. Tight end Isaiah Likely, another Ravens rookie, had four catches for 44 yards, although he also had a couple of holding penalties.
“I probably had a jitter or two pregame, because you look around and the stadium fits around 70,000?” Likely said. “You’ve just got to look around and really smile, get a jitter out, and then you’ve got to realize it’s football.”
Baltimore receiver Tylan Wallace and Tennessee cornerback Chris Jackson left the game with knee injuries.
The crowd in Baltimore observed a moment of silence before the game in honor of Ravens linebacker Jaylon Ferguson and former defensive lineman Tony Siragusa. Both of them died in June.
The Titans face the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Aug. 20 in their second of three preseason games. The Ravens will visit the Arizona Cardinals the day after that.