NASHVILLE – The Baltimore Ravens posed for photos on the sideline as the clock ticked down the final seconds, making sure to remember the moment.
A franchise-record 11 sacks – one shy of the NFL record for a game – had to be preserved and celebrated.
Za’Darius Smith finished with three sacks, his career high as a pro, and Patrick Onwuasor got his first two this season as the Ravens shut down the Tennessee Titans 21-0 in the rain Sunday. They just missed matching the NFL record shared by five teams.
“Just a historic defensive performance,” Ravens coach John Harbaugh said.
The Ravens (4-2) started sacking Marcus Mariota on the opening drive, with eight Baltimore players getting at least one sack by game’s end. It was the first sack of the season for four of them.
Smith said the Ravens didn’t know how many sacks they had until tying the team record of nine, when they were told they could break the record.
“So we went and got two more,” Smith said with a laugh.
There was almost nothing to smile about for first-year Titans coach Mike Vrabel, his players and their fans, even with a unit led by former Ravens defensive coordinator Dean Pees. The Titans simply couldn’t stop his old team as the Ravens outgained Tennessee 361-106 in offensive yards and punted only once.
Joe Flacco threw for 238 yards and a touchdown for Baltimore, and Alex Collins added scoring runs of 13 and 2 yards.
The Titans (3-3) lost their second straight and were shut out at home for the first time since the franchise formerly known as the Oilers left Houston for Tennessee in 1997. Tennessee also has not scored a touchdown in eight straight quarters. The Ravens couldn’t have looked much better handing Tennessee its first shutout loss since Nov. 28, 2010.
“The Tennessee Titans didn’t do nearly enough in all levels to win the football game, or even make it competitive,” Vrabel said.
Marcus Mariota tried playing both with and without the partial glove covering his ring and pinkie fingers on the throwing hand he injured in the season opener. It didn’t help as he was sacked the most times in his four-year NFL career and most allowed by the Titans since giving up seven in a loss at Houston on Nov. 1, 2015. Coach Ken Whisenhunt was fired two days later.
Mariota said he had never had a game like this. He ran twice for 25 yards and was 10-of-15 for 117 yards while being pummeled.
“We’ve got to do better,” Mariota said.
The Titans forced a turnover, with All-Pro safety Kevin Byard getting his first interception this season, but did nothing with the ball late in the first half.
Baltimore executed nearly flawlessly, starting with winning the coin toss. The Ravens converted 12 of 17 third downs, not counting another off a Titans penalty. They also held the ball for more than 37 minutes.
Flacco drove Baltimore 94 yards over 17 plays, eating up more than nine minutes of the first quarter before hitting Michael Crabtree on a 4-yard touchdown. Collins capped their next drive with a 13-yard scoring run to set up a 14-0 lead early in the second quarter. After halftime, Collins finished off a 78-yard drive that ate up 7:20 of the third quarter.
The Ravens quarterback enjoyed watching his teammates’ defensive performance.
“It’s fun to watch when they’re over there doing those kind of things,” Flacco said.