In Week 11, the Titans ruffled the Ravens' feathers after huddling on Baltimore's logo during pregame warmups. On Sunday, members of Baltimore's defense stomped on the Titans' logo following Marcus Peters' interception that clinched the Ravens' 20-13 wild-card win in Tennessee.
Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson, who raced to the locker room with time still on the clock, justified his actions after not shaking hands with the Titans following Sunday's game.
"They were standing on our logo and getting into it with our coach," Jackson said. "That was disrespectful because we treat all our opponents with respect. ... There wasn't any reason for us to shake hands."
While it looked like retribution for what the Titans did in Week 11, Ravens players, including defensive end Derek Wolfe, said that Sunday's celebration had more to do with Baltimore continuing its season after beating the Titans.
"This is an emotional football game. Sometimes, you act out of emotion," Wolfe said, via ESPN's Jamison Hensley. "It wasn't disrespect. It was more about team unity."
Ravens come out to stomp on the Titans logo and wave goodbye to the team pic.twitter.com/NSPzjdb81H
— Jordan Dajani (@JordanDajani) January 10, 2021
Calais Campbell, without saying too much, hinted at the Ravens wanting to respond to what the Titans did on their logo two months earlier.
"I was just following my teammates. I had no idea what was happening until I got there," Campbell told NFL Network's Tom Pelissero. "But at the end of the day, respect is earned. Respect is earned."
While their intentions behind the celebration is up for debate, what is not is the Ravens' dominant performance against the Titans' offense, specifically against 2,000-yard rusher Derrick Henry. Henry, who rushed for 133 yards and a score in Tennessee's Week 11 win over Baltimore, was held to just 40 yards on 18 carries on Sunday. Sunday was Henry's lowest output since he managed just 28 rushing yards in the Titans' loss to the Broncos in Week 6 of the 2019 season.
"He's king," Campbell said of the two-time rushing champion. "He's a beast; 2,000 yards. But today, he wasn't going to run the ball."
The Ravens also erased the narrative previously surrounding Jackson, who was 0-2 in the playoffs prior to Sunday's game. While the Titans were able to sack him five times, Jackson still managed to rush for 136 yards and a touchdown. He also completed 71% of his throws while leading the Ravens to their first playoff win since 2014.
"It means everything. It's the first one, but he's got a long way to go. This team has a long way to go, this year. We're going places."
