It took quarterback Kerry Collins almost eight years and two uniform changes, but he finally got a measure of revenge against the Ravens.
Collins capped an 80-yard drive with an 11-yard touchdown pass to tight end Alge Crumpler with fewer than two minutes remaining as the Tennessee Titans rallied for a 13-10 win in front of a crowd of 71,131 at M&T Bank Stadium.
The game marked the first time Collins, 35, started against the Ravens (2-2) since he threw four interceptions for the New York Giants in a 34-7 loss in Super Bowl XXXV in 2001. He finished Sunday’s game 17-for-32 for 163 yards with a touchdown and two interceptions.
“It’s hard for me to forget about that one,” said Collins of Super Bowl XXXV. “That wasn’t one of my better days, and it was on my mind.”
Collins’ touchdown pass with 1:56 remaining came at the end of a physical, defensive struggle in which both teams had referees throwing yellow flags all afternoon.
The Titans (5-0) were called for 10 penalties for 78 yards and the Ravens got flagged for 11 for 91 yards, but none was bigger than the 15-yard roughing the passer penalty on linebacker Terrell Suggs with 5:57 left in the game. The penalty negated a false start by the Titans on what was a third-and-10 play at the Tennessee 20-yard line.
The Titans scored the game-winning touchdown 10 plays later.
“If anybody can go back and show me something I did illegal, then I would be happy to oblige and say, ‘I messed up and got what I deserved — a personal foul,” Suggs said. “But when you are nowhere near his head — we hit arms — it just goes to show the referee has too much power in the game. Just like [in Monday’s loss to the Steelers], a personal foul changed the whole game.”
Prior to the fourth quarter, the Ravens had the game under control. Neither team established much offense in the first half when the game was tied at 3 after kicker Matt Stover missed a 45-yard field goal with 14 seconds left in the second quarter.
The Ravens finally found the end zone when fullback Le’Ron McClain capped an 11-play, 71-yard drive with a 1-yard touchdown run to give the Ravens a 10-3 lead with 9:23 left in the third quarter. McClain finished with 51 yards on 11 carries, and running back Willis McGahee had a team-high 64 yards on 22 carries.
The Ravens’ offense, however, didn’t score again, including in the fourth quarter when Titans cornerback Nick Harper intercepted rookie quarterback Joe Flacco with 1:32 remaining to end the Ravens’ final drive.
“I’m seeing things just fine,” Flacco, who completed 18-of-27 passes for 153 yards and two interceptions, said. “I made couple of bad decision today, and I got to get better at that. I’ve got to realize these guys are going to make plays. Every now and then, you have to just take what they give you, and if they don’t give you anything, you got to just throw the ball away, live for the punt and live for the next down.”
The Ravens must prepare for a stretch in which they play five of six games on the road, beginning Sunday at the Indianapolis Colts (2-2), who rallied for a 31-27 win at Houston (0-4) by scoring 21 points in the final 2:10.
“We have a long way to go including a tough game next week, and that’s the game we’re getting ready for,” Ravens coach John Harbaugh said. “We’ll put this one behind us fast. We’re going to learn from it.”
