The Tennessee Titans continued their winning ways with an upset divisional round victory over the Baltimore Ravens courtesy of a dominant performance from running back Derrick Henry.
The visitors finished 28-12 winners over the top-seeded Ravens, with Henry becoming the first NFL back since 1970 to run more than 180 yards in three consecutive games.
The game seemed to shift in the third quarter when Henry took a hand-off on the Titans' 25-yard line, sliced through the defence and ran upfield until he was tackled just short of the end zone.
🚨 DERRICK HENRY TOUCHDOWN PASS 🚨 @KingHenry_2 | #TENvsBAL pic.twitter.com/VU3vhqgp54 — Tennessee Titans (@Titans) January 12, 2020
Moments later Ryan Tannehill began a trick play as he motioned out to the left, the ball was snapped to Henry who pitched it over the top into the waiting arms of wide-receiver Corey Davis, the conversion taking the score to 21-6.
Baltimore quarterback Lamar Jackson played disappointingly below the standard he set during the season, with the league's likely Most Valuable Player throwing two interceptions and fumbling at a crucial moment.
The contest was all but over with four minutes left in the third quarter, Tannehill faking outside to Henry before himself bumping off several defenders and diving into the zone.
One win away from the @SuperBowl. #GoNiners #NFLPlayoffs https://t.co/jgMTqrg1MR — NFL (@NFL) January 12, 2020
The win has the Titans just one win short of their first Super Bowl appearance since 1999, if they can beat either the Kansas City Chiefs or the Houston Texans in the American Football Conference championship game.
The San Francisco 49ers progressed to the National Football Conference championship after outclassing the Minnesota Vikings 27-10.
The Californians' defence shut down the Vikings' run game, got up in quarterback Kirk Cousins' face – he was sacked a huge eight times – and activated their own running game with 47 carries for 185 yards.
The 49ers will host the championship game against the Green Bay Packers or the Seattle Seahawks.
