NASHVILLE, Tenn. - Peering up at the goal posts as hostile fans screamed and waved blue towels in the background, Matt Stover did what he always does. He took a deep breath and calmly kicked a 43-yard field goal with 53 seconds left in the game, giving the Ravens a dramatic 13-10 victory over the Tennessee Titans and sending them to the AFC Championship game.
They will face either the San Diego Chargers or Pittsburgh Steelers next Sunday on the road in a game scheduled to begin at 6:30 p.m. Those teams play today in Pittsburgh.
A team that was 5-11 last year is now just one win away from the Super Bowl.
In a game reminiscent of the one the Ravens played in Tennessee during their Super Bowl march eight years ago, the Titans won most statistical categories, but the Ravens prevailed. Yesterday they did it with a rookie head coach and a rookie quarterback, but the same stinging defense.
"It's just exciting the way this team has made up its mind to fight for 60 minutes," said Ravens linebacker Ray Lewis, one of two Ravens remaining from the Super Bowl squad (Stover is the other), after the game.
It was a brutally physical game played in rainy and windy conditions with star players for both teams often limping off the field. Ravens linebacker Terrell Suggs (shoulder) and cornerback Samari Rolle (groin) were sent to the sideline and did not return. Also knocked out of action was Tennessee running back Chris Johnson, who rushed for 72 yards in the first half but sat out the rest of the game with an ankle injury.
The Titans gained almost twice as many yards as the Ravens, 391 to 211; Tennessee more than doubled Baltimore's first downs, 21-9, and the AFC South champs drove the ball into Ravens' territory on seven possessions but managed just one touchdown and a field goal.
However, the Ravens forced three Tennessee turnovers, didn't give up any and made the most of their scoring chances.
The Ravens became just the second sixth seed in NFL playoff history to upset a top seed.
"We played bend-but-don't-break mentality against a good football team," Lewis said. The Titans "came out and gave us everything they had."
The Titans scored first on an eight-yard run by Johnson in the first quarter. But Baltimore answered with a 48-yard touchdown pass from rookie Joe Flacco to wide receiver Derrick Mason.
