Titans Defense Beat the Ravens Defense, Improve to League Best 5-0

Two things were proven in yesterday's clash of defense-first football teams. The Titans might be better than we first thought and the Ravens might be a little more scrappy than initially projected.

Tennessee outlasted Baltimore yesterday 13-10 in a game that saw four interceptions, two quarterback ratings in the low 50s and no running back or receiver eclipsing the 100-yard mark. The Ravens did what they have been doing for years while the Titans are getting used to this "simplify the offense, let the defense strut their stuff" mentality that appears to be working to perfection.

Titans center Kevin Mawae, who said he is getting really sick of all the paparazzi outside his house on a daily basis, said after the game that it was all they really needed to continue their unbeaten streak.

"I think it shows the character of this team, from the young guys to the most veteran guys," Mawae said. "It wasn't pretty, but we made the plays when we needed to and we won the game."

Kerry Collins had a first half that was very Vince Young-y, but turned it around in the second with an 80-yard drive capped by a 11-yard touchdown strike to Alge Crumpler to put the Titans up with just 1:56 left in the game. Rookie Joe Flacco, who the Ravens have to be pretty impressed with given the circumstances, couldn't mount a drive and the game was in the books.

Rookie Chris Johnson, who has been one of the better surprises this season, had his worst game as a pro, gaining just 44 yards on 18 carries and no end zone visits. Johnson was happily met most of the day by Ray Lewis, who seems to have drank a career Red Bull for the '08 season, flying around the field making tackles and adding an even more exciting celebratory dance after most.

The Titans defense is getting better and better as the season rolls on, giving up just 11.2 points per game heading into the bye week. With the Bengals Chiefs waiting on the other side of their off week, Tennessee won't need much to find themselves at 6-0 heading into the Monday night against the Colts. That is when we'll see how they play as the favorite and not just the surprise team.