AFC Division: Baltimore at Tennessee

The divisional playoff weekend kicks off with this beastly beauty, which could go to the first team that can get to 10.

Baltimore and Tennessee are both defense-first teams. When they played earlier this season on Oct. 5, Tennessee scored its only touchdown in the final two minutes and won, 13-10. Baltimore rookie QB Joe Flacco didn’t play well in that one — two interceptions, zero TDs — but has improved rapidly since.

The Ravens forced five Miami turnovers in a 27-9 whipping of the Dolphins last weekend. Tennessee, the No. 1 seed, had the weekend off and is healthier because of it. In particular, DT Albert Haynesworth and DE Kyle Vanden Bosch are both expected to play, and they haven’t been on the field together at the same time in a month.

The Ravens were the No. 2 defense in the NFL this season. Tennessee was No. 7. The Titans were No. 2 in turnover differential (plus-14); Baltimore was No. 3 (plus-13). The Titans have a slightly better running attack, with the Smash and Dash combo of LenDale “Smash” White and rookie Chris “Dash” Johnson.

Veteran Titans QB Kerry Collins could become the first QB in history to win at least one playoff game with three different clubs (he did so with Carolina and the N.Y. Giants in previous seasons). His biggest concern may be Baltimore safety Ed Reed, who ran an interception back for a TD Sunday and leads the most prolific pickoff unit in the NFL.

The Ravens are hot, having won 10 of their past 12 games. FB Le’Ron McClain has been playing brutally good football lately, punishing tacklers with his 260 pounds.

These two teams are smashmouth city. They’ve played 18 times in their history, with each winning nine. You could probably change the uniforms around, put one team in the other city, and no one would know the difference for a week until somebody realized Flacco’s hair was suddenly flecked with gray.

Tennessee fans with long memories remember what the Ravens did to the Titans in 2000. Back then, Tennessee was the No. 1 seed in the AFC East just like it is this season. Baltimore traveled to Tennessee and whipped the Titans on the way to a Super Bowl win.

The game will probably come down to whether Collins or Flacco flinches first in the face of some inordinate defensive pressure. We’ll guess that Collins, the veteran, will at least play to a standoff with Flacco and that Tennessee’s homefield advantage will do the rest.

Tennessee by 2