LONDON — The Ravens overcame the Titans 24-16 thanks to a solid defensive performance and a Justin Tucker masterclass in the NFL's London series finale at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
Zay Flowers’ first career touchdown was the only TD of the day for Baltimore as Tucker made six field goals. Baltimore head coach John Harbaugh thanked Tucker for his contributions but also noted his team needs to start converting in the red zone to put games to bed.
The only Raven who won’t have fond memories of Sunday’s win will be Kyle Hamilton. His afternoon ended earlier than he would have liked as he was ejected in the third quarter, which came as a surprise to everyone — even Harbaugh.
MORE: Special teams the difference as Ravens vanquish Titans in London
For the Titans, their offense was toothless and struggled to get going in the first half. They certainly looked as though they arrived in the UK on Thursday, whereas the Ravens traveled across the pond on Monday and appeared more prepared in every fashion.
Before Titans quarterback Ryan Tannehill suffered an ankle injury and was carted off, he attempted to find Chris Moore beyond the Ravens’ 10-yard line. Hamilton came across to try and make a play and made helmet-to-helmet contact with the Titans wide receiver.
Here's the full play involving #Ravens safety Kyle Hamilton and #Titans WR Chris Moore.
— Ari Meirov (@MySportsUpdate) October 15, 2023
Moore was wobbly getting up and has since gone to the locker room. Hamilton was ejected from the game. pic.twitter.com/ys6nsxyLvo https://t.co/0pQOpThFTl
The officials threw the flag for a 15-yard penalty but then sharply ejected Hamilton, which confused many in the crowd and those on the Ravens sideline.
Speaking in his post-game press conference, Harbaugh agreed with the flag for the clash of helmets but struggled to understand the ejection.
“Yeah, it was helmet contact, so I understood the flag," he said. "The ejection wasn’t explained to me on the field. They didn’t know on the field. Came from New York, I guess. Have to explain to us why.
“That’s not something we’ve seen before,” he continued. “That’s a new one as far as I’m concerned.”
Hamilton’s defensive teammate, Patrick Queen, echoed the head coach’s thoughts:
“For me it was a tough call. Honestly, I don’t think he should have been ejected. It was a hit, kind of vicious. I mean, not really, not intended. Whatever the official made, whatever call he made, we just got to roll with it, just play football at that point.
“I don’t see anything wrong. We’re playing football at the end of the day. He tried to go for the ball and fell down. I know Kyle didn’t intentionally try to hit him in the head,” he added. “It’s the sport that we play now. We just got to adapt.”
The Ravens did adapt and held onto their lead despite a late comeback attempt in the fourth quarter by Malik Willis and Derrick Henry.
Harbaugh’s team improves to 4-2 and lead the AFC North, meanwhile the Titans (2-4) sit bottom of the AFC South.
