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The 31-year-old quarterback looked like the best he could hope for was a role as a back up. Then he went to Tennessee and transformed his career
When the Tennessee Titans face the Baltimore Ravens in Saturday’s divisional round of the NFL playoffs, one quarterback will take the field and stick it to the critics who questioned his ability to thrive at the position. In between, one supposes, Lamar Jackson will take some snaps, too.
To be clear: no signal-caller has had a better season than Jackson, the Ravens’ dazzling dual threat, whose inevitable coronation as the league’s most valuable player is sure to make even bigger fools of the talent evaluators who pegged him as a better fit at wide receiver or running back simply because he’s black. But if there’s a redemption story that comes close, it’s Ryan Tannehill of the Titans. This past season saw the quarterback register Joe Montana-like numbers in completion percentage (70.3) and yards per attempt (9.6), while throwing 22 touchdowns against six interceptions. For an encore the 31-year-old made his maiden playoff appearance last week and led the Titans to a road upset of the defending Super Bowl champion New England Patriots. And while Tannehill didn’t perform anywhere near his best against the Patriots’ top-ranked defense, logging 15 attempts for a scant 72 yards while throwing an interception and fumbling twice, he did toss an early touchdown that set the table for Tennessee’s second playoff win in 11 seasons. Continue reading...