NASHVILLE, Tennessee (Ticker) -- Al Del Greco's misery again resulted in good fortune for the Baltimore Ravens and Pro Bowl linebacker Ray Lewis sealed the fate of the Tennessee Titans.
After failing to convert two field goals earlier in the game, Del Greco had a potential go-ahead kick blocked and returned 90 yards for a touchdown by rookie Anthony Mitchell in the fourth quarter and Lewis scored on a 50-yard interception return to lead the Ravens to a 24-10 victory over the Titans in a playoff matchup of bitter AFC Central rivals.
A week after winning the first playoff game in the five-year history of the transplanted franchise, the Ravens (14-4) will meet the Oakland Raiders (13-4) in the AFC championship game next Sunday.
"We knew this game was going to come down to something unique," Ravens coach Brian Billick said. "It was just a slugfest and we knew it would be."
The loss denied Tennessee (13-4) a shot at a return trip to the Super Bowl and marked the second time it was beaten at home by the Ravens. The Titans are 16-2 since moving into Adelphia Coliseum, the previous loss a 24-23 defeat to Baltimore on November 12.
Ironically, it was Del Greco, the normally reliable kicker, who missed a crucial extra point with 2:30 to play and a 43-yard field goal as time expired in that game.
On Sunday, Del Greco had a 45-yard field-goal attempt partially blocked by Keith Washington and banged a 31-yarder off the left upright in the first half. He kicked a 21-yard field goal with 8:20 left in the third quarter to give Tennessee a 10-7 lead.
But with a chance to snap a 10-10 tie in the fourth quarter, Del Greco failed to get ample height on a 37-yard field goal and Washington was able to deflect the kick with his right hand.
"I got a nice piece of that," Washington said. "I got that with my whole hand."
The ball floated to the 10-yard line where Mitchell caught it in the air, moved toward the right sideline where he followed a wall of blockers, ran between Del Greco and Frank Wycheck inside the Tennessee 40 and cruised into the end zone, giving Baltimore its first lead at 17-10 with 12:12 left.
"I just tried to pick up my blockers, and cut back against the kicker because I knew it was for the lead," said Mitchell, who played in NFL Europe last spring.
Afterwards, Titans coach Jeff Fisher stood behind his veteran kicker, who turns 39 in March.
"I'm an Al Del Greco fan," Fisher said. "I have no other reason to not stand behind Al."
"To have this type of day as a professional...I never remember missing three in a day," Del Greco said. "I wish I could change it all, but all I can do is my best. Unfortunately, it wasn't meant to happen for us."
Later in the quarter, Lewis -- the NFL Defensive Player of the Year -- made the defensive play of the game, picking off a pass that went off the right hand of Titans running back Eddie George at midfield.
After the interception, Lewis broke a tackle by offensive lineman Fred Miller at the 25 and raced down the left sideline for the touchdown, opening a 24-10 lead for the Ravens with 6:41 remaining.
"I saw him (George) bobbling the ball, broke on it and saw the end zone," said Lewis, who finished with 12 tackles. "I haven't done that since high school. But I made the play and sealed the win."
"It bounced off my hand, hit my shoulder pad," George said. "I should have made the play."
The loss had to be especially hard to swallow for the Titans, who had 23 first downs to just six for Baltimore, more than doubled the Ravens in total yards, 317-134, and controlled the ball for more than 40 minutes.
But the Titans were wounded by three big plays -- the blocked field goal return by Mitchell, the interception return by Lewis and a 56-yard pass from Trent Dilfer to Shannon Sharpe which set up Baltimore's first touchdown.
"This one's going to be hard to take," Fisher said. "It's not an easy one to accept. We played good enough to win, we just didn't. We just have not got a bounce against this club. You need to get a bounce to win a game like this and they did."
The Titans received big plays from rookie special teams standout Chris Coleman, who blocked two punts inside the Baltimore 30. But Tennessee converted those plays into just three points.
"It was just a good scheme by coach (Alan) Lowry," Coleman said. "He put me in the middle, slightly shaded off the guard and me and Terry Killens shot the same gap."
Baltimore set NFL records for fewest points allowed in a 16-game season (165) and fewest rushing yards (970), but the Titans were the league's second stingiest defense (191) and ranked first in total yards.
Both defenses allowed just 10 points on Sunday and the Titans yielded far fewer yards. But it was Lewis who made the backbreaking play.
George fell nine yards shy of becoming the first 100-yard rusher in 35 games against the Ravens. He rushed for 61 yards on 17 carries in the first half and 30 yards on 10 carries in the second half. George also caught eight passes for 52 yards.
Baltimore's leading rusher Jamal Lewis was held to 47 yards and a touchdown on 17 carries.
Tennessee's Steve McNair completed 24-of-46 passes for 176 yards with an interception. He left the game briefly in the second quarter after being hit by Lewis.
"It was very disappointing," McNair said. "When you know you can go out and perform and execute a lot better than we did today, it's very disappointing."
Dilfer completed just 5-of-16 passes for 117 yards, but did not commit a turnover. And that appears to be enough with Baltimore's ferocious defense.
Tennessee started the game with a textbook 11-play, 68-yard drive which lasted more than seven minutes and resulted in a two-yard touchdown run by George. He rushed for 23 yards on six carries to key the drive.
After failing to score on its first two possessions, the Ravens made their biggest offensive play on a 3rd-and-10 from their own 43 early in the second quarter. Sharpe ran a slant from the middle to the left sideline and was left uncovered. Dilfer spotted him and lofted a 56-yard pass to Sharpe to the Tennessee 1.
On the next play, Jamal Lewis scored on a one-yard run to tie the game at 7-7 with 9:46 left in the second quarter.
Tennessee marched 45 yards in 11 plays on its next drive, but Del Greco was short on a 50-yard field goal with a little more than two minutes left in the half. An offside penalty on Baltimore's Lionel Dalton gave Del Greco another chance, but his second attempt was partially blocked by Washington.
"I tried to predict the trajectory of the ball, and I just went up and ghot a piece of that one, but I thought it still might make it," Washington said.
After Tennessee's defense held, Coleman came through with the first of his two blocks, giving the Titans possession at the Baltimore 25. But Del Greco rattled a 31-yard attempt off the left upright.
Coleman's second blocked punt came after Baltimore's first possession of the second half and gave the Titans the ball at the Ravens 27.
But after reaching the 5, George gained two yards on two carries and McNair threw an incompletion, forcing the Titans to settle for a chip shot field goal with 8:20 left in the third quarter.
Matt Stover kicked a 38-yard field goal with 3:05 left in the third quarter to tie the game at 10-10.
After a 15-yard fair-catch interference penalty on Tennessee's Dainon Sidney gave Baltimore possession at the Titans 45, Jamal Lewis rushed twice for 19 yards to set up the tying field goal.
