Harry How/Getty Images
As the A.F.C.’s top seed last season, the Baltimore Ravens charged into the postseason as Super Bowl favorites with a gaudy 14-2 record built on a distinct run-first offensive mentality. The Ravens rushed the football 57.5 percent of the time, easily the league high.
But in their opening playoff game, the Ravens were upset at home by the Tennessee Titans who trounced Baltimore at its own game by running the football more than twice as often as they passed it. The Titans did not advance to the Super Bowl, but the San Francisco 49ers did, running the football on 42 of 50 plays against the Green Bay Packers in the N.