BALTIMORE — Baltimore Ravens coach John Harbaugh was wary of the Tennessee Titans entering their Week 10 matchup because the Titans were coming off a bye and had an extra week to prepare.

After a sluggish first quarter, the Ravens put Harbaugh’s fears to rest by dominating the rest of the game.

Running back Justin Forsett ran for 112 yards and a pair of touchdowns as Baltimore snapped a two-game losing streak with a 21-7 victory over the Titans on Sunday.

The Ravens held the Titans scoreless over the final three quarters and sacked rookie quarterback Zach Mettenberger five times.

Baltimore heads into its bye week 6-4 and remains in the hunt for a playoff spot in the topsy-turvy AFC North. Tennessee has lost seven of its past eight games and is now 2-7 on the season.

“Very important victory,” Harbaugh said. “Very challenging situation, playing a very good football team coming off a bye week. They had two weeks to prepare for us and it showed in the first quarter. I thought they did a good job scheming us and executing. What I am proud of our guys the most is pulling themselves out of it.”

Ravens quarterback Joe Flacco faced an aggressive pass rush for the third consecutive game and completed 16 of 27 passes for 169 yards with a touchdown. Wide receiver Torrey Smith had five catches for 75 yards and a touchdown.

Forsett, who is playing in his seventh season, has a career-high five touchdowns on the year.

With the game tied at 7-7, the Ravens took their first lead on an 11-yard touchdown run by Forsett with 5:36 left in the third quarter.

Baltimore took advantage of a short field to score again, needing just six plays to take a 21-7 lead on a 32-yard pass from Flacco to Torrey Smith with 13:09 left in the game.

Mettenberger, making just his second NFL career start, completed 16 of 27 passes for 179 yards with a touchdown and an interception.

“They rolled safeties over our guys and did a lot of zone coverage that we weren’t expecting,” Mettenberger said. “You have to be ready for anything in this league. In the first half, our game plan was working. We just have to work to play 60 minutes of football.”

Flacco and Harbaugh improved to 12-1 in November home games since 2008, including 10 straight wins.

Baltimore forced eight straight three-and-outs before the Titans managed a first down late in the fourth quarter.

What the Ravens said:

“It’s hard not to look back at the ones that got away and feel like, ‘Man, what if we had won this one or that one.’ But, you can’t. You have to move forward and you have to move on and you have to win a game like this. It’s often said, it’s a marathon, not a sprint. I kind of feel like it’s a series of sprints. I feel like every day we’re sprinting.” — Ravens coach John Harbaugh

What the Titans said:

“I think we played a good game today, but we gave up a couple of big plays that hurt us toward the end. Overall, we came out for a battle. We knew it was going to be a dogfight and we tried to hold on until the end. We didn’t quit. We kept going.” — Defensive tackle Jurrell Casey

What we learned about the Ravens:

1. The Ravens’ overhauled secondary showed promise. They made many changes in the secondary following the 43-23 loss to the Steelers in Week 9 in a game in which Ben Roethlisberger threw six touchdown passes. Baltimore cut cornerbacks Dominique Franks and Chykie Brown and claimed Danny Gorrer off waivers from the Detroit Lions. Baltimore also promoted undrafted rookie Tramain Jacobs from the practice squad. After initially allowing Titans quarterback Zach Mettenberger to throw an early touchdown pass, the Ravens secondary shut him down the rest of the way. It was an encouraging game for the beleaguered group and coach John Harbaugh is confident the group can play even better. “Proud of the whole secondary,” Harbaugh said. “They played very well.” The Ravens had suffered a major blow when top corner Jimmy Smith was ruled out for the season earlier in the week with a foot injury, and that will still be a challenge to overcome.

2. Ravens running back Justin Forsett has already set season highs for yards (721), carries (133) and touchdowns (five). Forsett had another strong game against Titans, finishing with 112 yards on 20 carries with two touchdowns. He has proven that he can carry the load as the featured back. The Ravens will continue to lean on him moving forward. Forsett said he feels strong and healthy, despite the extra work. “It feels good,” he said. “It’s been a dream come true just to get the opportunity to come out here and play and show what I can do.”

–QB Joe Flacco won his 43rd game at M&T Bank Stadium, tying Tom Brady for the most wins at home among all quarterbacks since 2008. Flacco was able to withstand considerable pressure from the Titans most of the game. He completed 16 of 27 passes for 169 yards with a touchdown with no turnovers. “They were really getting after us early,” Flacco said. “I thought we hung in there really well. It was a really tough game and nothing came easy. We really had to grind it out.”

–DT Timmy Jernigan got his first career sack against Titans quarterback Zach Mettenberger in the second quarter. Jernigan, a second-round pick out of Florida State, also finished with a career-high four tackles. “The first one was great,” Jernigan said about the sack. “The guys were really excited for me. I get the feeling there is more to come.”

–CB Danny Gorrer was just claimed off waivers from the Lions last week and already paid dividends. Gorrer got the start and had an interception and two tackles to help Baltimore’s short-handed secondary. The Ravens hope Gorrer can be a long-term answer at the position. “It was definitely great for me,” Gorrer said about the interception. “The front gave me a chance and when I saw it develop, my eyes lit up and I’m just glad I was there to make a play.”

–LB Elvis Dumervil continued to dominate opposing offensive linemen. Dumervil finished with 2.5 sacks and he now has 10.5 on the season. “I think I’m being utilized correct here,” Dumervil said. “Coverage has been great and obviously when you’re playing opposite a guy like Terrell Suggs, it really helps.”

What we learned about the Titans:

1. Tennessee rookie quarterback Zach Mettenberger, making just his second NFL career start, was unable to take advantage of a patch-work Ravens secondary. Baltimore had two new players — Danny Gorrer and Tramain Jacobs — in the rotation at cornerback, and there was uncertainty regarding how they would perform in their first game together. Mettenberger started strong, driving the Titans down the field on the opening two possessions. The first ended with a fumble on the Ravens’ 1-yard line. On the next drive, Mettenberger found running back Leon Washington on a 3-yard shovel pass for a 7-0 lead with 20 seconds left in the first quarter. From there, though, the offense stalled and had eight consecutive three-and-outs. Mettenberger completed 16 of 27 passes for 179 yards with a touchdown and an interception. He was also sacked five times. The jury remains out on whether he is the long-term answer at quarterback for the Titans. “I have to do a better job of feeling the pressure,” Mettenberger said. “I know I need to play a lot smarter. This is a quarterback-driven league and I have to play better.”

2. The Titans had success blitzing linebackers straight up the middle against Ravens quarterback Joe Flacco. Tennessee kept the Ravens offense out of sync for much of the first half. However, the Titans’ offense didn’t do much to help as they struggled to get first downs and put the defense on a short field for much of the second half. Tennessee held Baltimore to just 86 total yards in the opening half before the Ravens pulled away for the 21-7 victory. If nothing else, the defense’s performance is something to build on. “Our defense did a nice job,” Titans coach Ken Whisenhunt said. “They played hard the first half. They made plays and did a good job as a team in the first half. We didn’t help them out in the second half, which is tough.”

–TE Delanie Walker suffered a concussion in the second quarter on a jarring hit by Ravens rookie safety Terrence Brooks. The referees did not throw a flag on the play, which was eventually ruled an incomplete pass after a replay review. Walker had to be carted off the field after walking to the sideline. His status was uncertain after the game. “It was a hard collision and he’s one of the toughest dudes out there, so you know he was hurt,” Titans quarterback Zach Mettenberger said.

–LB Derrick Morgan had some early success against Ravens tackle Ricky Wagner. Morgan was able to put some pressure on Baltimore quarterback Joe Flacco and he finished with a sack and three tackles. The defense held Baltimore to 86 yards in the first half. “That was our game plan,” Morgan said. “Coming in and getting some hits, some sacks on Flacco and disrupt him. And I think we did a decent job.”

–T Michael Oher returned to Baltimore for the first time after the Ravens decided not to re-sign him at the end of last season. Oher struggled against Ravens outside linebacker Elvis Dumervil, who finished with 2.5 sacks. “We wanted to get the win,” Oher said. “Great atmosphere to play in. I had fun seeing the guys I used to play with. It was all right.”

–RB Dexter McCluster had to leave the game in the first quarter with a knee injury and he did not return. His status is uncertain. “It hurt us but we have to be able to survive that,” Tennessee coach Ken Whisenhunt said.