Lamar Jackson threw two touchdowns in a flawless first half and Derrick Henry scored twice as the Baltimore Ravens beat the Pittsburgh Steelers 28-14 on Saturday night to advance to the Divisional Round of the NFL playoffs.
The Ravens secured the win against their AFC North rivals by taking a 21-0 halftime lead before holding on comfortably as the Steelers tried to fight back.
Baltimore had a 19-2 advantage on first downs in the first half, when they produced touchdown drives of 95, 85 and 90 yards,
Henry ran for 186 yards and Baltimore outgained the Steelers 299-29. It was the most yards allowed by Pittsburgh in a playoff game, breaking the mark of 232 set by the Oakland Raiders 51 years ago.
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Lamar Jackson compares Derrick Henry to Lightning McQueen from Cars after their playoff win.
Jackson, a two-time MVP still looking for a postseason breakthrough, made it clear from the start that he would force Pittsburgh (10-8) to defend his arm and legs. He kept the chains moving, and the Ravens (13-5) were happy to methodically run the ball against a Steelers team that has relied heavily on forcing turnovers this season.
Pittsburgh's season ends with five straight losses, two of which are in Baltimore. The ending was a familiar story for the Steelers, who had lost six straight playoff games. The last three times they were in the postseason, they fell on the road in games that illustrated the gap between Pittsburgh and true conference contenders.
Statistics leaders
Pittsburgh Steelers
- Passage: Russell Wilson, 20/29, 270 yards, 2 TDs
- rush: Najee Harris, 6 carries, 17 yards
- Receiving: George Pickens, 5 catches, 87 yards, 1 TD
Baltimore Ravens
- Passage: Lamar Jackson, 16/21, 175 yards, 2 TDs
- rush: Derrick Henry, 26 carries, 186 yards, 2 TDs
- Receiving: Isaiah Likely, 3 catches, 53 yards
The Steelers have recently made a habit of winning close games against the Ravens by capitalizing on Baltimore's mistakes, but the Ravens successfully avoided that problem on Saturday by taking a few bigger risks.
They were creative on the first drive, lining up Henry for a direct snap from center while Jackson came across and faked a swing. Henry kept the ball for 34 yards. Jackson scored on a 15-yard field goal to Rashod Bateman, who was Baltimore's top receiver while Zay Flowers (knee) was unavailable.
Henry made it 14-0 with an 8-yard run with 4:09 left in the half. After a Pittsburgh punt, the Steelers called timeout on third-and-2 from the Baltimore 18, hoping to get the ball back, but the Ravens converted and then quickly moved into scoring position.
On a second down from the Pittsburgh 5 with 11 seconds left, Jackson nearly spent the remaining time fidgeting, but ended up throwing the ball to an open Justice Hill, who went into the end zone with 2 seconds left.
The Steelers drove 98 yards for a touchdown on their first possession of the second half, with Russell Wilson throwing 30 yards to Van Jefferson. Baltimore responded quickly when Henry burst up the middle for a 44-yard TD –
Pittsburgh defenders were caught out of position as Jackson faked a run down the left side after handing the ball off.
Wilson returned it with a 36-yard touchdown pass to George Pickens in the third, but that was it for the scoring. Wilson went 20 of 29 for 270 yards on a night when neither team turned the ball over.
Henry and Jackson were the stars of the show for the Ravens
Jackson, Henry catch the eye in impressive win – postgame reaction
Ravens head coach John Harbaugh:
“Derrick Henry ran hard, physical. Lamar started. Lamar carried the ball at different times on the first drive or two.
“They figured out how to win a football game like this. “It's one thing to know it, it's another thing to execute it and do it, and they did it.”
Sky Sports NFL's Jason Bell:
“They started like a boxing match. You think you're going to go to the head and it was all body shots! They were serious body shots and it was over and over again. The next thing you know you're on your knees thinking 'what just happened?'
“They came out, they were dominant, they pushed around the defensive line and when they had the pace, they achieved it.
“Of course you have Lamar Jackson, he's been one of the most accurate passers in the league this season, and Derrick Henry shows you who he is — a physically dominant runner who has great speed. So when he gets in the open field, good luck.”
Sky Sports NFL's Phoebe Schecter:
“Whether it's up the middle, outside, throwing, the second (Henry) gets going, he's the most dangerous because of his speed, his physicality and, ultimately, his will and desire to get into the end zone. He just bounces at you all night long .”
What next?
The Ravens will now advance to the Divisional Round of the playoffs next weekend, where their most likely opponent is the Buffalo Bills if the schedules hold until Wild Card weekend.
Wild Card weekend continues Sunday night when the Bills host the Denver Broncos at 6 p.m., followed by the Green Bay Packers vs. the Philadelphia Eagles and the Washington Commanders vs. the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Monday night then sees Sam Darnold's Minnesota Vikings take on the Los Angeles Rams, kicking off at 1am GMT in the early hours of Tuesday, live on Sky Sports.