Jackson and Henry shine as Ravens overrun Steelers to reach AFC’s last four
Lamar Jackson threw for two touchdowns in a flawless first half, Derrick Henry scored twice while leading Baltimore’s devastating running game, and the Ravens defeated the Pittsburgh Steelers 28-14 on Saturday night to advance to the second round of the AFC playoffs.
The Ravens will face either Buffalo or Houston after jumping out to a 21-0 halftime lead and holding on against their AFC North rivals. Baltimore had a 19-2 advantage in first downs in the first half, as the Ravens produced touchdown drives of 95, 85 and 90 yards.
Henry ran for 186 yards, and Baltimore defeated the Steelers 299-29. It was the most yards Pittsburgh allowed in a playoff game, breaking the 232 mark set by the Oakland Raiders 51 years ago.
Jackson, the two-time MVP still looking for a postseason breakout, made it clear from the start that he would let Pittsburgh (10-8) defend its arm and legs. He kept the chains moving, and the Ravens (13-5) were happy to methodically advance 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 them in Baltimore. The ending was a familiar story for the Steelers, who have lost six straight playoff games. The last three times they’ve been to the postseason, they’ve been on the road in games that illustrated the gap between Pittsburgh and the conference’s true contenders.
The Ravens had 10 touchdown drives of at least 90 yards in the regular season, the most by any team since at least 2000. They started at their own 5 on their first possession and drove 13 plays for a touchdown.
The Steelers have made a habit of winning close games against the Ravens lately, taking advantage of Baltimore’s mistakes. The Ravens avoided that problem Saturday and took few major risks.
They did get creative on the first drive, lining up Henry for a direct play from the middle while Jackson came around and faked a sweep. Henry kept the ball for a 34-yard gain. Jackson ended the possession with a 15-yard scoring strike to Rashod Bateman, Baltimore’s top healthy receiver while Zay Flowers (knee) was unavailable.
Jackson went 16 of 21 for 175 yards and rushed for 81.
Henry made it 14-0 with an 8-yard run with 4:09 left in the half. After a Pittsburgh punt, the Steelers called a timeout on third-and-2 from the Baltimore 18, hoping to get the ball back, but the Ravens converted and then quickly got into position to score.
On second down from the Pittsburgh 5 with 11 seconds left, Jackson nearly used up the remaining time by scrambling around, but ultimately threw the ball to an open Justice Hill, who headed into the end zone with 2 seconds left.
The Steelers drove 98 yards for a touchdown during their opening second-half possession, with Russell Wilson throwing a 30-yard scoring pass to Van Jefferson. Baltimore answered quickly as Henry broke free up the middle for a 44-yard touchdown. Pittsburgh’s defenders were caught out of position as Jackson faked a run to his left as if he had handed the ball off.
Wilson answered with a 36-yard touchdown strike to George Pickens in the third, but that was it for the score. Wilson went 20 of 29 for 270 yards on a night when neither team turned the ball over.
The Ravens need Denver to win at Buffalo on Sunday if they want to host a game next weekend. If that happens, Houston would come to Baltimore. If not, Baltimore would head to Buffalo for a matchup between Jackson and fellow MVP candidate Josh Allen.
The Steelers enter the offseason after Wilson and coach Mike Tomlin got them to the playoffs, but a once-promising season ended with a thud.