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 beat the Pittsburgh Steelers 28-14 on Saturday night to advance to the second round of the AFC playoffs.
The Ravens move on to face Buffalo or Houston after jumping out to a 21-0 halftime lead and holding off their AFC North rivals. Baltimore had a 19-2 advantage on first downs in the first half, when the Ravens produced touchdown runs of 95, 85 and 90 yards.
Henry ran for 186 yards, and Baltimore beat 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 earlier.
Jackson, a two-time MVP who is still seeking a postseason breakthrough, made it clear from the start that he would make Pittsburgh (10-8) defend his arm and his legs. He kept the chains moving, and the Ravens (13-5) were happy to advance the ball methodically against a Steelers team that has relied heavily this season on forcing turnovers.
Pittsburgh’s season ends with five straight defeats, two of which came 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 in the postseason, they’ve fallen on the road in games that exemplify the gap between Pittsburgh and the conference’s true contenders.
The Ravens had 10 touchdown runs of at least 90 yards in the regular season, the most by a team since at least 2000. They started on their own 5 on their first possession and drove 13 for touchdowns.
The Steelers have recently made a habit of winning tight games against the Ravens, capitalizing on Baltimore’s mistakes. The Ravens avoided that problem on Saturday, taking some major risks.
They got creative on the first drive, lining up Henry for a straight shot from center while Jackson came in and faked a sweep. Henry kept the ball for a 34-yard gain. Jackson capped off the possession with a 15-yard strike to Rashod Pittman, who was Baltimore’s top healthy receiver with Zay Flowers (knee) unavailable.
Jackson went 16 of 21 for 175 yards and 81 rushing.
Henry made it 14-0 with an 8-yard run with 4:09 remaining in the first 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 position to score.
On second down from the Pittsburgh 5 with 11 seconds left, Jackson nearly used up the remaining time on a scramble, but eventually threw the ball to an open Justice Hill, who entered the end zone with 2 seconds left.
The Steelers drove 98 yards for a touchdown on their first possession of the second half, as Russell Wilson threw a 30-yard scoring pass to Van Jefferson. Baltimore responded quickly when Henry freed up the quarterback for a 44-yard TD run—Pittsburgh’s defenders being taken out of their positions because Jackson faked a run left after handing the ball off.
Wilson responded with a 36-yard touchdown strike to George Pickens in the third, but that was all there was to the scoring. Wilson went 20 of 29 for 270 yards on the night when neither team turned the ball over.
The Ravens need Denver to beat Buffalo on Sunday if they are going to host next weekend’s game. If that happens, Houston will come to Baltimore. If not, Baltimore will 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 stroke.