Jackson and Henry power the Ravens to a 28-14 victory over the rival Steelers in the AFC playoffs.
- NewsBlend360
- Jan 12
- 4 min read
BALTIMORE (NB360) — Lamar Jackson handed the ball to Derrick Henry and then faked like he still had it, moving left. A couple of linebackers followed Jackson, leaving the middle wide open for Henry to charge through for a 44-yard touchdown.
That’s the tricky situation Jackson and Henry create for defenders. First, they have to figure out who’s got the ball — and if they’re out of position, either of these Baltimore stars can make them pay.
Jackson tossed two touchdowns in a perfect first half, Henry scored twice while leading Baltimore’s powerful running game, and the Ravens beat the Pittsburgh Steelers 28-14 on Saturday night to move to the next round of the AFC playoffs.
Jackson and Henry had the Steelers chasing shadows all night as Baltimore outran Pittsburgh 299-29. It was the most rushing yards Pittsburgh has ever given up in a playoff game, breaking a 51-year-old record set by the Oakland Raiders.
“My dad’s proud. Jack Harbaugh’s proud right now. He loves to run the ball,” said Ravens coach John Harbaugh. “Derrick Henry was running hard and physical. Lamar got things started. He carried the ball a few times in the first couple of drives.”
The Ravens are set to face either Buffalo or Houston after jumping out to a 21-0 lead at halftime and holding off their AFC North rivals. Baltimore dominated with a 19-2 lead in first downs in the first half, with touchdown drives of 95, 85, and 90 yards.
Henry ran for 186 yards.
Jackson, the two-time MVP still looking for a playoff breakthrough, showed from the start he was going to make Pittsburgh (10-8) defend both his passing and running. He kept the chains moving, and the Ravens (13-5) were happy to advance the ball steadily against a Steelers team that has leaned heavily on forcing turnovers this season.
“They knew how to win a game like this,” Harbaugh said. “It’s one thing to know it, it’s another to execute it, and they did it.”
Pittsburgh’s season ends with five straight losses, two of which were in Baltimore. It’s a familiar ending for the Steelers, who have lost six playoff games in a row. The last three times they’ve made the playoffs, they’ve lost on the road in games that showed the gap between them and the top teams in the conference.
“They were the better team today. That was clear,” Steelers coach Mike Tomlin said. “The X factor was Lamar’s unique skills. It seemed like every time we got him behind the sticks, he made up for it.”
The Ravens had 10 touchdown drives of at least 90 yards during 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 recently been winning close games against the Ravens, capitalizing on Baltimore’s mistakes. But the Ravens avoided that issue on Saturday, taking few big risks.
They got creative on the first drive, putting Henry in for a direct snap while Jackson faked a sweep. Henry kept the ball for a 34-yard gain. Jackson finished the drive with a 15-yard touchdown pass to Rashod Bateman, who was Baltimore’s top healthy receiver with Zay Flowers (knee) out.
Jackson completed 16 of 21 passes for 175 yards and ran for 81.
Henry made it 14-0 with an 8-yard run with 4:09 left in the half, and the Ravens didn’t throw a single pass on that 13-play drive. 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 quickly moved into scoring position.
On second down from the Pittsburgh 5 with 11 seconds left, Jackson nearly used up all the time scrambling but eventually tossed the ball to an open Justice Hill, who scored with 2 seconds left.
“I just think in his head, he knows what 11 seconds is,” Harbaugh said. “The clock was going faster for me in my mind. I’m thinking, ‘Throw it away.’ He threw it, it was a touchdown. All I can say is ‘wow’ — I think I said ‘wow’ about seven times right there.”
The Steelers drove 98 yards for a touchdown on their first second-half possession, with Russell Wilson throwing a 30-yard touchdown pass to Van Jefferson. Baltimore quickly answered when Henry broke free up the middle for his 44-yard TD.
Wilson responded with a 36-yard touchdown pass to George Pickens in the third, but that was it for the scoring. Wilson completed 20 of 29 passes for 270 yards on a night when neither team turned the ball over.
Big day
This was Henry’s second-highest rushing total in the playoffs — the only bigger one was in the same stadium five years ago to the day. On Jan. 11, 2020, as a Tennessee Titan, he ran for 195 yards in a win over Jackson and the top-seeded Ravens.
“I can just hand the ball off — 10 yards, 20 yards, 30 yards and I’m just chilling,” Jackson said. “When they’re focusing on him and I go, I’m fresh. Just makes my job a lot easier. We just play off each other.”
Injuries
Pittsburgh T Dan Moore Jr. hurt his ankle. ... Jackson said he took a knee to the back and was wrapping it but wasn’t really limited by it.
Up next
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 head into the offseason after Wilson and Tomlin got them to the playoffs, but a once-promising season ended with a thud.
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