The Baltimore Ravens and Houston Texans advanced to the divisional round of the playoffs on Saturday, beating the Pittsburgh Steelers and Los Angeles Chargers, respectively.
The Ravens, the third seed in the AFC, had a dominant performance in the day’s cup. Baltimore beat its division rival 28-14, fueled by an unstoppable running attack.
The Ravens rushed 50 times for 299 yards against the Steelers. Running back Derrick Henry had 26 carries for 186 yards and two scores, while quarterback Lamar Jackson added 81 yards on the ground.
Pittsburgh was inept offensively for much of the night. Russell Wilson finished with 270 passing yards and two touchdowns, but the Steelers had only 11 first downs and 280 total yards over the course of the game.
Baltimore drove down the field for three massive touchdown drives in the first half alone. The Ravens drove 95 yards in 13 plays for their first score, then 85 yards in 13 plays before a nine-play, 90-yard masterpiece for a touchdown two seconds before halftime.
Pittsburgh’s offense emerged with 14 points in the third quarter, with Wilson making some good shots. However, Baltimore’s lead never got below two scores and the Ravens eventually ran out of time.
Jackson, often the subject of discussion on talk shows for his playoff struggles, played at an MVP level. In addition to his running success, he completed 16 of 21 passes for 175 yards and two touchdowns.
Earlier in the day, the Texans advanced after a crazy game against the Chargers in which both defenses shined. The two teams combined to commit seven turnovers, but Houston was able to take better advantage of the mistakes.
Quarterback CJ Stroud threw for 282 yards with one touchdown and one interception for the Texans. Meanwhile, Justin Herbert threw for 242 yards with one touchdown and a whopping four interceptions, including a pick six.
Los Angeles took a 6-0 lead early in the first quarter, but did not score again until the fourth. On the Chargers’ only touchdown, their extra point was blocked and returned for two points by Houston. Los Angeles scored just three points off the Texans’ three steals.
Meanwhile, Houston overcame a slow offensive start to take a 10-7 lead into halftime, scoring twice in the final minute of the second quarter, including at the end of a 99-yard touchdown drive. That possession was nearly derailed when Stroud fumbled on 3rd-and-16, but he recovered the ball and completed a deep pass on the same play.
The Texans would add 13 more points before the touchdown, block, kick, two-point sequence. Stroud then led one more touchdown drive as Herbert was tagged out on the Chargers’ final possession.
Houston and Baltimore’s opponents in the next round will depend on Sunday’s results.
