In a carryover from the regular season, the Baltimore Ravens rolled to a 28-14 win over the Pittsburgh Steelers in Saturday night's AFC wild-card round showdown.
Winners of five straight games, the Ravens stormed out to a 21-0 halftime lad over the Steelers, who ended the year with five consecutive losses. Likely league MVP Lamar Jackson threw a pair of first half touchdowns and ran for 81 yards on 15 carries. Derrick Henry rumbled for 186 yards and two scores as Baltimore churned out 299 yards on the ground.
Pittsburgh tried to make it a game in the second half, as Russell Wilson threw two third-quarter touchdown passes. It wasn't enough, however, as Baltimore made more than enough plays in the second half on both sides of the ball. The Ravens' biggest play in the second half was a 44-yard touchdown run by Henry, who set a record for the most rushing yards against a Pittsburgh's defense in a playoff game.
Jackson has now won two straight games over the Steelers after he won just one of his first five starts against Baltimore's arch rival. Pittsburgh has now lost six consecutive playoff games. It trailed by at least 21 points at one point in each game, a new NFL record.
Here's a closer look at how Baltimore won the rubber match vs. Pittsburgh.
Baltimore jumped all over Pittsburgh from the start. On offense, Jackson ran considerably more than he did during his regular-season matchups vs. the Steelers. After the game, Jackson said the he was running a lot of read option and was basically reacting to whatever Pittsburgh's defense was doing.
Jackson's early success on the ground opened up the rest of the Ravens offense, especially Henry and the running game. But Jackson also had a lot of success through the air despite the absence of No. 1 wideout Zay Flowers.
Defensively, Baltimore's defense routinely got Pittsburgh into third-and-long situations in the first half, and when they did, they often got the Steelers offense off the field. The unit then stepped up with two big stops after Pittsburgh had made it a 14-point game late in the third quarter.
It was a team win, but really, the main key to the Ravens' victory was their dominance on the ground. The Ravens had 270 more rushing yards than the Steelers, with Jackson and Henry combining to amass 267 yards on 41 carries.
As they did throughout their losing streak, the Steelers started the game incredibly flat. Pittsburgh was outgained 306-59 in the first half. They had just two first downs (compared to Baltimore's 19) and were 1-for-5 on third downs in the first half.
Pittsburgh's offense committed too many self-inflicted wounds that contributed to it having too many third-and-longs in the first half. The running game was a nonfactor, with Najee Harris rushing for 17 yards on six carries in what was likely his final game in a Steelers uniform.
Russell Wilson, who went 6-6 as Pittsburgh's starting quarterback this season, continued to live and die on deep passes. Wilson hit on several big throws in the second half that included his touchdown passes to Van Jefferson and George Pickens. But Wilson and the offense didn't do much else. Speaking of Pickens, the Steelers' No. 1 receiver finished with 87 yards on five catches, but he had just one catch in the first half.
Trailing 7-0, the Steelers faced a third-and-2 from their own 28-yard line early in the second quarter. Instead of running the ball, Wilson lined up in the shotgun and completed a short pass to tight end Pat Freiermuth, who was tackled inches short of the first down.
Given the offense they were facing, the Steelers should have gone for it. They chose to punt, however, and the Ravens made them pay by embarking on a 15-play, 85-yard drive that was punctuated by Henry's first touchdown run of the night. The drive, which took nearly eight minutes off the clock, was done entirely on the ground.
The Ravens responded to the Steelers' first touchdown with Henry's 44-yard touchdown run that saw him outrun Pittsburgh's entire defense to pay dirt. On Saturday night, Henry tied Hall of Famer Terrell Davis' NFL playoff record with four games with at least 150 rushing yards.
Baltimore will advance to the divisional round and will face either the Bills on the road or the Texans at home. Baltimore cannot face the top-seeded Chiefs by virtue of the Texans' win over the Chargers earlier in the day. The Steelers will head into the offseason with a slew of questions, starting with what they will do at quarterback with Wilson and Justin Fields set to enter free agency.
Wilson threw a bomb into triple coverage and its batted down, incomplete. Ravens take over with 6:13 left.
That's effectively the ballgame. The Steelers got into Ravens territory but a false start penalty short circuited the drive. Steelers have also completely gone one dimensional, which is somewhat understanding given their predicament, but makes defending the pass much easier.
Steelers had too many men on the field after the Ravens did a late substitution on fourth-and-1. Jackson picked up the first down anyway; credit to Baltimore for being aggressive here with Pittsburgh's offense having scored twice on its last three drives.
Wilson sacked after being under duress on third-and-8. Big stop for Ravens' defense after Steelers' defense had gotten a three-and-out. Ravens ahead 28-14 and will have the ball to start the fourth quarter.
False start penalty of first down dooms the Ravens drive. So Pittsburgh got its needed stop on defense, can the offense do anything with it?
Wilson hits Pickens for a 36-yard TD, making it a 28-14 game with 3:24 left in the third. Wilson has five completions of 21 or more yards on Pittsburgh's last two drives.
But their defense doesn't appear to be capable of making a stop, so these scores may be moot points.
Derrick Henry runs 44 yards to pay dirt and immediately gives the Ravens the momentum back. Henry raced past former Raven Patrick Queen, who didn't appear to over exert himself.
28-7 Ravens late in the third quarter. Henry up to 155 yards and two touchdowns.
Davis has tied Terrell Davis' playoff career record with four playoff games of over 150 rushing yards.
Wilson had three completions of over 25 yards on that drive, including his 30-yard TD pass to Van Jefferson, making it a 21-7 game midway through the third quarter.
Huge drive coming up if the Steelers want to make it a game. We'll see if Watt is on the field after he exited Baltimore's previous drive.
Wilson hits Calvin Austin III for 25 and Mike Williams for 37 yards as the Steelers are in FG range. Wilson has been able to hit big shots all year. He's just struggled to do much else.
Cameron Heyward wasn't on the field for the start of the Ravens' first drive of the second half. Watt just took himself out after missing Henry on a run. Watt was holding this left arm.
Here's a look at Jackson's TD pass to Justice Hill just before halftime.
Score: Ravens 21-0
First downs: Ravens 19-2
Third down: Ravens 7-8, Steelers 1-5
Total plays: Ravens 41-18
Yards: Ravens 308-59
TOP: Ravens 20:27
Wilson: 7 of 9, 44 yards, sack
Jackson: 13 of 15, 144 yards, 2 TD, 0 sacks
Harris: 12 yards on 3 carries
Steelers: 19 yards on 7 carries
Henry: 100 yards on 13 carries, TD
Jackson: 64 yards on 11 carries
Ravens: 164 yards on 26 carries
Pickens: 1 catch, 1 target, 8 yards
George Pickens pushes off Marlon Humphrey, wiping out a big gain. Steelers settle for a check down on the next play, resulting in yet another punt at the 2-minute warning.
Pittsburgh's offense has been nothing short of pathetic so far. No flow, no rhythm, and very little production. After running on their first 12 first downs last Saturday, it's like the Steelers are trying too hard to be too cute on first down tonight. The issue is those plays aren't working, resulting in second and third and long situations.
Derrick Henry's short TD run makes it 14-0 with 4:09 left until halftime. Each of Baltimore's 13 plays on that drive were runs. Henry already up to 92 yards on 11 carries. He's over 2,100 yards this year when you include his regular season total.
Ravens out-gaining the Steelers 218-36.
Despite being inches from the first down marker, Tomlin elects to punt, Pittsburgh's third in three drives. Yeah, the Steelers were at their own 28, but it's not like their offense has been that good so far. Also, why go empty backfield on third-and-2, when your running backs have had success against Baltimore's run defense?
Dominant first quarter for the Ravens, who had 129 yards that quarter to Pittsburgh's 27. Ravens also had seven first downs to Pittsburgh's one. Ravens 4-4 on third down, Steelers 1-3.
A unsuccessful flea flicker try on first down ended that drive before it had a chance to get going. Wilson followed that up with two short passes that led to a punt.
Pittsburgh's offense has hit rock bottom. No targets yet for George Pickens, their supposed No. 1 receiver.
Baltimore moves 95 yards in 13 plays, capped off by Jackson's 15-yard TD pass to Rashod Bateman on a third-and-13 play. Surgical drive for the Ravens. Jackson 3 of 4 for 31 yards and 22 yards on five carries. Henry 49 yards on three carries.
Henry rips off runs of 12 and 30 yards on consecutive plays as the Ravens are deep in Steelers territory. Baltimore is toying with Pittsburgh's defense right now.
We expected Jackson to run more in the playoffs, and he's doing that early tonight. He's had the last five carries for 22 yards as the Ravens have picked up two first downs. He was thrown down by DeShon Elliott after the last run to the chagrin of Ravens fans.
Russell Wilson tries to run for the first but is tackled from behind by Kyle Van Noy on third-and-6. Former Steeler Steven Sims muffs the punt, though, so Baltimore will take over on its own 5.
Justin Fields comes in and gives the ball to Jaylen Warren on third-and-1 to move the chains. Wilson is 1 of 3 early on with a drop by Pat Freiermuth on the game's first play.
2001 Div. Round: Steelers 27, Ravens 10
2008 AFC Champ: Steelers 23, Ravens 14
2010 AFC Div: Steelers 31, Ravens 24
2014 AFC wild card: Ravens 30, Steelers 17
Steelers backup QB Justin Fields will reportedly get more reps tonight. Fields has barely seen the field since Wilson replaced him in the starting lineup in Week 7. He's mostly run the ball when he's been given some snaps.
Pittsburgh hasn't won a playoff game since the 2016 AFC divisional round (an 18-16 win over KC). They've lost five straight playoff games and have allowed over 30 points in each game.
As successful as Steelers coach Mike Tomlin has been, the Steelers' three playoff wins since 2011 under his watch has been underwhelming. The mandate last offseason by Steelers president Art Rooney II was getting back to winning playoff games and competing for championships. Pittsburgh started 10-3 and the prospects of them winning a playoff game at that point looked good. But things clearly don't look as good now, although Pittsburgh did split its season series with Baltimore. It also looks like they dodged a bullet by not facing the Texans, who are stomping the Chargers.
Lamar Jackson has had an incredible career so far, but he's 2-4 against the Steelers and is also 2-4 in the postseason. Oftentimes, Jackson has tried to do too much in critical moments in big games. That's one of the reasons why the Ravens signed Derrick Henry, to take some of the burden off of Jackson. It'll be interesting to see if Henry can do that tonight and throughout the postseason.
Russell Wilson started 6-1 as the Steelers' starting QB, but will finish the season with a 6-6 record if Pittsburgh falls tonight. Turnovers and George Pickens being MIA have been two of the biggest reasons for Wilson and the offense's regression over the team's four-game losing streak. Pickens is going to have to be an impact player tonight if the Steelers are going to have a chance at pulling off the upset.
For a second time this season, the Steelers won despite not scoring a TD. Both games included six field goal efforts by Pro Bowl kicker Chris Boswell. Pittsburgh forced three turnovers on that game that included a Derrick Henry fumble on the game's first drive and an interception from Lamar Jackson deep in Ravens territory (that led to a Steelers FG). Justin Tucker also missed two field goals.
The score was tied at 17 late in the third quarter, but Marlon Humphrey's pick six early in the fourth quarter allowed the Ravens to pull away. Baltimore got 14 points off of turnovers by Russell Wilson, who did throw two touchdown passes. Jackson threw three touchdowns while getting his first win over the Steelers since 2019. Derrick Henry ran for 162 yards, nearly 100 more than he did in Week 11.
Some surprises for Pittsburgh. Mason McCormick tried to play through his broken hand but ultimately won't. Spencer Anderson, a 2023 seventh-round pick, will make his fifth start of the season.
Other surprise inactives are OLB Preston Smith (who hasn't done much since the Steelers traded for him before the deadline) and Cory Trice Jr., who is coming off his first career start.
QB Kyle Allen
WR Scotty Miller
WR Jamal Agnew
CB Cory Trice Jr.
OG Mason McCormick
OLB Preston Smith
DE Dean Lowry
We already knew Flowers was out after Baltimore's No. 1 wideout suffered an injury in Week 18. Keaton Mitchell will serve as the team's No. 3 RB behind Derrick Henry and Justice Hill.
