The Baltimore Ravens leaned on Lamar Jackson and their running game to pull away from the Houston Texans in the second half of their AFC divisional round game and earn a 34-10 victory.
The Ravens will face the winner of Sunday's game between the Kansas City Chiefs and the Buffalo Bills in the AFC Championship Game on January 28th.
The Ravens rushed for 229 yards, including 134 in the second half. Jackson accounted for Baltimore's 100 rushing yards and added two scores with his feet above the throw, for 152 passes and two scores.
Baltimore and Houston were tied 10-10 at halftime, but after opening the third quarter with a 37-yard kick return from receiver Devin Duvernay, Jackson led the Ravens on a six-play, 55-yard drive that A 15-yard run ended with a score.
Baltimore scored on its next three possessions, with Jackson connecting with tight end Isaiah Likely on a 15-yard touchdown pass, rushing 8 yards for a TD and then scoring on a 43-yard field goal by Justin Tucker to tie the game to crown the victory.
While Jackson and the Ravens had success on the ground, Baltimore's defense ensured that Houston's offense was unable to accomplish the same. The Ravens limited the Texans to 38 yards rushing and 2.7 yards per carry.
Without a consistent rushing attack and an offense that was penalized eight times, Texas rookie quarterback CJ Stroud was unable to achieve the same success he had in the wild card round.
Stroud finished the game 19 of 33 for 175 yards and Houston's offense failed to score a touchdown. The Texans' only touchdown came in the second quarter on a 67-yard punt return by receiver Steven Sims.
The adjustments in the second half made a big difference for the Ravens
The Ravens had no answer to the Texans' blitz in the first half. Jackson was fired three times and didn't seem to be feeling well at all. However, offensive coordinator Todd Monken made some adjustments. The Ravens came out in the second half and were more aggressive on early downs.
Jackson got the ball out quickly. There were more options in the fast game. The offensive line was much better protected. On the first three drives of the second half, the Ravens scored three touchdowns on drives of six, 12 and 11 plays. – Jeff Zrebiec, Ravens beat writer
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Todd Monken brings a lot of energy and fun to the Ravens offense
The Ravens showed their attitude
There was great excitement in the sellout crowd at halftime as the Ravens, 9 1/2 point favorites, were tied with the Texans at halftime. Ravens fans had seen this movie before. It felt like 2019 all over again when the Ravens entered the division game against the Tennessee Titans after a bye and with the top seed and were promptly beaten 28-12 by the Titans. The Ravens insisted they had learned from the experience, and Saturday showed they had. The Ravens didn't panic. They made adjustments at halftime and drove the Texans off the field in the second half. — Zrebiec
What went wrong for Houston
For a brief moment late in the second quarter, it seemed like the Texans had had their chance: Not only had Sims' 67-yard punt return tied the game, but Stroud was heating up, too. Fast. The M&T Bank Stadium crowd, initially raucous, had calmed down and the ideal underdog scenario unfolded.
But the missed opportunities kept piling up. A missed 47-yard field goal by Ka'imi Fairbairn would have given the Texans a 13-10 halftime lead. The punishments. So many penalties. (A total of 11 at the end of the game, including four false starts). And a Ravens offense that, after struggling to find answers to Houston's blitz attack early on, was brutally efficient in the second half. Jackson was at his best and the Texans had no answer.
And with that, the top seed in the AFC also moved away.
The Texans (11-8) failed to score an offensive touchdown for the first time since Week 1, also a loss in Baltimore. Stroud was hampered by the Ravens' rush and rarely saw a clean pocket or receiver with much separation in the back end. He finished the game with just 175 yards, capping one of the most productive seasons by a rookie quarterback in league history. — Zak Keefer, senior NFL writer
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(Photo: Patrick Smith/Getty Images)