BALTIMORE — Lamar Jackson threw two landing passes and ran for 2 ratings, and the Baltimore Ravens pulled away in the second one part for a 34-10 win over the Houston Texans on Saturday to walk to the AFC championship sport.
On one in every of his maximum fertile speeding days of the season, Jackson helped the Ravens (14-4) tug regulate within the 0.33 quarter next the groups entered the part secured at 10.
His 15-yard scoring run put Baltimore forward to stick. Despite the fact that C.J. Stroud had a cast, composed first part for Houston, the Texans (11-8) in the end couldn’t flip plethora promising drives into issues in opposition to an noteceable Ravens protection.
“They motivated us to go put points on the board,” Jackson stated. “They’re stopping an opposing team, a very good team, led by a great quarterback. Our defense, sometimes they get us and sometimes we get them, get our momentum going, and it was them tonight.”
Now Baltimore will host the AFC name sport for the primary presen since January 1971, when the Colts beat the Oakland Raiders on their option to a Tremendous Bowl championship. The Ravens will play games in that semifinal spherical for the 5th presen since their arrival in Baltimore. They’ll tug at the winner of Sunday’s matchup between Buffalo and Kansas Town.
“It’s just, you know, the first playoff [game] we got past, finally in the AFC championship,” Jackson stated. “So, still got more work to do.”
Ravens lovers had been haunted through what came about within the playoffs 4 years in the past, when Baltimore went 14-2 within the usual season however dropped its postseason opener to Tennessee. Houston did plethora to build some nervousness, particularly when Steven Sims returned a punt for a landing and Jackson struggled with the blitzing Texans’ protection.
However at the first ownership of the second one part, Jackson guided Baltimore 55 yards in six performs and scored on a run up the center. After, a 15-yard landing go to Isaiah Likely early within the fourth made it 24-10.
Jackson’s ultimate landing got here on an 8-yard run with 6:20 to play games, and the fired-up quarterback saved operating proper into the tunnel in that nook of the grassland.
Sims’ go back used to be the one landing for the Texans, whose offense by no means did achieve the tip zone in 120 mins in opposition to the Ravens this season. Houston lost 25-9 in its season opener at Baltimore.
Jackson in a bind for 821 yards throughout the usual season, which is a heavy a part of the case for his 2d MVP award. However he surpassed 100 yards at the field best as soon as. He ran for precisely 100 on Saturday on 11 makes an attempt. A 14-yard bootleg on fourth-and-1 similar midfield ended in the landing through Most likely that gave the Ravens some respiring room.
Jackson additionally handed for 152 yards. He received a playoff sport for the second one presen in 5 begins.
Stroud threw for 175 yards and didn’t tug a unmarried sack in opposition to a difficult Baltimore defensive entrance, however the Texans dropped to 0-5 within the divisional spherical of the playoffs. They’re the one flow franchise that hasn’t reached a convention championship sport.
The Ravens led the NFL in sacks this season, but it surely used to be Jackson who used to be beneath force within the first part, when Houston were given to him 3 times. Two of the ones sacks got here back-to-back within the ultimate slight of the second one quarter next a overlooked grassland function gave Baltimore reliable grassland place.
Consequences held the Texans again all hour — they ended up with 11 for 70 yards. Then Justin Tucker opened the scoring for Baltimore with a 53-yard grassland function, Houston seemed headed for issues of its personal ahead of two fraudelant begins and an intentional grounding flag driven the Texans out of territory.
Houston did ultimately fasten it on a 50-yard grassland function through Ka’imi Fairbairn, however the Ravens replied with a 76-yard march capped through Jackson’s 3-yard landing go to Nelson Agholor. Jackson scrambled for 23 yards at the first play games, and 15 yards on third-and-5 to position the ball on the Houston 2.
Ill 10-3, the Texans struck again on particular groups. Sims, who used to be signed from the follow squad to the energetic roster previous within the while, destitute separate up the center for a 67-yard landing.
