It was a dominant performance for the Baltimore Ravens in their AFC Divisional Round victory over the Houston Texans. While the upstart Texans were able to keep up at first, the experience of the Ravens would ultimately win out.
Second Half Made The Difference
The two sides would enter the half level at 10, but it was Baltimore who would take control of the game’s final two quarters. Baltimore would shut out Houston en route to a 24-0 second half, ultimately winning 34-10 over the visiting champions of the AFC South.
The Ravens were able to establish a lead early in the 3rd quarter and would proceed to grind out the rest of the game. Baltimore would accumulate 134 yards on the ground in the second half as they played keep away from Houston.
Baltimore would possess the ball for over 20 minutes in the second half, while Houston did not reach double-digit minutes of possession in quarters 3 and 4.
The Lamar Jackson Show
The presumptive NFL MVP put on quite the performance against Houston. Lamar Jackson completed 16 of his 22 pass attempts for 152 yards and two touchdowns. Jackson’s contributions did not exclusively come through the air, as he would also add 100 yards and two touchdowns on the ground. Paring effectiveness in the passing and ground game, in addition to Baltimore’s defense doing their part, led to the Ravens cruising to victory in the second half.
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A Statement By The Ravens
Despite having plenty of success in the regular season, Baltimore has received plenty of criticism for their struggles in the postseason. The Ravens entered Saturday’s contest with a 1-3 record with Jackson as their starting quarterback. This has contributed to both Jackson and the Ravens becoming an easy target of some of the worst media personalities in existence. Being able to come out after their first-round bye and win by three scores against a team featuring the likely Rookie of the Year winner in CJ Stroud is quite an impressive feat.
The Ravens now await to find out who their opponent in the AFC Championship Game will be, either Kansas City or Buffalo. Baltimore will have a unique set of challenges no matter the opponent, but they have shown with this win that they are ready for anything and everything, including each team’s respective quarterback, with a trip to the Super Bowl on the line.