Ravens Notebook: 3 Takeaways From Baltimore's Dominant Win Over Texans
There was an eerily similar feeling as the Baltimore Ravens went into halftime tied 10-10 against the Houston Texans on Saturday.
Were the Ravens about to blow having the No. 1 seed again? Is Lamar Jackson unable to perform in the playoffs? Rather than following that same path, Baltimore put together its best half of the season to beat the Texans 34-10 at M&T Bank Stadium in the AFC Divisional round.
Lamar Jackson runs into the end zone for a touchdown.
Tommy Gilligan-USA TODAY Sports
Now, the Ravens will host the AFC Championship game for the first time in franchise history.
Here are three takeaways from the Ravens' 24-point victory over Houston.
Lamar Jackson Exorcises Playoff Demons
The true mark of an MVP isn't just how they perform when things are going well but how they respond when the tide isn't going in their direction.
Things were looking down at the end of the first half after Lamar Jackson was sacked on back-to-back plays on the Ravens' final drive of the first half. But when Jackson and the Ravens came out for the second half, it didn't take long for the MVP-favorite and the team that was so dominant in the regular season to show up.
Jackson orchestrated three straight scoring drives to begin the second half and put the game away for good. He accounted for all of Baltimore's touchdowns, throwing for two and running for two more in the best playoff performance in his career. Jackson's performance proved to Texans head coach DeMeco Ryans why he's likely to win MVP for the second time in his career.
"That's why he's the MVP," Ryans said.
Jackson completed 16 of 22 passes for 152 yards and two touchdowns, and he ran 11 times for 100 yards and two more scores. With that performance, the presumptive MVP is now a win away from sealing the first Super Bowl berth of his career.
Second Half Surge
After Houston hung around for the first 30 minutes, it was a completely different story in the second half.
Baltimore scored all on four of its drives and outscored the Texans 24-0. It was a slow death for the Texans, as after the Ravens took a 17-10 lead with 12:04 left in the 3rd quarter, they embarked on a 12-play 93-yard drive that took up 7 minutes and three seconds and then an 11-play 78-yard drive that lasted 7 minutes and 10 seconds to put the game away for good.
The Ravens' run game was especially dominant and played a pivotal role in chewing up much of the clock in the second half. Baltimore ran for 229 yards, and Jackson scored twice on the ground. It also won the time of possession battle, holding onto the ball for 37 minutes and 35 seconds.
Dominant Defense Shows Up Again
The Baltimore defense was the best in football in the regular season, and its success carried over into the playoffs, as it held Houston to just 213 total yards and a field goal.
The Texans' lone touchdown came on a 67-yard punt return from Steven Sims in the second quarter.
C.J. Stroud, who has looked like anything but a rookie for most of the season, looked his age, as he only completed 19 of 33 passes for 175 yards. While the Ravens didn't register a single sack, they had Stroud running for his life nearly every time he dropped back to pass. Houston didn't fare better on the ground, as it ran for 38 yards.
It was a masterpiece from defensive coordinator Mike Macdonald, and his unit's performance bought the offense time to find its groove after halftime. If the defense can perform like this against Josh Allen or Patrick Mahomes in the AFC Championship game, it may be entering the territory of one of the best defenses in recent memory.
