Ravens Offense Explodes In Playoff Win Over Steelers

The Baltimore Ravens rolled past their division rival Pittsburgh Steelers to advance to the AFC Divisional Round.

Nathaniel Marrero | Jan 11, 2025

Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson (8) passes in the second quarter against the Pittsburgh Steelers in an AFC Wild Card game at M&T Bank Stadium. / Tommy Gilligan-Imagn Images

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Baltimore Ravens

The Baltimore Ravens set the tone early on and dominated their division rival Pittsburgh Steelers en route to a 28-14 win in the AFC Wild Card Game.

With the win, Baltimore advances to the AFC Divisional Round. Who the Ravens face next will depend on the result of the Buffalo Bills vs. Denver Broncos on Sunday at 1 p.m. ET. If the Bills win, Baltimore will face them in Buffalo, while a Broncos win would mean the Ravens host the Houston Texans.

The Ravens beat the Bills 35-10 in Week 4 and dominated Houston 31-2 on Christmas day.

Baltimore has now won five straight games and has outscored its opponents 163-57 during the win streak.

Lamar Jackson completed 16 of 21 passes for 175 yards and two touchdowns and he ran for 82 yards. Derrick Henry had a stellar playoff debut with the Ravens, running the ball 25 times for 182 yards and two touchdowns. With his performance, Henry has run for over 150 yards four times in the playoffs, tying him with Terrell Davis for the all-time lead.

The absence of receiver Zay Flowers didn't hinder the Ravens' production through the air. The Ravens' tandem at tight end led the way for Baltimore, as Isaiah Likely caught three passes for 53 yards and Mark Andrews had two catches for 27 yards, Receiver Rashod Bateman and running back Justice Hill each had receiving touchdowns.

Defensive tackle Nnamdi Madubuike tallied two sacks and nose tackle Michael Pierce had one. Outside linebacker Odafe Oweh also had one sack.

The Ravens' stellar first half effectively put the game out of reach before the beginning of the second half. Baltimore out-gained Pittsburgh 308 yards to 59 and had 19 first downs compared to just two. Baltimore led 21-0 at halftime.

Each of the Ravens' three scoring drives in the first half went at least nine plays and 85 yards. One of which was a 13-play drive that went for 85 yards. Each of the 13 plays was a run that was capped off by an 8-yard run into the end zone by Henry for his first touchdown of the game.

Pittsburgh showed signs of life in the second half when it scored its first touchdown of the game on a 30-yard pass from quarterback Russell Wilson to receiver Van Jefferson with 8:05 left in the third quarter. Baltimore responded immediately and scored on a 44-yard touchdown run by Henry just over two minutes later.

Baltimore never led by less than 14 points in the second half.

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Published Jan 11, 2025

NATHANIEL MARRERO