Lamar Jackson threw a perfect first-half pass for two touchdowns, Derrick Henry scored twice and the Baltimore Ravens beat the Pittsburgh Steelers 28-14 on Saturday night to advance into the NFL playoff division rounds.

At halftime, the Ravens led 21-0, almost sealing victory over their AFC North rivals. Then the Steelers tried to counterattack, and the Ravens easily held on.

Baltimore led 19-2 on its first possession of the first half, scoring touchdown runs of 95, 85 and 90 yards.

Henry ran for 186 yards and Baltimore defeated the Steelers 299-29. It was the most rushing yards Pittsburgh had allowed in a playoff game, breaking the record of 232 yards set by the Oakland Raiders 51 years ago.

Jackson, a two-time MVP still looking for a playoff breakthrough, made it clear from the start that he would make Pittsburgh (10-8) guard his arms and legs. He kept the chains moving, and the Ravens (13-5) were happy to move the ball methodically against a Steelers team that has relied heavily on forcing turnovers this season.

Pittsburgh ended the season with five straight losses, two of which came in Baltimore. The ending is a familiar story for the Steelers, who have lost six straight playoff games. They’ve lost on the road in each of their past three postseason games, games that have demonstrated the distance between Pittsburgh and the division’s true contenders.

Statistics Leader

pittsburg steelers

• pass: Russell Wilson, 20/29, 270 yards, 2 TDs
• rush: Najee Harris, 6 carries, 17 yards
• take over: George Pickens, 5 catches, 87 yards, 1 touchdown

baltimore ravens

• pass: Lamar Jackson, 16/21, 175 yards, 2 TDs
• rush: Derrick Henry, 26 carries, 186 yards, 2 TDs
• take over: Isaiah Likely, 3 catches, 53 yards

The Steelers have made a habit of taking advantage of Baltimore’s mistakes recently to win tight games against the Ravens, but the Ravens managed to avoid that problem Saturday without taking nearly as much risk.

They did get creative on their first drive, allowing Henry to shoot straight from the center line and Jackson to fake a sweep. Henry carried the ball 34 yards. Jackson ended the possession with a 15-yard score to Rashod Bateman with Zay Flowers (knee) unavailable. Rashod Bateman is Baltimore’s healthiest receiver.

With 4 minutes and 09 seconds left in the half, Henry rushed 8 yards to make the score 14-0. The Steelers called timeout on third-and-2 from the Baltimore 18 after a Pittsburgh punt, hoping to get the ball back, but the Ravens converted and then quickly moved into position to score.

With Pittsburgh down five and 11 seconds left, Jackson nearly ran out the remaining time, but he eventually passed the ball to an open Justice Hill, who made it into the TD with 2 seconds left. array area.

The Steelers rushed 98 yards for a touchdown on their first possession of the second half, capped by a 30-yard pass from Russell Wilson to Van Jefferson. Baltimore responded quickly when Henry broke through the middle for a 44-yard touchdown –

Pittsburgh’s defense was thrown out of position as Jackson faked a run to the left after a pass.
Wilson responded with a 36-yard touchdown run from George Pickens in the third quarter, but that was about it. Neither team turned the ball over on the night, with Wilson going 20-of-29 for 270 yards.

What to do next?

The Ravens will now advance to the divisional round of the playoffs next weekend, with their most likely opponent being the Buffalo Bills if the seeds hold up during wild-card weekend.

Wild Card Weekend continues Sunday night when the Bills take on the Denver Broncos at 6 p.m., followed by the Green Bay Packers against the Philadelphia Eagles and the Washington Commanders against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Sam Darnold’s Minnesota Vikings take on the Los Angeles Rams on Monday night, with kick-off Tuesday at 1 a.m. GMT, live broadcast sky sports.