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The Ravens opened the playoffs by running over the Steelers, 28-14. After falling behind early, the Bills had their way with the Broncos, 31-7. Who will have the advantage when these powerhouses meet Sunday in Buffalo with a berth in the AFC championship game on the line? Ravens passing game vs. Buffalo pass defense Lamar Jackson needed just 18 efficient pass attempts to lead the Ravens to a 35-10 win over the Bills in September. Baltimore jumped ahead on Derrick Henry’s 87-yard touchdown run and never looked back, controlling the flow without exposing Jackson, who took just one sack and two hits, to risk. Coordinator Todd Monken would love to play the same way Sunday on a cold night in Buffalo, while the Bills will likely attempt to keep Jackson in the pocket and dare him to beat them downfield. The possible absence of Jackson’s top wide receiver, Zay Flowers, could embolden Buffalo coordinator Bobby Babich to gear his defense toward taking away Henry. But Flowers played a small role — one catch on two targets for 10 yards — in the Ravens’ previous win over the Bills. Third-down back Justice Hill was actually Jackson’s most prolific and productive target in that game. Which is to say there’s no guessing which pass catcher might take center stage in Monken’s ever-adaptable attack. Jackson is comfortable looking downfield for wide receiver Rashod Bateman (16.8 yards per catch, nine touchdowns) or tight ends Isaiah Likely (three catches for 53 yards in the wild-card-round win over Pittsburgh) and Mark Andrews (11 touchdowns). Only five teams blitzed less frequently than the Bills in the regular season. They rely on defensive tackle Ed Oliver and edges Von Miller and Gregory Rousseau (team-high eight sacks, 24 quarterback hits) to create pressure without help from extra bodies. That approach did not work in the first matchup as Jackson’s pass protectors, led by tackles Ronnie Stanley and Roger Rosengarten, played at an elite level. Babich likes to keep five defensive backs on the field for the majority of snaps. He did not have one of his key chess pieces, nickel back Taron Johnson, the last time he faced the Ravens. It will be interesting to see if the Bills remain comfortable sticking with their smallish personnel against Henry’s power and the Ravens’ multiple tight ends. Buffalo has one of the league’s top cornerbacks in Christian Benford (10 passes defended, two forced fumbles), but his impact could be reduced against a Baltimore offense that doesn’t depend on throwing outside the numbers to its wide receivers. The Ravens led the league in yards per attempt and touchdown percentage in the red zone and ranked third in third-down efficiency, so forcing Jackson to be a pocket passer isn’t the winning strategy it was four years ago when the Bills eliminated Baltimore in the divisional round. EDGE: Ravens Buffalo passing game vs. Ravens pass defense Josh Allen completed just 16 of 29 passes for 180 yards against the Ravens in September, and Jackson’s top rival for NFL Most Valuable Player honors will have to do better than that for his team to turn the tables. The Bills don’t have an elite pass catcher, but Allen spreads his throws democratically to as many as eight targets, led by wide receiver Khalil Shakir and tight end Dalton Kincaid. The Bills added wide receiver Amari Cooper since last they played the Ravens. Offensive coordinator Joe Brady likes to stack four playmakers on one side with a fifth isolated on the other side. That muddies the picture for the defense, gives Allen plenty of clean reads and creates the potential for one-on-one shots against the Ravens’ most vulnerable cornerback, Brandon Stephens. The Bills targeted Stephens seven times, more than any other Baltimore defensive back, in September, and he gave up just two catches, per Pro Football Focus. With Marlon Humphrey guarding the slot and Kyle Hamilton coming up from the back end, the Ravens have good answers. Their defensive communications have only improved since they beat the Bills. Marcus Williams still played every snap at safety in that game; Ar’Darius Washington has since replaced him and given coordinator Zach Orr’s defense more playmaking punch. But Allen excels at throwing into tight windows, and he’s just as good as Jackson at buying time until he can find a big play. He made an incredible throw on the run for a 52-yard hookup with Shakir in the last meeting with Baltimore, so the Ravens know they’ll have to stay disciplined whenever he scrambles. Allen extends plays and attempts difficult throws without turning the ball over (league-low eight giveaways) or taking many sacks. His offensive line, led by tackles Dion Dawkins and Spencer Brown, has protected him well. Buffalo’s loss to the Ravens was an exception as outside linebackers Odafe Oweh and Kyle Van Noy combined for eight pressures and three sacks. Oweh and Van Noy, along with defensive tackle Nnamdi Madubuike, will need to make their presence felt in the rematch. EDGE: Bills Ravens running game vs. Bills run defense Can the Bills find a way to account for both Henry and Jackson? They couldn’t in September, when the Ravens buried them with 271 rushing yards, 118 more than any other opponent this season. It would be easy to write that off as an anomaly, but the Ravens have done anomalous things to many talented defenses — see 299 yards on 50 carries last weekend against Pittsburgh. Jackson the runner has remained in the holster for much of this season, but he carried 15 times against Pittsburgh, keeping the ball on a string of option reads early in the game when the Ravens needed third-down conversions to keep moving. If he’s that engaged as a threat at the same time Monken is calling a grab bag of zone reads, counters and sweeps for Henry, what exactly is a defense supposed to do? The Ravens have averaged an absurd 247.5 rushing yards over their last four games and have been the league’s most efficient ground force all season. The Bills did not have three key run defenders, linebackers Matt Milano and Terrel Bernard and Johnson at the nickel, in September. They will be better equipped to present some resistance this time around, as reflected by their No. 8 DVOA ranking against the run. Miller and Rousseau are very good on the edges. Buffalo did an excellent job fitting gaps and tackled soundly in holding Denver to 79 rushing yards last weekend. But this is not a big, punishing defense, and it’s fair to wonder if the Ravens present an impossible matchup for the Bills. EDGE: Ravens Ravens running back Derrick Henry rushed for 186 yards in last weekend’s wild-card round against the Steelers. (Karl Merton Ferron/Staff) Bills running game vs. Ravens run defense The Ravens took away Buffalo’s balance in September by building a 21-3 lead in the first half. Running back James Cook became a nonfactor with nine carries for 39 yards, and Allen never busted loose. But this is a formidable ground attack that pounded Denver’s very good defense for 210 yards on 44 carries. Though Cook isn’t Henry, he averaged 4.9 yards per carry and scored 16 touchdowns in the regular season. Third-down back Ty Johnson is a dangerous run-catch threat. The 6-foot-5, 237-pound Allen is a devastating power runner in short-yardage and goal-line situations. He’s the reason the Bills ranked seventh in third-down efficiency and second, right behind the Ravens, in touchdown percentage in the red zone. The Ravens allowed the fewest yards per game and per carry in the league and held the Steelers to 29 yards on 11 carries in the wild-card round, so this will be strength against strength. Again, discipline against Allen will be key. Defensive tackle Travis Jones stood out in the previous win over Buffalo. Oweh and Van Noy set tough edges. Linebacker Roquan Smith and safeties Hamilton and Washington pack plenty of punch as playmakers. The Ravens’ offense will also be important to this equation, because if they’re playing with a lead, Cook might again fade from the Bills’ game plan. EDGE: Even Ravens special teams vs. Bills special teams Justin Tucker missed twice on a blustery night in Buffalo when the Bills eliminated the Ravens four years ago. Given that and given his string of misses through the first two-thirds of this season, there will be plenty of anxiety if Tucker lines up for a clutch field goal Sunday. He has not missed since the Ravens’ bye week, however, frequently splitting the uprights as he did so routinely through most of his career. Meanwhile, the Ravens continue to use waiver wire pickup Steven Sims as their punt returner despite several shaky catches. The Bills have struggled on special teams as well. Kicker Tyler Bass has missed five field goals, four of those between 24 and 29 yards, and five extra points. Brandon Codrington has been a bright spot, averaging 11.6 yards per punt return, but he’s dealing with a hamstring injury. EDGE: Ravens Related Articles Baltimore Ravens | Ravens claim disgruntled WR Diontae Johnson with eye on adding draft pick Baltimore Ravens | Arctic cold awaits the Ravens in Buffalo as they prepare for AFC divisional round Baltimore Ravens | Ravens WR Zay Flowers only player missing from Wednesday’s practice Baltimore Ravens | Bills sign former Ravens quarterback to prepare for Lamar Jackson Baltimore Ravens | Ravens’ Kyle Van Noy mocks Steelers for taking ball first in wild-card game Ravens intangibles vs. Bills intangibles It’s the similarities that make the Ravens and Bills such compelling opponents. John Harbaugh and Sean McDermott are two of the winningest coaches in recent NFL history almost two decades after they worked together on Andy Reid’s Philadelphia Eagles staff. Neither has gotten over the hump presented by Reid’s Kansas City Chiefs, though Harbaugh won a Super Bowl 12 years ago with a very different team. Jackson and Allen are the jewels of a memorable 2018 quarterback class, piling up victories, creating indelible highlights and chasing an elusive Super Bowl appearance. They front balance powerhouses that appear to be peaking as they compete for another chance to knock off the Chiefs. The Bills have not lost at home this season. The harsher the cold, the happier they’ll be. But the Ravens will travel north with no fear, knowing they thumped Buffalo in September and beat far more playoff-bound opponents than the Bills. Jackson and his teammates will continue to be asked about past playoff clunkers, including their 17-3 loss in Buffalo at the end of the 2020 season, but in overpowering the Steelers, they did not look like a team haunted by those failures. Henry gives them a weapon seemingly immune to postseason pressure or foul weather. EDGE: Even Prediction These teams share so many strengths, and the one that jumps ahead early will have a significant advantage in reducing the other’s options. That was the Ravens in September. They can’t count on smothering Allen to the degree they did in that victory. He threatens a defense in so many ways without paying in sacks or turnovers. The Bills are also healthier than they were four months ago. But the Ravens were more explosive all season, and with Jackson and Henry, they seem to present an impossible problem for Buffalo’s modest-sized defenders. They’ll batter their way to another AFC championship game. Ravens 31, Bills 24 Have a news tip? Contact Childs Walker at daviwalker@baltsun.com, 410-332-6893 and x.com/ChildsWalker. View the full article

The Pittsburgh Steelers won the coin toss in last week’s AFC wild-card round against the Ravens, and they elected to take the football first. The decision came as a surprise to those watching, including Baltimore linebacker Kyle Van Noy. “The first thing I thought when it happened was, ‘desperate,’” said the 33-year-old defender on “McCoy and Van Noy,” the Yahoo! Sports podcast Van Noy hosts with former NFL defensive tackle Gerald McCoy. “I was like, ‘Oh, we won.’” Van Noy expected Pittsburgh to put its stout defense on the field first, but coach Mike Tomlin and the Steelers elected to trot out their middling offense. Van Noy took the decision personally. “This is disrespectful,” he said. “Taking the ball first? We were all kind of pissed off about that.” The decision didn’t work out for Pittsburgh, which had a six-play, 19-yard opening drive end with a punt. The drive wrapped up when Russell Wilson couldn’t escape Van Noy’s grasp on a third-and-6, only gaining 2 yards and forcing a fourth-down punt. Van Noy finished the game with one tackle and a quarterback pressure. Baltimore drove 95 yards for a touchdown on its first offensive drive, taking an early 7-0 lead and engaging the home crowd. The Ravens never trailed in the 28-14 win, scoring touchdowns on three of their four drives in the first half. As for Van Noy and the Ravens’ defense, they pitched a first-half shutout and held on in the final 30 minutes to secure the win. Baltimore only yielded 280 total yards, sacking Wilson four times and holding the Steelers to 29 rushing yards. Lamar Jackson and Derrick Henry had no such issues for Baltimore, as the Ravens ran for 299 yards in the playoff victory. Van Noy made sure to share his perspective on Pittsburgh’s rough defensive outing during the podcast episode. “We stood on business,” Van Noy said. “It was belt to [butt.] Their defense getting almost 300 yards rushing on them, I’d be pretty embarrassed if that happened to me, especially with all the good players they had.” On one drive, Baltimore ran the ball on all 13 plays en route to a touchdown. “That was just bully ball at its finest,” Van Noy said. The victory was the latest in a string of strong performances for the Ravens, who are 5-0 after their bye week with an average margin of victory of 21.2 points. Baltimore’s defense has turned a corner after a shaky start to the season, which included allowing an average of 30.3 points per game in Weeks 5-8. The Ravens haven’t allowed 30 points in a game since Cincinnati scored 34 on Nov. 7. Related Articles Baltimore Ravens | Ravens claim disgruntled WR Diontae Johnson with eye on adding draft pick Baltimore Ravens | Arctic cold awaits the Ravens in Buffalo as they prepare for AFC divisional round Baltimore Ravens | Ravens WR Zay Flowers only player missing from Wednesday’s practice Baltimore Ravens | Bills sign former Ravens quarterback to prepare for Lamar Jackson Baltimore Ravens | Ravens vs. Bills scouting report for divisional round of playoffs: Who has the edge? Sunday’s divisional round game against the Buffalo Bills, who racked up 471 yards in the wild-card round, will be a tougher test for Baltimore’s improving defense. Josh Allen is an MVP candidate at quarterback, and Buffalo’s rushing attack averaged 131.2 yards per game during the regular season. Running back James Cook eclipsed 1,000 rushing yards and scored 16 rushing touchdowns in the regular season, as Buffalo joined Detroit and Baltimore as the only three teams to average at least 30 points per game in the regular season. “Josh Allen is a great player and they’re well built around him,” coach John Harbaugh said Monday. “They did a good job of building the offense around him.” If the Bills win the coin toss and elect to receive Sunday, it’s unlikely Van Noy will feel the same level of disrespect he held Saturday against the struggling Steelers. Have a news tip? Contact sports editor Bennett Conlin at bconlin@baltsun.com, 410-332-6200 and x.com/BennettConlin. View the full article

At this point of the NFL calendar, we’ve separated the wheat from the chaff. The divisional round includes star quarterbacks young and old, headlined by Most Valuable Player candidates Lamar Jackson and Josh Allen facing off in Buffalo with a trip to the AFC championship game on the line. In the NFC, Jayden Daniels has shown how quickly and significantly a great rookie quarterback can alter a franchise’s trajectory. But how do all of these stars stack up? Here are our quarterback rankings entering the second round of the postseason: 1. Lamar Jackson, Ravens Basic stats: 66.7% completion, 4,172 pass yards, 41 pass TD, 4 INT, 915 rush yds, 4 rush TD, 10 fumbles, 23 sacks Completion percentage over expectation: 4.6% (5th) Success rate: 52.4% (4th) QBR: 77.2 (2nd) Expected points added per play: 0.296 (2nd) PFF grade: 94.8 (1st) It might seem silly to put a player with a 3-4 postseason record over a three-time Super Bowl champion aiming for an unprecedented third straight title, but these rankings reflect the present day. And right now, nobody is playing the position better than Jackson. The two-time MVP is coming off a career year, becoming the first player in NFL history to throw for 4,000 yards and rush for 900 in a single season and the first to throw 40 or more touchdown passes and four or fewer interceptions. A third MVP Award might be on the way, putting him in rare company alongside Peyton Manning, Tom Brady, Aaron Rodgers, Brett Favre, Johnny Unitas and Jim Brown. The only thing left for Jackson to do is win a ring. He got off to a good start Saturday, completing 16 of 21 passes for 175 yards and two touchdowns while rushing for 81 yards on 15 carries in a 28-14 win over the rival Pittsburgh Steelers. He might need to be even better to lift Baltimore to its first Super Bowl title since the 2012 season. 2. Josh Allen, Bills Basic stats: 63.6% comp., 3,731 pass yds, 28 pass TD, 6 INT, 531 rush yds, 12 rush TD, 5 fumbles, 14 sacks CPOE: 0.8% (20th) Success rate: 52.2% (6th) QBR: 77.5 (1st) EPA/play: 0.321 (1st) PFF grade: 92.5 (3rd) Like Jackson, Allen is an elite offense by himself because of his overwhelming athleticism. His ability to scramble and extend plays without taking sacks is rivaled only by Jackson, and his 12 rushing touchdowns speak to how hard his 6-foot-5, 237-pound frame is to stop near the goal line. He has a pretty good arm, too, throwing with impressive power and touch to unlock nearly every area of the field. He’s always been a big play waiting to happen, but he’s cut down on the turnovers and negative plays to keep Buffalo’s offense moving at an incredibly efficient pace. Allen is also looking to make his first Super Bowl appearance. His only trip past the divisional round came in January 2021, when he beat Jackson and the Ravens in Orchard Park, New York, before losing to the Chiefs in the AFC title game. If he gets past Baltimore, he’ll likely need to take down this next quarterback in the postseason for the first time. 3. Patrick Mahomes, Chiefs Basic stats: 67.5% comp., 3,928 pass yds, 26 pass TD, 11 INT, 307 rush yds, 2 rush TD, 2 fumbles, 36 sacks CPOE: 2.6% (16th) Success rate: 50.9% (9th) QBR: 67.7 (8th) EPA/play: 0.165 (10th) PFF grade: 85.8 (7th) Mahomes has become the new gold standard because of his postseason dominance, going 15-3 with three Super Bowl MVP Awards. But at least in terms of quarterback play, he’s perhaps been surpassed by the raw talent of Jackson and Allen. That’s not to suggest Mahomes is having a bad season. The numbers are far below the two-time MVP’s lofty standards, but he’s mastered a formula that has the Chiefs riding a league-record 16-game winning streak in one-score games. His ability to consistently keep the chains moving and make plays outside the pocket — despite having subpar receiving talent around him — has reached a legendary level. It seems that no matter the players around him, Kansas City will always be in contention. 4. Jayden Daniels, Commanders Basic stats: 69% comp., 3,568 pass yds, 25 pass TD, 9 INT, 891 rush yds, 6 rush TD, 5 fumbles, 47 sacks CPOE: 3.5% (10th) Success rate: 49.4% (13th) QBR: 70.5 (4th) EPA/play: 0.202 (6th) PFF grade: 90.1 (5th) A rookie ranking this high? That’s how good Daniels has been this season, and the legend only grew after leading Washington to its first playoff victory in 19 years. Commanders quarterback Jayden Daniels led his team to a 12-win regular season as a rookie. (Chris O’Meara/AP) Do all of the following quarterbacks on this list have more impressive resumes? No doubt. But Daniels has that unexplainable “it” factor that has lifted the Commanders from the basement of the league into a legitimate contender. His poise, particularly in gotta-have-it moments, has infused his team with so much confidence. Washington converted 20 of 23 fourth-down opportunities during the regular season, by far the highest rate in the league, and then went 3-for-5 in the wild-card round win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Daniels will face the biggest test of his young career when he takes on the top-seeded Lions in the divisional round. Based on what he’s shown so far, it would be foolish to count him out. 5. Jared Goff, Lions Basic stats: 72.4% comp., 4,629 pass yds, 37 pass TD, 12 INT, 56 rush yds, 0 rush TD, 6 fumbles, 31 sacks CPOE: 5.7% (3rd) Success rate: 54.1% (1st) QBR: 68.5 (6th) EPA/play: 0.292 (3rd) PFF grade: 81.8 (12th) From being shipped out of Los Angeles to leading a revival in Detroit, Goff has been on a fascinating journey. But will it have a storybook ending? This season has been the 30-year-old’s best, showing impressive command of coordinator Ben Johnson’s offense and a newfound confidence to rip throws over the middle of the field. Sure, he has perhaps the league’s best offensive line protecting him, a dynamic combination at running back and a two-time All-Pro at wide receiver, but he’s been much better than the game manager he was labeled as early in his Rams career. If he can lead the once-lowly Lions to the Super Bowl, they’ll build a statue for him outside Ford Field. 6. Matthew Stafford, Rams Basic stats: 65.8% comp., 3,762 pass yds, 20 pass TD, 8 INT, 41 rush yds, 0 rush TD, 6 fumbles, 28 sacks CPOE: -0.7% (28th) Success rate: 50.5% (11th) QBR: 64.9 (12th) EPA/play: 0.118 (16th) PFF grade: 76.0 (20th) Stafford’s production has dropped off since his incredible debut season in Los Angeles that ended with a Super Bowl title, but he’s still got plenty of juice left in that right arm. The 36-year-old is a renowned trick-shot artist, throwing sidearm and no-look passes that few other players can complete let alone try. But his feel for the game is just as impressive, using subtle movements and arm angles to unlock passing lanes. When receivers Puka Nacua and Cooper Kupp are healthy, Stafford has taken his game to a level that few others can match, making him a dangerous opponent. If he gets hot at the right time, the Rams could very well represent the NFC in the Super Bowl again. 7. Jalen Hurts, Eagles Basic stats: 68.7% comp., 2,903 pass yds, 18 pass TD, 5 INT, 630 rush yds, 14 rush TD, 9 fumbles, 38 sacks CPOE: 7.5% (1st) Success rate: 50.2% (12th) QBR: 65.5 (10th) EPA/play: 0.161 (12th) PFF grade: 76.3 (19th) Perhaps Hurts is a victim of his own success. An MVP-worthy season and trip to the Super Bowl in 2022 created a high bar to clear for a quarterback who might not be better than the 10th to 15th best in the league in any given season. And that’s fine, because the Eagles don’t necessarily need him to be Superman. What Hurts provides with his legs, particularly on the tush push or “Brotherly Shove,” makes him a valuable playmaker in the running game. That’s been amplified by the presence of Saquon Barkley, allowing Hurts to be an efficient, low-volume passer. While there have been awkward moments with wide receiver A.J. Brown — who is reading passages from his favorite book on the sideline for inspiration — Hurts has been a reliable performer and could silence plenty of critics with a strong postseason finish. Related Articles Baltimore Ravens | ‘Hard Knocks’ episode 7 recap: Ravens treat Steelers as first step toward Super Bowl Baltimore Ravens | Lamar Jackson vs. Josh Allen: Who has edge in Ravens-Bills playoff blockbuster? Baltimore Ravens | Mike Preston: Ravens vs. Bills. Lamar vs. Allen. There’s plenty at stake. | COMMENTARY Baltimore Ravens | Texans waive WR Diontae Johnson, reportedly because of same issues he had with Ravens Baltimore Ravens | READER POLL: Who will win the divisional round playoff game between Ravens and Bills? 8. C.J. Stroud, Texans Basic stats: 63.2% comp., 3,727 pass yds, 20 pass TD, 12 INT, 233 rush yds, 0 rush TD, 6 fumbles, 52 sacks CPOE: -1.7% (31st) Success rate: 42.4% (30th) QBR: 50.1 (24th) EPA/play: -0.007 (27th) PFF grade: 77.8 (T-16th) Stroud hasn’t taken the second-year leap many expected after his outstanding rookie debut, but that doesn’t mean he isn’t a good quarterback. When you look at his surroundings, including a slew of wide receiver injuries, questionable play-calling and an offensive line that has struggled to keep him upright all season, it’s understandable why he’s experienced a sophomore slump. But Saturday’s wild-card win over the Chargers served as a reminder of why he could become a superstar sooner than later. His scramble and 34-yard completion after a botched snap on third-and-16 from the shadow of his own goal kept the drive alive and led to a touchdown that sparked a 23-0 avalanche. Houston’s defense is playing championship-caliber football under coach DeMeco Ryans, and if Stroud reaches his full potential against the Chiefs, there could be a huge upset in Kansas City. Have a news tip? Contact sports editor C.J. Doon at cdoon@baltsun.com, 410-332-6200 and x.com/CJDoon. View the full article

The Ravens are back on HBO’s “Hard Knocks” for the first time since the venerable series’ 2001 premiere season, this time sharing each hour with their AFC North neighbors. The seventh episode of this in-season look at the division debuted Tuesday night, going deep on the Ravens’ and Steelers’ preparations for their final showdown in the AFC’s wild-card round. From now until the end of the season, we’ll recap each episode, highlighting striking moments, memorable characters and tasty Ravens-related nuggets. Key Ravens scene With snow ringing their frozen practice field, the Ravens embraced practicing in the bitter cold, knowing they were simulating the conditions they would face on Saturday night at M&T Bank Stadium. “You can hear how hard the ground is,” coach John Harbaugh said as he watched Derrick Henry carry the ball. “It’s like elk on the Montana tundra.” Later, ESPN eminence Chris Berman visited practice and chatted with Harbaugh about quarterback Lamar Jackson’s winter preparedness. “I mean, you’ve got to get used to it,” Harbaugh said, noting that Jackson wanted to practice outside to get a feel for the temperatures and wind he’d have to manage against Pittsburgh. “That was Lamar, man,” he said. “Nobody wanted to go inside. None of the leaders.” On a lighter note, ‘Hard Knocks’ captured Harbaugh, a Midwesterner to his core, sharing a brief lesson on driving in the snow — foreign practice to many of his players who grew up in warm climates. Other Ravens tidbits The Ravens’ focus on reaching the Super Bowl was a persistent theme. Unlike the Steelers, they spoke of the wild-card round as step one of four. “You want to win the Super Bowl or you want to go home?” Henry asked his teammates at the beginning of the episode. As the final seconds ticked down on their victory, Jackson said: “One down, three to go. I’m hungry.” After Henry received a game ball for his 186-yard rushing performance, he brought the theme full circle. “Three more, man,” he said, moving quickly past the celebration of the moment. “Three more. Believe.” Ravens running back Derrick Henry rushed for 186 yards and two touchdowns against the Steelers in the AFC wild-card round. (Karl Merton Ferron/Staff) Anxiety spiked among Baltimore football fans when the Ravens drew Pittsburgh in the first round. How could it not given the Steelers’ string of odd, ugly wins in the recent history of the rivalry? None of that tension seemed to creep into the team’s facility. “Why wouldn’t it be?” Harbaugh said when asked about facing his eternal rival to start the postseason. “Who else would it be?” He even quoted Hall of Fame Steelers coach Chuck Noll’s wisdom that champions are champions because “they do the ordinary things better than anybody else.” Both sides seemed to know the Ravens’ running game would take center stage. “Every yard matters in a rock fight,” offensive coordinator Todd Monken said, not yet knowing that his offense would pile up an incredible 299 on the ground. When it was time to play, the Ravens seemed like they couldn’t wait. Jackson bopped on his toes pregame, shouting, “We been waiting the whole year for this [crap], boy.” Cameras later captured the franchise quarterback rising gingerly after he took a knee in the back from a Pittsburgh defender. Sore as he was, Jackson shrugged off the hit, telling tight end Isaiah Likely, “Yeah, I’m straight.” If anything, his energy seemed to grow while Steelers’ defenders such as Cam Heyward huffed and puffed exhaustedly, begging for a turnover to get them off the field. When Jackson made his signature play of the game, flirting with an empty possession as he danced away from pressure and the first-half clock neared zero, Harbaugh said to himself: “Lamar, throw it away.” As soon as the words, left his lips, Jackson popped loose and flipped the ball to Justice Hill for a touchdown. “Unbelievable, unbelievable, unbelievable,” Harbaugh said. You can’t coach genius. Jackson remained on fire in the second half. After the Steelers drove 98 yards to cut the lead to 21-7, he rallied his teammates on the sideline: “Let’s go punch in! Let’s respond!” They did. Best non-Ravens scene Steelers coach Mike Tomlin did everything he could to flip his team’s mojo coming off a four-game losing streak to end the regular season. “We work every week of our lives for weeks such as this,” he said. He treated them to a highlight reel of all the clutch plays they’ve made against the Ravens over the years. “Sometimes, we push so much information at them, we don’t show ’em enough images of themselves,” Tomlin explained. Then, he bused them to Acrisure Stadium to practice in a different setting. “It would be so sick if we were playing here this weekend,” tight end Pat Freiermuth said. That wasn’t to be, of course, and Tomlin knew what his team was up against in Jackson and Henry. “Let’s cut to the chase,” he said. “These two guys are different.” He reiterated several times that he didn’t want current Steelers bearing the weight of his postseason losing streak, which goes back to 2016. “Many of these guys involved do not tote those bags,” Tomlin said. “I tote those bags.” Instead, he urged his players to think of themselves and the Ravens as two trains that would not occupy the same track. Nothing Tomlin said could reverse his team’s course, but he went down digging for every move in his bag. Related Articles Baltimore Ravens | NFL quarterback rankings: Who’s No. 1 entering divisional round? The choice is clear. Baltimore Ravens | Lamar Jackson vs. Josh Allen: Who has edge in Ravens-Bills playoff blockbuster? Baltimore Ravens | Mike Preston: Ravens vs. Bills. Lamar vs. Allen. There’s plenty at stake. | COMMENTARY Baltimore Ravens | Texans waive WR Diontae Johnson, reportedly because of same issues he had with Ravens Baltimore Ravens | READER POLL: Who will win the divisional round playoff game between Ravens and Bills? Episode MVP Harbaugh and Tomlin were the voices of their organizations in what amounted to a two-team episode. They’ve coached against one another far more than any other pair in the modern NFL. “Man, we tied together for life,” Tomlin said to Harbaugh before the game. “It’s an honor, man,” Harbaugh replied. In a “Hard Knocks” centered on the last divisional matchup of the season, the coaches were co-MVPs. Have a news tip? Contact Childs Walker at daviwalker@baltsun.com, 410-332-6893 and x.com/ChildsWalker. View the full article

They are generational talents, one certainly to be enshrined in the Pro Football Hall of Fame and the other most likely to be as well. Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson and his Bills counterpart, Josh Allen, were both drafted in 2018, the former selected 25 picks after the latter was chosen by Buffalo with the seventh overall pick. They also made their NFL debuts against each other that year, both coming off the bench amid a 47-3 season-opening blowout by Baltimore. Now they meet again — the stakes, of course, much higher. The third-seeded Ravens will play the No. 2 seed Bills on Sunday night in the divisional round of the playoffs in Orchard Park, New York, where a trip to the AFC championship game will be on the line. The winner will face either the top-seeded Kansas City Chiefs or host the No. 4 seed Houston Texans. It marks just the fifth time the two stars will have faced off as starters. Here’s a closer look at each quarterback, how they’ve fared this season and against each other: Previous matchups The past does provide some insight to the present. The Ravens are 3-1 against the Bills in the regular season with Jackson and Allen starting, which included a 35-10 blowout in Week 4 of this season when Derrick Henry ran over Buffalo with 199 yards and two touchdowns and Jackson was an efficient 13 of 18 passing for 156 yards and two touchdowns to go with 54 yards rushing and another score. With a mix of coverages and an adept pass rush, the Ravens also harassed Allen into one of his worst games of the season as he completed just 16 of 29 passes for 180 yards while keeping him without a touchdown, forcing a fumble and sacking him three times. But Buffalo is unbeaten against Baltimore when it counts most, having stifled Jackson and the Ravens’ offense in a 17-3 divisional round win, also in upstate New York, during the 2020 COVID season. In that postseason showdown, Jackson was held to just 14 of 24 passing for 162 yards along with 34 yards rushing on nine carries before being knocked out of the game with a concussion near the end of the third quarter. A few minutes before smacking his head on the turf, he threw an interception that Bills cornerback Taron Johnson returned 101 yards for a touchdown to seal a 17-3 victory. Allen, meanwhile, threw for 206 yards and one touchdown on 23 of 37 passing. Their other contests were tantalizing at times, too. In their first head-to-head matchup as starters in December 2019, Jackson, who went on to win his first NFL Most Valuable Player Award that season, threw three touchdown passes in a 24-17 victory in Orchard Park as Baltimore won its ninth straight en route to a 14-2 record. Three years later, Allen got him back, rallying Buffalo from a 20-3 second-quarter deficit with a touchdown pass and an 11-yard touchdown run to go with three Tyler Bass field goals, including one at the buzzer, in a 23-20 win in Baltimore. A lot has of course changed since then. Jackson has won two NFL MVP Awards. Both are in the running for it this year after authoring historic campaigns. Allen directed a Bills offense that became the first to score at least 30 touchdowns through the air and at least 30 on the ground. Jackson, meanwhile, was the man behind the first offense to rack up at least 4,000 yards passing and at least 3,000 yards rushing in the same season. After Buffalo’s wild-card round win over the Broncos, Allen called Jackson “one of the most dynamic, if not the most dynamic, quarterback in the league” and added that he’s “so fun to watch.” This one should be, too. Lamar Jackson and the Ravens bested the Bills in Week 4, a 35-10 Baltimore win. (Kenneth K. Lam/Staff) Inside the numbers Jackson threw for more yards (4,172 to 3,731), a higher completion percentage (66.7% to 63.6%) and more touchdowns (41 to 28) along with fewer interceptions (four to six) than Allen during the regular season. He also rushed for more yards (915 to 531), though Allen had more rushing scores (12 to four). Both have also been equally sublime. They were the only two quarterbacks to finish with a positive mark in expected points added under pressure, according to Tru Media. Jackson is also coming off a wild-card win in which he posted a career-playoff best 132 passer rating against what was a tough Steelers defense, while Allen was even better against a solid Broncos secondary that he tuned up to a 135.4 rating. What they’re saying “This is what everyone’s been waiting for, right?” Bills coach Sean McDermott said. “So it’ll be a nice week and everyone will be looking forward to it, and they’re a great football team. I mean they handled us pretty good the first go around and they’re certainly playing well.” Ravens coach John Harbaugh, who has said in the past how much respect he has for McDermott, was likewise effusive. “I think offensively, they’re very coordinated in terms of blocking schemes and timing of routes and pass protections and how it’s all put together,” he said Monday. “The quarterback obviously is playing at a high level. Josh Allen is a great player. They’re well built around him — they did a good job of building the offense around him, and they have a lot of complementary pieces. All of their wide receivers and tight ends and backs — and the backs also serve as receivers — but they’re all very talented and skilled catchers. They all understand the passing game really well.” Bills quarterback Josh Allen has led his team to an undefeated home record this season. (Jeffrey T. Barnes/AP) Others have weighed in with their thoughts as well. “Lamar was really good again this past weekend,” former NFL quarterback and current ESPN analyst Dan Orlovsky said on the network earlier this week. “I thought some of the touch throws that he had; one for a touchdown, another for Isaiah Likely was great. Josh Allen was absolutely spectacular yesterday against a very good defense. “Both of them have been sensational.” Rex Ryan, who coached Buffalo in 2015 and 2016 before being fired and was Baltimore’s defensive line coach from 1999 to 2004 and defensive coordinator from 2005 to 2008, also weighed in during the segment with thoughts on how or if the outcome will be any different from the last time the two teams met when Henry ran for nearly 200 yards. Related Articles Baltimore Ravens | NFL quarterback rankings: Who’s No. 1 entering divisional round? The choice is clear. Baltimore Ravens | ‘Hard Knocks’ episode 7 recap: Ravens treat Steelers as first step toward Super Bowl Baltimore Ravens | Mike Preston: Ravens vs. Bills. Lamar vs. Allen. There’s plenty at stake. | COMMENTARY Baltimore Ravens | Texans waive WR Diontae Johnson, reportedly because of same issues he had with Ravens Baltimore Ravens | READER POLL: Who will win the divisional round playoff game between Ravens and Bills? “It’s not gonna be different unless Buffalo makes it different,” he bellowed. “You gotta change what you do defensively. You gotta get out of playing all those little [defensive backs] all over the place, regardless of what their personnel grouping is. … You will get destroyed.” There’s also the question of which quarterback is under more pressure, with neither having been to a Super Bowl and having to go through the other to get there. “Lamar Jackson, you could argue, needs the postseason success more because of the weight of overwhelming accomplishment during the regular season,” Mike Golic Jr. said on his eponymous podcast. “But this is where Josh Allen has made his reputation with a few banner postseason performances but doesn’t have all the regular-season hardware Lamar has.” Have a news tip? Contact Brian Wacker at bwacker@baltsun.com, 410-332-6200 and x.com/brianwacker1. AFC divisional round Ravens at Bills Sunday, 6:30 p.m. TV: CBS Radio: 97.9 FM, 101.5 FM, 1090 AM Line: Ravens by 1 1/2 View the full article

The Ravens’ AFC divisional round playoff game against the Bills on Sunday night could be history in the making. Barring the Texans upsetting the top-seeded Chiefs on Saturday, either Buffalo or Baltimore will get a chance to defeat Kansas City, which is seeking to become the first to win three straight Super Bowl titles. It would set another dramatic stage. Chiefs coach Andy Reid against one of his two of his former assistants, Buffalo’s Sean McDermott or Baltimore’s John Harbaugh. It might feature another quarterback duel, with Kansas City’s Patrick Mahomes taking on either the Ravens’ Lamar Jackson or the Bills’ Josh Allen — the top two candidates for the NFL Most Valuable Player Award. OK, excuse me for getting a little bit ahead of myself here. But the ramifications might be enormous. “You kind of feel grateful to be a part of it,” Harbaugh said. “It’s a privilege to be a part of a game like this. These divisional games are really hard to win because you’re playing the best teams. The four best teams in the AFC, the four best teams in the NFC are still alive. To get to the Super Bowl — if you want to take a step out — you have to win two games now. Whoever gets to the Super Bowl has to win two games against the best in their conference. “That’s tough, really tough. So, to be a part of that just in that sense is really amazing, and then you get a chance to play a team like the Bills who have been perennially in that group. They are just a super talented, well-coached type of a team.” The Jackson versus Allen matchup adds spice, but not because of their MVP candidacies. Fans from both cities have unfairly criticized the other candidate for various reasons, but it’s great to watch two of the best at their positions compete head to head. There are only four game-changing quarterbacks in the NFL (with slight apologies to Washington’s Jayden Daniels), and they all play in the AFC, and two are in the same division — Jackson and Cincinnati’s Joe Burrow. And, of course, there is Mahomes, the best ever as far as accuracy, elusiveness and improvisation. The coaching matchup adds even more intrigue. McDermott has posted an 86-45 record since arriving in Buffalo but lost in the 2020 AFC championship game to Kansas City. The Bills can’t seem to get over the hump, losing in the divisional round to the Chiefs in 2021 and 2023 and to the Bengals in 2022. The Bills have made it to the postseason six of the past seven years but haven’t played in a Super Bowl since Jim Kelly led Buffalo to four straight in the early 1990s. The Ravens, meanwhile, haven’t played in the big game in a while but at least hoisted a Lombardi Trophy in February 2013. Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson leaps into end zone for touchdown in third quarter against the Bills on Sept. 29. (Kenneth K. Lam/Staff) Like McDermott, Harbaugh, one of the longest-tenured coaches in the NFL who has a 172-104 record, has led his team to the postseason six of the past seven years. Last year was the most disappointing because the Ravens had the best team in the league but laid an egg in a 17-10 loss to the Chiefs in the AFC championship game at M&T Bank Stadium. You see the common denominator here. It’s Kansas City. These two coaches squaring off Sunday night also have something else in common. Both were assistants under Reid when he was the coach in Philadelphia from 1999 through 2012. McDermott worked as a scout and later as an assistant for Reid before he was fired as the team’s defensive coordinator in 2010. Harbaugh was Reid’s special teams assistant until the Ravens hired him as coach before the 2008 season. Related Articles Baltimore Ravens | Texans waive WR Diontae Johnson, reportedly because of same issues he had with Ravens Baltimore Ravens | READER POLL: Who will win the divisional round playoff game between Ravens and Bills? Baltimore Ravens | Ravens coach John Harbaugh addresses WR Zay Flowers’ availability for Bills game Baltimore Ravens | Former Ravens star Ed Reed accepts high school offensive coordinator job Baltimore Ravens | Ravens roundtable: What will be the difference in playoff battle vs. Bills? Harbaugh has a 2-5 record against his former mentor while McDermott is 4-1 versus Reid in the regular season but 0-3 in the playoffs. Both speak very highly of their former boss but they still want the opportunity to beat him. One will likely get that chance after Sunday night. Both have high-powered offenses. The Ravens are ranked No. 1 in total offense (424.9 yards a game) and the Bills are at 10th (359.1). Both are extremely efficient inside the red zone with the Ravens scoring a touchdown 74.3% of the time — best in the NFL — and Buffalo at 68.1% (third best). The last time the teams played the Ravens defeated the Bills, 35-10, in Week 4 on Sept. 29 in Baltimore as running back Derrick Henry rushed for 199 yards on 24 carries. That’s the biggest question of the matchup: How will the Bills contain the Ravens’ rushing attack? It might come down to tough guys and star players. The Ravens had nine players named to the Pro Bowl while the Bills had only two. Another factor is that Buffalo is undefeated at home this season and the cold weather and loud crowd might become factors. Regardless, one team has to win and face either the Chiefs or Texans, and Kansas City has a history of beating both the Ravens and Bills when it matters most. A big game is now bigger. Have a news tip? Contact Mike Preston at epreston@baltsun.com, 410-332-6467 and x.com/MikePrestonSun. AFC divisional round Ravens at Bills Sunday, 6:30 p.m. TV: CBS Radio: 97.9 FM, 101.5 FM, 1090 AM Line: Ravens by 1 1/2 View the full article

Diontae Johnson told local reporters in December the issues that plagued his short stint in Baltimore would be left in the past and his new chapter in Houston would be a fresh start. That didn’t last long. Johnson, 28, was reportedly placed on waivers ahead of Houston’s AFC divisional round matchup with the Kansas City Chiefs, effectively ending his journeyman season having suited up for four teams in the past calendar year. The Ravens acquired Johnson from the Panthers at the trade deadline in October. He was brought in with the expectation that he’d add depth to a strong group of pass catchers and operate as an insurance policy should one go down. When one did — Rashod Bateman exited with a knee injury against the Eagles on Dec. 1 — Johnson refused to enter the game. His tumultuous time in Baltimore spiraled from there. He was suspended for a week because of conduct detrimental to the team, the Ravens said. He had been visibly upset in the locker room after at least two games. Then, after his suspension, he was excused from team activities before a paramount Week 16 matchup against the Pittsburgh Steelers. And he was gone a week later, having played a total of 39 offensive snaps with one catch for 6 yards in four games. Related Articles Baltimore Ravens | Mike Preston: Ravens vs. Bills. Lamar vs. Allen. There’s plenty at stake. | COMMENTARY Baltimore Ravens | READER POLL: Who will win the divisional round playoff game between Ravens and Bills? Baltimore Ravens | Ravens coach John Harbaugh addresses WR Zay Flowers’ availability for Bills game Baltimore Ravens | Former Ravens star Ed Reed accepts high school offensive coordinator job Baltimore Ravens | Ravens roundtable: What will be the difference in playoff battle vs. Bills? The issues that plagued Johnson’s time in Baltimore did not usher in a fresh start in Houston. Texans reporter Aaron Wilson shared on X that Johnson was visibly upset after catching his only target for 12 yards in 16 snaps during an AFC wild-card round win over the Los Angeles Chargers on Saturday. Teammates “were trying to calm him down,” according to Wilson, addressing Johnson’s displeasure in his role, an issue that marred his time as a Raven. Johnson’s first game with the Texans was on Christmas Day against the Ravens. He did not play but was seen sharing pleasantries with his former teammates. Houston cutting him loose means there’s no chance of a reunion later this month in the AFC championship round, should Baltimore get past Buffalo and Houston upset Kansas City. Have a news tip? Contact Sam Cohn at scohn@baltsun.com, 410-332-6200 and x.com/samdcohn. View the full article

The Ravens are back in the divisional round for the second straight year, only this time they’re headed on the road. Baltimore will take on the Buffalo Bills in Orchard Park, New York, on Sunday evening for a chance to play for the AFC title. We want to hear from you. After you vote on who you think will win the playoff game, tell us what you think by clicking the comments button and we might publish your take in The Baltimore Sun. The Baltimore Sun reader poll is an unscientific survey in which website users volunteer their opinions on the subject of the poll. To read the results of previous reader polls, click here. View the full article

The status of Ravens wide receiver Zay Flowers for Sunday night’s divisional round playoff game against the Buffalo Bills is in “we’ll-see mode,” coach John Harbaugh said Monday afternoon. “He’s working hard to get back,” Harbaugh said. “We’ll see toward the end of the week if he’s practicing. “He could play without practicing if he feels healthy enough.” Flowers suffered a sprained right knee early in the second quarter of Baltimore’s win over the Cleveland Browns two weeks ago in the regular-season finale. He did not practice last week and did not play in the Baltimore’s wild-card win over the Pittsburgh Steelers on Saturday night at M&T Bank Stadium. Given the significance of the injury, which often takes 3-4 weeks to return from, it also seems likely that he could miss Sunday’s game at Highmark Stadium. That might be a blow to a Ravens offense that led the NFL in yards per game and was third in scoring during the regular season. Flowers topped the team in receptions (74) and yards (1,059) and is the organization’s first Pro Bowl selection at the position. His 116 targets were also 44 more than the next closest player, fellow receiver Rashod Bateman, and 47 more than tight end Mark Andrews. But if Flowers doesn’t play, it perhaps won’t be crippling. Against the Steelers, Baltimore leaned on its league-best ground attack, running 50 times compared to just 21 pass attempts by Lamar Jackson. Running back Derrick Henry led the way with 186 yards and two touchdowns on 26 carries. The Ravens also utilized a similar strategy against the Bills in their 35-10 blowout win at M&T Bank Stadium in September. With Buffalo deploying a heavy dose of nickel and dime packages in that game and throughout the season, Baltimore ran for 271 yards, led by Henry’s 199 and three scores. Flowers had just one catch in that contest for 10 yards. How the Ravens played against Pittsburgh also perhaps paints a picture of what the offense could look like on Sunday. In that game, Baltimore used 11 personnel (one running back, one tight end and three receivers) on just 11.1% of its plays, per Tru Media, and leaned heavily on tight ends Mark Andrews, Isaiah Likely and Charlie Kolar along with fullback Patrick Ricard. Comparatively, no other team from the wild-card round was below 50% in 11 personnel. Related Articles Baltimore Ravens | Former Ravens star Ed Reed accepts high school offensive coordinator job Baltimore Ravens | Ravens roundtable: What will be the difference in playoff battle vs. Bills? Baltimore Ravens | 5 things to know about the Buffalo Bills, the Ravens’ divisional round opponent Baltimore Ravens | Ravens to face Bills in AFC divisional round matchup between MVP candidates Baltimore Ravens | Mike Preston: Ravens’ glaring weakness is still a major problem | COMMENTARY Instead, the Ravens lined up mostly in 12 (one running back, two tight ends and two receivers) and 21 personnel (two running backs, one tight end and two receivers) along with using a sixth offensive lineman. That meant an uptick in play on offense for wide receiver Tylan Wallace, who out-snapped Bateman 39-36, with fellow receivers Nelson Agholor and Steven Sims playing 20 and 13 snaps, respectively, and practice squad call-up Anthony Miller and rookie Devontez Walker chipping in nine and two, respectively. As for Jackson’s status after taking a knee to the back during the second quarter against the Steelers, resulting in him using heat wraps throughout the game, Harbaugh said his practice should not be affected this week. “It doesn’t look that way, from what I’ve been told,” he said. Have a news tip? Contact Brian Wacker at bwacker@baltsun.com, 410-332-6200 and x.com/brianwacker1. View the full article

Former Ravens legend Ed Reed has a new job on the other side of the ball from where he built a Hall of Fame career: offensive coordinator at Chamblee High School near Atlanta. Chamblee will be Reed’s latest coaching chapter – a program he’s quite familiar with. Reed was on the sideline for its 2023 Class 5A first round playoff game vs. Coffee High School. And his son, Edward Reed III, is a wide receiver and defensive back. He’ll be a senior in the fall. Former Raven Jamal Lewis’ son, Jazz, will be a sophomore wideout next year, too. This isn’t Reed’s first foray into coaching. The older Reed has dabbled with coaching since he officially retired from the NFL in 2015, signing a one-day contract with Baltimore to retire with the team where he spent 11 seasons, was selected to five All-Pro teams and won a Super Bowl. In 2016, Reed was an assistant defensive backs coach for the Buffalo Bills. He then went back to his alma mater, University of Miami, in 2020-21, to serve as Manny Diaz’s chief of staff. He remained with the Hurricanes as a senior adviser as recently as 2022. Reed was named Bethune-Cookman’s football coach in late 2022, a hiring that never reached the field. His contract wasn’t ratified in the aftermath of a viral, profanity-laced social media post. Reed reportedly told his players he was not leaving on his own accord, fighting through tears during a 15-minute goodbye. Reed was also reportedly a finalist last month for the head coaching job at Alabama A&M, an Historically Black College and University. Colorado coach Deion Sanders seems to have popularized the trend of colleges hiring former NFL stars to lead their football programs. Michael Vick recently took the lead job at Norfolk State and DeSean Jackson is headed to Delaware State. Sanders’ college coaching career has proven to be an early success, as he’s 40-18 as the head coach of Jackson State and Colorado. Even Reed’s defensive counterpart, Ray Lewis, after having spent years disrupting offenses together in Baltimore, had his name mentioned in the rumor mill to coach at Florida Atlantic University and Florida International University. Those report were quickly refuted. Have a news tip? Contact Sam Cohn at scohn@baltsun.com, 410-332-6200 and x.com/samdcohn. View the full article

The Ravens will face the Buffalo Bills at Highmark Stadium on Sunday night in divisional round of the playoffs, setting up a showdown between NFL Most Valuable Player candidates Lamar Jackson and Josh Allen with a trip to the AFC championship game at stake. Third-seeded Baltimore crushed the Pittsburgh Steelers, 28-14, in its wild-card game Saturday night at M&T Bank Stadium to advance, while No. 2 seed Buffalo easily dispatched of the Denver Broncos, 31-7, a day later in Orchard Park, New York. That set up a rematch from earlier this season, when the Ravens blew out the Bills, 35-10, on Sept. 29 in Baltimore. It’s also just the second time the teams will meet in the postseason, with Buffalo winning, 17-3, in January 2021, also in the divisional round, at Highmark Stadium. Baltimore Sun reporters Brian Wacker, Childs Walker and Sam Cohn answer questions about the Ravens’ biggest concern, how they can slow down Allen, Baltimore’s vaunted running game and what will decide the outcome. What should be the Ravens’ biggest concern against the Bills? Wacker: Turnovers, penalties and giving up long passes. At this stage and with two teams fairly evenly matched, the margins are thin. Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson has been not only explosive and efficient this season, he has taken care of the ball well with just one interception since Nov. 25 and only four all year. But Buffalo’s 32 takeaways are third-most in the league. Self-inflicted wounds have also hurt in the Ravens, who finished with the second-most penalties in the NFL this season, in tight games. Lastly, though the Ravens dominated the Steelers, Pittsburgh did expose cornerback Brandon Stephens — albeit too little, too late — and a secondary that gave up some worrisome long passes. Walker: Josh Allen the runner. The Bills don’t leverage Allen’s legs to create as many explosive running plays as the Ravens do with Lamar Jackson, but no quarterback is better in short yardage or in the red zone. It will be vitally important to force the Bills into third-and-long; otherwise, they will string together grinding drives. They’re nearly as good as the Ravens in the red zone because Allen, like Jackson, can win with his arms or his legs and is a genius at extending plays. After the Ravens dispatched the Steelers, Pittsburgh coach Mike Tomlin said his defense simply could not account for Jackson’s ability to turn daunting down-and-distance scenarios into winning plays. The Ravens didn’t let Allen do that when they beat the Bills early in the season, but he’ll demand their full attention on every single snap in the rematch. Cohn: Based on the most recent sample, a convincing wild-card round win over the Steelers, it’s the secondary. They’ve seen significant improvement in limiting explosive plays since Week 11, then looked vulnerable, particularly in the third quarter Saturday night. Brandon Stephens, Nate Wiggins, Tre’Davious White and Ar’Darius Washington all got all beat at one point or another. “They found the weakness in the coverage, and we didn’t play it quite perfectly,” coach John Harbaugh said. “We have to chase perfection and play those things a little better.” Pittsburgh’s passing game wasn’t enough to sway the game. Buffalo’s could be. Ravens outside linebacker Kyle Van Noy, right, sacks Bills quarterback Josh Allen during Baltimore’s 35-10 win in Week 4. (Kenneth K. Lam/Staff) The Bills were second in the NFL in scoring this season, averaging 30.9 points per game. How can the Ravens slow down their offense? Wacker: Keeping Buffalo’s offense off the field by running the ball and controlling the time of possession is the first place to start. A mix of coverages, particularly with their dime defense, and postsnap adjustments to cloud the picture for Allen will also help, as it did the last time these teams met. But Baltimore will also have to keep Allen contained because, like Jackson, he’s at his best when he’s on the move. Giving up a big play through the air or on the ground when he’s scrambling could prove back-breaking. Walker: The Ravens’ offense is their greatest weapon against Allen. Put simply, if Jackson and Derrick Henry hammer away and build an early lead, Buffalo will get away from the run-pass balance that makes it special. The Ravens beat the Bills with this formula in October, and they’re playing better now than they did then. That performance was a rare bright spot for Zach Orr’s defense in a difficult first 10 weeks. The Ravens never let running back James Cook get untracked and kept Allen from breaking containment. Outside linebackers Odafe Oweh and Kyle Van Noy played great. Allen connected on one downfield throw at the end of a scramble, and that was it for explosive plays. The Ravens can’t count on holding Buffalo to 10 points this time around, but they don’t have to invent a blueprint for containing the AFC’s top scoring team, because they already did it. Cohn: Perhaps it’s the obvious answer, but it starts with MVP candidate Josh Allen and his backfield counterpart James Cook. When the Ravens beat up on Buffalo in Week 4, they held Cook — who’s tied with Henry with a league-high 16 rushing touchdowns — to 39 yards on nine touches, tied for his second-fewest this season. Similarly, Josh Allen’s 55.2% completion rate in that loss marks his second-lowest. Both teams have evolved since then, but slow down Cook and contain Allen in the pocket and the Ravens should warrant a Marlon Humphrey victory Instagram Live on the plane ride home. That, and if Baltimore’s offense can repeat its four drives of more than six minutes to keep the Bills off the field entirely. Baltimore had 299 yards rushing in its win over the Steelers on Saturday and 271 in its blowout of the Bills in Week 4. Can the Ravens have that kind of success again? Wacker: It’s hard to imagine the Ravens will gash the Bills on the ground to that degree again, but they’re certainly capable of putting up big numbers with Jackson and Henry in the backfield, particularly against a defense that played more nickel and dime defense than anyone this season. With that in mind, the Bills have also unsurprisingly surrendered several big runs, including an 87-yard touchdown to Henry that set the tone in their most recent meeting. Walker: You can’t assume a team will run for nearly 300 yards, but the Ravens absolutely can control this rematch with their ground attack, which is more explosive than Buffalo’s or anyone else’s. The Ravens have faced talented defenses during their current five-game winning streak, and none figured out how to account for both Jackson and Henry. Two Hall of Fame talents is one too many, and offensive coordinator Todd Monken is creative about giving opponents different looks with his superstars. He also counterpunches with unexpected ball carriers. Who foresaw Steven Sims taking a handoff 15 yards to spur a scoring drive in the wild-card round? The one worry for the Ravens would be Buffalo jumping to an early lead. If that happens, Baltimore cannot panic and go away from its bread and butter. Cohn: That kind of production isn’t exactly commonplace. Baltimore went over 270 yards twice this season, then again in the wild-card round. However, the Jackson and Henry read option makes anything possible. It is an unstoppable wrinkle in Todd Monken’s offense. How many times have you been watching the Ravens and found your eyes follow Henry when Jackson still has the ball, or vice versa? Related Articles Baltimore Ravens | 5 things to know about the Buffalo Bills, the Ravens’ divisional round opponent Baltimore Ravens | Ravens to face Bills in AFC divisional round matchup between MVP candidates Baltimore Ravens | Mike Preston: Ravens’ glaring weakness is still a major problem | COMMENTARY Baltimore Ravens | Ravens’ defense pummels Pittsburgh early and finishes strong in AFC wild-card win Baltimore Ravens | 5 things we learned from the Ravens’ 28-14 playoff win over the Steelers What will ultimately decide the winner? Wacker: On a simplistic level, the team that doesn’t turn the ball over and finishes off drives with touchdowns. In the latter’s regard, both teams are well-equipped, with the Ravens ranking first in red zone scoring and the Bills second. For the Ravens to advance to their second straight AFC title game, they’ll not only need to avoid turnovers, but they’ll have to run the ball well, control the clock and wear down the Bills. Walker: Which team starts quicker. These are evenly matched foes with balanced offenses led by generational playmakers who don’t make many mistakes. But the Ravens showed how difficult they could be for the Bills when they built a three-score lead before halftime in October. The Ravens could again be without No. 1 wide receiver Zay Flowers, who would be one of their top weapons in a come-from-behind scenario. They’ll be much better off if they can dictate flow with their running game, as they did in the first matchup and in their wild-card win over the Steelers. On the flip side, Buffalo would love to discomfit the Ravens, who haven’t played from behind since their loss to the Eagles, with an early touchdown drive. Cohn: What a treat for all of us if this game came down to the quarterbacks. Jackson and Allen are neck and neck atop the MVP discourse — even if the former leads the latter by most metrics. That narrative will dominate the week leading up to kickoff and likely the majority of the broadcast. It might get nauseating to hear. But it would be a joy to see Jackson and Allen both play their best football in a January shootout for a ticket to the AFC championship. Have a news tip? Contact sports editor C.J. Doon at cdoon@baltsun.com, 410-332-6200 and x.com/CJDoon. AFC divisional round Ravens at Bills Sunday, 6:30 p.m. TV: CBS Radio: 97.9 FM, 101.5 FM, 1090 AM Line: Bills by 1 1/2 View the full article

The Ravens are back in the divisional round, only this time they’re coming off a win. Last year, Baltimore earned a first-round bye after finishing the regular season a league-best 14-3 and claiming the top seed in the AFC. This season, the Ravens rallied from an 0-2 start to go 12-5, jump the Steelers and win the AFC North title. They eliminated Pittsburgh with a 28-14 victory in the wild-card round Saturday night at M&T Bank Stadium. But the No. 3 seed Ravens had to wait a day to learn who they’d be playing in the next round. The No. 2 Buffalo Bills answered that question Sunday afternoon, beating the No. 7 Denver Broncos, 31-7, to set up a divisional round matchup at Highmark Stadium in Orchard Park, New York. The No. 4 Houston Texans will play the host and top-seeded Kansas City Chiefs in the other divisional game. Ravens vs. Bills is a rematch from nearly four months ago, as well as Part II of an enticing playoff matchup between NFL Most Valuable Player candidates Lamar Jackson and Josh Allen. But there’s more to this game than just the quarterbacks. Here’s what you need to know: The Ravens crushed Buffalo in Week 4 … After losses to the Chiefs and Raiders and a near-total collapse against the Cowboys, the Ravens entered “Sunday Night Football” at a tipping point. A 1-3 start would be tough to swallow for a team with playoff aspirations, let alone Super Bowl dreams. The Bills, meanwhile, entered 3-0 and coming off dominant wins over the Dolphins and Jaguars. But the betting line still slightly favored Baltimore, and it was easy to see why. Derrick Henry ran for an 87-yard touchdown on the Ravens’ first play from scrimmage, setting the tone for a dominant 35-10 victory. Following his breakout 151-yard, two-touchdown performance against Dallas, Henry finished with 199 yards on 24 carries against Buffalo to cement his status as the superstar difference-maker that was promised. Not to be outdone, the Ravens’ defense sacked Allen three times, forced a fumble and held him to 16-for-29 passing for 180 yards and no touchdowns in one of his worst performances of the season. Running back James Cook couldn’t get anything going either, rushing for just 39 yards on nine carries. “They came out with urgency and whooped our butt,” said Allen, who was replaced by backup Mitch Trubisky in the fourth quarter with the game out of hand. “Not everything was bad in this game. I don’t want us to come away from this thinking we’re the worst. Lot to learn from. I’m glad this happened early in the season so we can correct things.” … but Buffalo has been dominant ever since Well, not exactly. The Bills lost, 23-20, to the Texans the following week thanks in large part to another dreadful performance from Allen (9-for-30 for 131 yards). But after that, they found their groove, winning seven straight and 10 of their next 11 before a meaningless Week 18 defeat to the Patriots while resting their starters. That included victories over the then-undefeated Chiefs and NFC-best Detroit Lions, the current betting favorites to win the Super Bowl. While the Ravens have been the runaway leaders in Defense-adjusted Value Over Average (DVOA) for most of the season — boasting one of the best offenses in the history of Aaron Schatz’s efficiency metric — the Bills are not far behind at No. 4 overall. In fact, Baltimore and Buffalo finished with identical point differentials of plus-157. Allen has largely been the engine of that dominance, despite missing his top two receivers from last season in Stefon Diggs and Gabe Davis. Buffalo’s ability to finish dives has been particularly outstanding, ranking second behind only the Ravens in red-zone touchdown rate at 71.6%. The Bills are also just the 11th team to have at least 27 rushing touchdowns and 27 passing touchdowns in a season. Speaking of … Allen is Jackson’s biggest competition for MVP Let’s lay out the basics. Jackson: 66.7% completion rate, 4,172 passing yards, 41 touchdown passes, 4 interceptions, 119.6 passer rating, 77.3 QBR, 915 rushing yards, 4 rushing TDs, 23 sacks, 10 fumbles Allen: 63.6% completion rate, 3,731 passing yards, 28 TD passes, 6 INTs, 101.4 passer rating, 77.3 QBR, 531 rushing yards, 12 rushing TDs, 14 sacks, 5 fumbles By the stats, Jackson has it. But Allen led his team to a slightly better record (13-4) and seemingly did more with less considering that he was Buffalo’s only All-Pro selection while Baltimore finished with six. (The Ravens also had a league-high nine Pro Bowl selections against just two for the Bills.) Jackson was voted first-team All-Pro by the same group of voters who decide the MVP Award, but there is some belief that they will be reluctant to give it to Jackson for a second straight season. Debates will continue long before and after kickoff this weekend. For the quarterbacks, winning the Lombardi Trophy will be the only award that matters. Ravens running back Derrick Henry, left, and quarterback Lamar Jackson ran the ball effectively against the Bills in Week 4. (Karl Merton Ferron/Staff) The Bills’ defense is vulnerable Buffalo has been solid on defense for most of the season, ranking seventh in DVOA and 11th in points allowed per game (21.6). But there have been some major hiccups along the way, including a two-week stretch in which it allowed a combined 90 points against the Los Angeles Rams and Lions. (The Bills scored 86 points themselves to manage a 1-1 split.) One of the biggest problems has been stopping the run. Henry took advantage of that weakness in Week 4, and he was not alone. The Dolphins’ De’Von Achane (96 yards), Jets’ Breece Hall (113), Colts’ Jonathan Taylor (114), 49ers’ Jordan Mason and Christian McCaffrey (combined 131) and Rams’ Kyren Williams (87) have also been able to find plenty of running room. And whether it has been injuries, miscommunication or a lack of aggression, the Bills have struggled to get off the field on third down. Buffalo is allowing opposing offenses to convert 43.8% of their third-down opportunities, tied for the third-worst rate in the league this season. Of the teams that finished 10th or worse in that category, only the Bills and Chiefs made the playoffs. It’s going to be asking a lot for Buffalo to prevent Jackson and Henry from moving the chains. It’s a rematch of a COVID playoff game Way back in January 2021 — eons ago in NFL standards — the Ravens and Bills met in the AFC divisional round. Baltimore was coming off Jackson’s first playoff win, a 20-13 triumph over Henry and the Titans, while Allen got his postseason victory over Philip Rivers and the Colts. Related Articles Baltimore Ravens | Ravens to face Bills in AFC divisional round matchup between MVP candidates Baltimore Ravens | Mike Preston: Ravens’ glaring weakness is still a major problem | COMMENTARY Baltimore Ravens | Ravens’ defense pummels Pittsburgh early and finishes strong in AFC wild-card win Baltimore Ravens | 5 things we learned from the Ravens’ 28-14 playoff win over the Steelers Baltimore Ravens | The Baltimore Sun’s Ravens report card: Position-by-position grades for 28-14 playoff win over Steelers It was not anything close to resembling the usual raucous atmosphere in Buffalo, as attendance was limited to just below 7,000 because of COVID-19 restrictions in Western New York. That did not take away from the intensity, however, as the game entered halftime tied at 3 in a defensive slugfest. Buffalo opened the third quarter with an 11-play, 66-yard march that finished with Allen’s touchdown pass to Stefon Diggs, giving Buffalo a 10-3 lead. The Ravens answered with a methodical 15-play, 66-yard drive that took nearly nine minutes off the clock, only for Jackson to throw an interception that Taron Johnson returned 101 yards for a touchdown. The 14-point swing proved insurmountable, and Jackson exited the game on the next drive when he suffered a concussion after falling backward on a desperation pass that was ruled intentional grounding. The Ravens lost, 17-3. “To get to the [AFC] championship game, you have to play two really great games, and things have to bounce your way,” coach John Harbaugh said. “That didn’t happen for us today.” The Bills advanced to their first AFC championship game since 1994, but they were denied by Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs — and not for the last time. Have a news tip? Contact sports editor C.J. Doon at cdoon@baltsun.com, 410-332-6200 and x.com/CJDoon. View the full article

Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson has already beaten out his Bills counterpart Josh Allen for All-Pro honors and is the favorite to do the same for the NFL Most Valuable Player Award. Now, they’ll meet on the field with much higher stakes. On Sunday, Allen led second-seeded Buffalo to a 31-7 victory over the No. 7 seed Denver Broncos, setting up a blockbuster showdown between the star quarterbacks in a divisional round playoff game next weekend in Orchard Park, New York, with a trip to the AFC championship game on the line. The time and date has yet to be announced. It will also be a rematch from earlier this season, when the Ravens blew out the Bills, 35-10, on Sept. 29 in Baltimore. The third-seeded Ravens advanced by ousting their archnemesis, the Pittsburgh Steelers, 28-14, on Saturday night at M&T Bank Stadium. Baltimore ran for 299 yards, led by Derrick Henry’s 186 yards and two touchdowns, and Jackson threw for 175 yards and two scores while adding 81 yards on the ground. “They got after us earlier this year, so we’ve got a lot film to watch,” Allen said of the Ravens in his postgame interview Sunday with Tracy Wolfson on CBS. “It’s a great team obviously with Lamar, what he’s able to do. He’s one of the most dynamic if not the most dynamic quarterbacks in the league. He’s so fun to watch, but I’ll be watching their defense this week. That’s our focus.” Though Buffalo and Baltimore have met a dozen times, with the Ravens winning on seven occasions, their latest matchup will mark just the second time the teams have faced each other in the playoffs. Their last postseason meeting, also in the divisional round in Orchard Park in 2021, was one to forget for Ravens fans. Jackson, who was the NFL MVP a season earlier, was sacked three teams and knocked out of the game with a concussion on the final play of the third quarter and did not return. He was held to 14 of 24 passing for 162 yards and 34 rushing yards on nine carries as the Ravens averaged just 4.7 yards per play. He also threw a back-breaking interception, which cornerback Taron Johnson returned 101 yards for a touchdown with 41 seconds remaining in the third quarter to help seal a 17-3 victory. Allen, meanwhile, was 23 for 37 for 206 yards with a touchdown pass to Stefon Diggs early in the third quarter that broke a halftime tie at 3. That game was a stark contrast to the most recent meeting in Week 4 of this season. Henry scored on an 87-yard run on Baltimore’s first play from scrimmage on his way to 199 yards, Jackson threw two touchdown passes and ran for a score and Allen was held to 180 yards and no touchdowns on 16 of 29 passing while being sacked three times. The Ravens scored on each of their first three possessions, led 21-10 at the half and held the Bills to 4.1 yards per play while averaging a whopping 7.9. But that was early in the season and Buffalo was banged up. Five starters were missing on defense, including Johnson and inside linebacker Matt Milano. After that loss, the Bills won seven of their next eight games, including a 30-21 victory at home over the two-time defending Super Bowl champion and top-seeded Kansas City Chiefs, who will host the No. 4 Houston Texans in the other AFC divisional round matchup. Buffalo got hot down the stretch and finished the regular season 13-4 — one game better than the Ravens — before improving to 15-3 all-time at home in the playoffs. Allen has also put up numbers worthy of MVP consideration, passing for 3,731 yards and 28 touchdowns against just six interceptions while also rushing for 531 yards and 12 scores. He finished 20 of 26 for 272 yards and two touchdowns while rushing for 46 yards on eight carries Sunday against the Broncos. Jackson’s season was even better, though. He threw for 4,172 yards and 41 touchdowns with just four interceptions and led all quarterbacks with 915 rushing yards while adding four scores on the ground. In Saturday’s demolition of Pittsburgh, he went 16-for-21 for 175 yards and two touchdowns and added 81 rushing yards on 15 carries. The 28-year-old led the league in passer rating (119.6) and yards per attempt (8.6) while also becoming the first player in league history to pass for at least 4,000 yards and run for at least 900 in the same season. Of the 12 meetings between the Ravens and Bills, just four have taken place in Orchard Park (2007, 2013, 2019 and 2021). Baltimore’s lone victory in that span came during Jackson’s first MVP season in 2019, when he threw for 145 yards and three touchdowns and ran for another 40 yards in a 24-17 victory. Related Articles Baltimore Ravens | 5 things to know about the Buffalo Bills, the Ravens’ divisional round opponent Baltimore Ravens | Mike Preston: Ravens’ glaring weakness is still a major problem | COMMENTARY Baltimore Ravens | Ravens’ defense pummels Pittsburgh early and finishes strong in AFC wild-card win Baltimore Ravens | 5 things we learned from the Ravens’ 28-14 playoff win over the Steelers Baltimore Ravens | The Baltimore Sun’s Ravens report card: Position-by-position grades for 28-14 playoff win over Steelers Buffalo is also unbeaten at home this season, while Baltimore last won a road playoff game in January 2021 against the Tennessee Titans in the wild-card round. So far, Allen has outperformed Jackson in the postseason as well. Th Ravens are just 3-4 in playoff games with Jackson at the helm, and he has thrown 11 touchdown passes to go with nine interceptions. The Bills, meanwhile, are 6-5 with Allen, who has thrown 29 touchdown passes with just six interceptions in that span. Allen also eclipsed Jackson on Sunday for the most rushing yards by a quarterback in postseason history. However, Baltimore has also boasted the NFL’s best defense since Week 11, while Buffalo’s defense has given up several big runs this season. Still, this one figures to come down to the quarterbacks. And while one of them will be named NFL MVP, how each fares in this game is what will ultimately matter. Have a news tip? Contact Brian Wacker at bwacker@baltsun.com, 410-332-6200 and x.com/brianwacker1. UP NEXT AFC divisional round Ravens at Bills TBA TV: TBA Radio: 97.9 FM, 101.5 FM, 1090 AM Line: Bills by 1 1/2 View the full article

The Ravens were successful in almost every phase in beating the Pittsburgh Steelers, 28-14, in Saturday night’s AFC wild-card game, but pass coverage in the secondary is still a primary concern. Pittsburgh had touchdowns passes of 30 and 36 yards in the third quarter to pull within two scores with 3:24 remaining in the third quarter at M&T Bank Stadium. Steelers quarterback Russell Wilson completed 20 of 29 passes for 270 yards and finished with a passer rating of 121.3. That’s disturbing. “Their offense came in the second half, and they made some plays,” Ravens coach John Harbaugh said. “They hit us on three third downs. They found the weakness in the coverage, and we didn’t play it quite perfectly. We have to chase perfection and play those things a little better. “But they made those plays, and then, I mean, those throws up the sideline, they were just great throws and great catches. Those were well-covered plays, and they made them. That’s a really good football team, and it’s a really good win for us.” Pittsburgh has lost five games in a row, so the Steelers aren’t a really good team. Lost among the euphoria of the Ravens’ offensive line beating down a talented Steelers front five and both quarterback Lamar Jackson and Derrick Henry running wild was the fact that the Ravens’ coverage got exposed again. It wasn’t as bad as it was earlier in the season, but the Steelers aren’t exactly the Cincinnati Bengals, either. Wilson is no Joe Burrow and George Pickens isn’t in the same class with Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins. The next two matchups might include quarterbacks Josh Allen and Patrick Mahomes. On Saturday night, it was amazing that Pittsburgh didn’t go after cornerbacks Brandon Stephens or Tre’Davious White early in the game. Those two, and to a degree rookie Nate Wiggins, have struggled all season, but Pickens had only one catch for 8 yards in the first half. You’d figure the Steelers would get Pickens involved early in the game, but that didn’t happen until they trailed, 21-0, at the half. That’s when Pittsburgh went into attack mode and Van Jefferson beat Stephens over the top for the 30-yard touchdown pass. About five minutes later, Pickens beat Wiggins for a long touchdown. It wasn’t so much that they got beat, but watching safety Kyle Hamilton lifting up his hands as if to quietly ask, “How can Stephens get beat like this again and again?” Stephens often has great position, but never turns around to locate the ball. With White, he is 29 and near the end of his career. The Ravens didn’t acquire him until early November, so they knew what they were getting and hoping for the best. As for Wiggins, he’ll become a good cornerback but is still too handsy, which means he hasn’t made the adjustment yet from college to the NFL. The Ravens have made improvements on the back end since the beginning of the season, but they couldn’t have gotten worse. They made moves by putting Hamilton deeper in coverage rather than near the line of scrimmage and starting fellow safety Ar’Darius Washington over Marcus Williams. Overall, though, the Ravens were still ranked No. 31 in pass defense, allowing nearly 245 yards per game. They really haven’t played a good passing team in more than a month with a schedule that has included Pittsburgh twice, the Los Angeles Chargers, Philadelphia Eagles, New York Giants, Houston Texans and Cleveland. Even Browns quarterback Bailey Zappe started targeting Stephens last week. Related Articles Baltimore Ravens | Ravens’ defense pummels Pittsburgh early and finishes strong in AFC wild-card win Baltimore Ravens | 5 things we learned from the Ravens’ 28-14 playoff win over the Steelers Baltimore Ravens | The Baltimore Sun’s Ravens report card: Position-by-position grades for 28-14 playoff win over Steelers Baltimore Ravens | Ravens run over rival Steelers, 28-14, in wild-card playoff game Baltimore Ravens | Instant analysis from Ravens’ 28-14 win over Steelers in wild-card round The schedule will get tougher against Allen and Bills receivers Amari Cooper and Khalil Shakir, as well as Mahomes and his receivers Marquise “Hollywood” Brown, DeAndre Hopkins, Xavier Worthy, JuJu Smith-Schuster and tight end Travis Kelce. Chiefs coach Andy Reid’s game plan always focuses on matchups. Maybe it’s nitpicking, but the Ravens need to improve in two areas right now: They need to find a punt returner who can handle the ball and get better in coverage. They’ll be fine if their next opponent is Buffalo, because the Ravens’ running game will help neutralize Allen. But if Kansas City advances, the Chiefs could cause problems in an area that is still a major concern. It might not get better until next season. Have a news tip? Contact Mike Preston at epreston@baltsun.com, 410-332-6467 and x.com/MikePrestonSun. View the full article

Roquan Smith doesn’t spend much time preparing his pregame speeches. It’s not front of mind when he’s driving to the stadium. They’re an off-the-cuff emotional release from the heart and soul of the Ravens’ defense. His Saturday evening freestyle nailed it: “They don’t belong on the field with us.” Prime Video cameras snuck between the waists of a few Ravens to catch Smith’s words of encouragement. His eyes bulged out of his head. Every word lingered in the air in the shape of frosty breath through freezing temperatures. Smith said his message has been consistent all year, even when the numbers didn’t reflect the sentiment. For most of the Ravens’ 28-14 win in an AFC wild-card game, Smith’s words rang true. Pittsburgh didn’t look like it belonged. “In the locker room, we were just talking about on defense, ‘Start fast. Start really fast. Pummel them early,’” defensive tackle Nnamdi Madubuike said. “And I feel like that’s what we did in the first half, and the second half was just about finishing. Just finishing.” Start fast, they did. The Steelers managed only two first downs by halftime. They were 1-for-5 on 3rd downs. A Russell Wilson-piloted offense mustered a dismal 59 net yards — 40 by air and 19 by ground at the break. Pittsburgh punted on all four of its first-half possessions because the Ravens’ pass rush made Wilson’s life hell in the pocket. One of those early drives advanced to a third-and-2 near midfield. When Wilson found his tight end, Pat Freiermuth, in the flat, the play was blown up by Ar’Darius Washington, Baltimore’s fearless safety with a 9-inch height disadvantage. Wilson noted that stop in particular when trying to explain how the game “felt like it was getting out of hand.” By night’s end, the defense collected four sacks — one shy of their season high. Once they got a lead, defensive coordinator Zach Orr “let the horses go,” Odafe Oweh said. Madubuike accounted for two sacks. Michael Pierce and Oweh each chipped in one. The Ravens have held their AFC North rival to as few as 14 points only one other time in 10 previous meetings dating to 2020. Saturday marked the fewest total yards they allowed (280) in three meetings this season. The team effort largely felt like they were clearing the black-and-gold hurdle that has confounded them for years. Asked if it felt like a vintage Ravens defensive performance, Smith said that’s what the playoffs are about. “Playing tough, stingy defense.” A few poster men of that era showed up to witness it firsthand. Seeing Hall of Fame linebacker Ray Lewis emerge from the tunnel to dance and hype up the crowd “turnt me up,” Smith said. “Then Haloti Ngata at the coin toss, it was pretty awesome just seeing him.” Terrell Suggs, who was honored as the Legend of the Game, was there, too. Smith has good reason to be so confident in his group beginning a playoff run with Super Bowl aspirations. Coordinator Zach Orr, middle, and the Ravens have held five consecutive opponents to fewer than 20 points. (Karl Merton Ferron/Staff) At their best, which we’ve seen plenty of over the past six weeks, is why Smith touted that he was keeping receipts of anyone disparaging Baltimore’s defense when they were among the worst in the NFL. But the road only gets harder after the free-falling Steelers, losers of five straight to end their season. Should the Bills beat the Broncos on Sunday, the Ravens will fly to Buffalo to see Most Valuable Player Award candidate Josh Allen. A win presumably means a trip to Kansas City to play Patrick Mahomes and the two-time reigning champion Chiefs in an AFC championship rematch. “If we are who we are, it’ll make any quarterback’s life a living hell,” Smith said. “We just gotta keep our composure and do that throughout the game. Yeah, there was some adversity throughout the game but there was adversity throughout the season as well and we stood tall.” On Saturday night, adversity caused slight feelings of unease among the 70,546 in attendance in the third quarter. Related Articles Baltimore Ravens | The Baltimore Sun’s Ravens report card: Position-by-position grades for 28-14 playoff win over Steelers Baltimore Ravens | Ravens run over rival Steelers, 28-14, in wild-card playoff game Baltimore Ravens | Instant analysis from Ravens’ 28-14 win over Steelers in wild-card round Baltimore Ravens | Police investigating after drone pauses Ravens-Steelers playoff game Baltimore Ravens | Kirk Herbstreit questions Steelers’ effort vs. Ravens in first half: ‘I don’t see any fight’ Ravens punter Jordan Stout delivered a 49-yard dot that pinned Pittsburgh at its own 2. Stout shouted a few choice words to the visiting sideline after that. The Steelers manufactured a nine-play, 98-yard scoring drive in nearly seven minutes. The marathon march was capped by a 30-yard touchdown pass to Van Jefferson, who burned cornerback Brandon Stephens up the left sideline. On the following possession, George Pickens caught a deep ball over rookie defensive back Nate Wiggins. He spun through Washington for a 36-yard touchdown, making it a two-score game. “We gave ourselves a chance and a little glimpse of hope,” Wilson said of their third-quarter push. The Ravens quickly shut that window. They lost the first of three meetings with Pittsburgh this year, a sloppy mistake-filled contest, in November. Baltimore romped the Steelers when they met again just before Christmas. And they won again with the season on the line. The Ravens’ defense improved drastically, but Smith’s messaging never changed. It’s forged them for these moments. “We’re aware of who we are, aware of where we are in the moment,” Oweh said. “I think last year we took it for granted. Like Ro said, teams that don’t belong on the field with us, it’s good to just kill ’em right there. Keep your foot on they neck.” Have a news tip? Contact Sam Cohn at scohn@baltsun.com, 410-332-6200 and x.com/samdcohn. View the full article

The Ravens sent their archrival to a miserable end, overpowering the Steelers with an unstoppable ground game to advance to the divisional round of the playoffs. Here are five things we learned from the game: The Ravens hit a new postseason peak in the Lamar Jackson era The halftime statistics took your breath away: 308 yards for the Ravens, 59 for the Steelers; 19 first downs for Baltimore, two for Pittsburgh; 164 rushing yards for the Ravens, more than anyone but them had amassed in a full game against the Steelers this season. The scoreboard said 21-0, but that did not capture the totality of the beating they inflicted on an opponent long viewed as living in their heads like some black-and-gold phantasm. Were the Ravens nervous to begin their march to Super Bowl 59 in New Orleans against a team that had beaten them in eight of their previous 10 matchups? Nah. If anything, they relished this chance to demonstrate their utter superiority. “They understood how to win in a football game like this,” coach John Harbaugh said after his team had obliterated any lingering questions about its playoff readiness. That story began, as it usually does, with Jackson. It wasn’t his most absurd statistical performance. His highlights were relatively tame by his standards. But he played within himself while also making it impossible for Pittsburgh’s proud defense to know what was coming next. “The X factor was Lamar’s unique talents,” Steelers coach Mike Tomlin said. “It seems like every time we got him behind the sticks, he made up for it, or we got him in a possession-down circumstance, and he extended and won those circumstances.” The Ravens’ magnificent ground game seized center stage because of the quarterback’s uncanny feel for when to keep the ball on a few crucial third downs early in the first quarter. It wasn’t that defenders keyed on Derrick Henry (26 carries, 186 yards) instead of him, Jackson said. It was simply that he played the “cat-and-mouse game” better than the guys trying to stop him. And then there was Jackson’s touchdown pass to Justice Hill in the waning seconds of the first half, when he seemed to have overplayed his hand by dancing too long. “Hey, throw that thing away,” Harbaugh recalled thinking to himself. Jackson, of course, knew better. “I just think in his head, he knows what 11 seconds is,” Harbaugh marveled. “He is very much in control.” The Ravens rolled up 464 yards at a rate of 6.4 per play and owned timed of possession, all without their top wide receiver, Zay Flowers, who was Jackson’s most dynamic target when last they beat Pittsburgh. Henry, always stronger as the season goes on, has averaged 158 rushing yards over his past four games as the superstar complement Jackson never had in past playoff runs. They’re two Hall of Fame sure things peaking together. The Ravens’ defense, meanwhile, has not allowed more than 17 points in a game since Dec. 1. Will any of that scare the Bills or the Chiefs with a Super Bowl trip on the line? No. But the Ravens left no doubts that they’re prepared to slug in that class. Ravens running back Derrick Henry dives for a touchdown in the second quarter on Saturday against the Steelers. (Kenneth K. Lam/Staff) The Ravens raised the running game to the realm of art Three weeks earlier, the Ravens had blasted through the heart of Pittsburgh’s star-studded defensive front for 220 rushing yards, 63 more than the Steelers surrendered to any other opponent this season. Offensive coordinator Todd Monken wasted no time revealing his intention to do the same this time around, calling nine runs on a 13-play, 95-yard touchdown drive on their first possession. That wondrous variety included five keepers for Jackson, two of which went for clutch first downs deep in Baltimore territory, and a direct snap to Henry, who blasted 34 yards into the red zone. The Ravens did it again on a 13-play touchdown drive in the second quarter. All 85 yards of that march came on the ground, with Jackson holding the defense on a string and Henry breaking loose on a sweep the Ravens had set up beautifully with all their work between the tackles. This was power football as art, and if the Ravens go all the way this year, it will probably be because they do it better than anyone. Did Harbaugh know his team would seize the day by running 24 times on its first 32 plays? “I couldn’t sit up here and tell you that 24 out of 32 was the play,” he said. “There’s a lot of people out there happy about that though right now, and when you can do that, you want to do it.” When Pittsburgh finally discovered its pulse on a touchdown drive early in the third quarter, the Ravens simply went back to the ground to answer, slashing the Steelers with a surprise 15-yard end-around to Steven Sims before Henry charged through the heart of the defense for a 44-yard score. Three days before the game, Monken said: “It’s hard to control the game if you can’t run the football. Let’s just say that. You control the game with physicality. You control the game with being able to run the football, especially in weather conditions, and it sets everything else up that you do.” It was as if he had already guessed the nature of the Ravens’ coming victory. Harbaugh said the beauty of Monken, unsurprisingly a head coach candidate in several NFL cities, is that he’s never locked into one method. The Ravens ran 50 times for 299 yards because that was the best fit on this chilly night. “We don’t have to do it one certain kind of way,” Harbaugh said. “We don’t have a particular back system that we’re in. We’re not like the West Coast system or something like that. We’re just the Ravens system. What’s the best offense that we can put together for our players at this time?” Ravens defensive coordinator Zach Orr celebrates with defensive lineman Nnamdi Madubuike and outside linebacker Odafe Oweh after a stop in the third quarter Saturday. (Karl Merton Ferron/Staff) It’s no longer so easy to pick on the Ravens’ defensive weaknesses George Pickens did not play when the Ravens beat the Steelers four days before Christmas. The nightmare scenario fretful fans concocted going into the playoff rematch had Pittsburgh’s best big-play threat victimizing error-prone cornerback Brandon Stephens at a crucial moment. Instead, Pickens caught one pass for 8 yards in the first half. His most consequential play was a push-off on Marlon Humphrey. No, this was not going to be about the wounds Pittsburgh could inflict. Instead, it was an all-points declaration of purpose from a defense that was lost through 10 weeks and began, quietly at first, to find itself in an 18-16 loss to the Steelers back in November. “Start fast. Start really fast. Pummel them early,” defensive tackle Nnamdi Madubuike recalled the team’s leaders saying in the pregame locker room. In the first half, Pittsburgh ran for all of 19 yards, converted on 1 of 5 third downs and averaged a paltry 3.3 yards per play. There were highlights, such as safety Ar’Darius Washington’s open-field tackle to stop Pat Freiermuth on third-and-2 in the second quarter. But there was no defining play on par with Washington’s forced fumble near the goal line or Humphrey’s momentum-stealing pick-six in the Ravens’ win over Pittsburgh in December. Instead, they simply took away everything the Steelers wanted to do. Pittsburgh finally gained some traction by going over the top of Stephens and Tre’Davious White on a 98-yard touchdown drive to pull within 21-7. Russell Wilson later beat rookie Nate Wiggins on a nifty 36-yard touchdown connection with Pickens. So there is still some cause for concern regarding the Ravens’ corners. However, when tension crept into M&T Bank Stadium with the score 28-14, coordinator Zach Orr’s defense rose again with stops on consecutive drives, one punctuated by Madubuike’s cleverly designed rush on Wilson and the other by Washington’s pass breakup in the end zone. We all remember the feeling of those fourth quarters early in the season when no Ravens defender seemed able to stick his finger in the dam as double-digit leads vanished. That fragility is gone. This was one to savor for the Ravens’ offensive line If nightmare scenario No. 1 was the Steelers picking on Stephens, No. 2 was Pittsburgh’s front seven living in Jackson’s face at the expense of the Ravens’ offensive line. Instead, the five men charged with protecting Jackson turned this playoff grudge match into their finest moment, an emphatic retort to those critics who said the offensive line would lower the Ravens’ ceiling for 2024. Coming into the season, no one was sure how Daniel Faalele or Roger Rosengarten or Patrick Mekari would hold up to world-class defenders such as T.J. Watt and Cameron Heyward in a do-or-die game. Quite well, thanks. That 85-yard, pass-free drive in the second quarter was their road-grading masterpiece. “I know we were tired. I hope they were tired, too,” center Tyler Linderbaum said, grinning after one of the best games of his career. “That’s a lineman’s dream right there.” Harbaugh said it was a signature performance for the entire unit. “Their guys on the edge are just a nightmare to deal with,” he said. “They were crashing the ends off the edge. It was very physical. We were able to control the edges for the run game as much as anything, and how about our tackles in the pass game? It was not like we were chipping all the time when we were passing. I thought our tackles did a great job.” They kept Watt, Heyward and past Ravens killer Alex Highsmith from unleashing havoc as pass rushers. Highsmith was the only Steeler to register a sack or quarterback hit. Did these underestimated blockers feel inclined to say they told us so when it was over? “There’s a lot of outside noise; media and fans say [stuff],” Mekari said. “It’s not something that we are paying attention to. Whether there’s doubt or love or support, it doesn’t affect us. We’ve got a job to do.” There was plenty of love, with Jackson and Henry going out of their way to laud their protectors. “I think you build off of it,” Linderbaum said. Ravens tight end Isaiah Likely makes a catch in the first quarter on Saturday. (Kenneth K. Lam/Staff) This was the launching point the Ravens needed as they try to change their postseason narrative Coaches and players rejected the notion of the playoffs as a new season, one in which the Ravens might be thrown off stride by thoughts of past failures. Monken, for example, had said: “We’ve been ascending. This isn’t a new season. This isn’t starting over. It’s just building [from] where we’ve started and where we’ve come.” Confident words, but just words until the Ravens turned them into action against an opponent that has dragged them into so many weird, ugly, maddening games. Saturday night’s game certainly could have been an occasion for the Ravens to turn skittish and cut out their own legs with penalties, turnovers and special teams snafus. How many times did we (and they) use the phrase “own worst enemy” in the early part of this season? A few missteps against Steelers and all those old misgivings might have flooded right back into M&T Bank Stadium. Instead, the Ravens operated from a stance of total confidence. Bad luck never entered the equation. They had won four games in a row to surge past the Steelers in the AFC North. Analytics such as DVOA said they had the makings of an all-time great team with their historically explosive offense, vastly improved defense and stellar record against playoff teams. No one could question their bona fides as a regular-season titan. Related Articles Baltimore Ravens | The Baltimore Sun’s Ravens report card: Position-by-position grades for 28-14 playoff win over Steelers Baltimore Ravens | Ravens run over rival Steelers, 28-14, in wild-card playoff game Baltimore Ravens | Instant analysis from Ravens’ 28-14 win over Steelers in wild-card round Baltimore Ravens | Police investigating after drone pauses Ravens-Steelers playoff game Baltimore Ravens | Kirk Herbstreit questions Steelers’ effort vs. Ravens in first half: ‘I don’t see any fight’ But they needed to do it in the playoffs, with oblivion staring them in the face if they came up small. The Ravens did not leave the stadium knowing what’s next, though a trip to Buffalo to face the No. 2 seed Bills and Jackson’s potential NFL Most Valuable Player foil, Josh Allen, seemed most likely. That would be a sterner assignment than Pittsburgh, even though the Ravens ran Allen ragged and spanked the Bills by 25 points early in the season. We’ll have a week to dissect the matchup. What we know after Saturday is that the Ravens have come to this tournament as a fully realized power with a good chance to beat anyone. Jackson said he wouldn’t be rooting for or against the Bills when they host the Denver Broncos on Sunday afternoon. A trip to Buffalo? A home date against Houston? “It doesn’t matter,” he said. “We’re ready.” Have a news tip? Contact Childs Walker at daviwalker@baltsun.com, 410-332-6893 and x.com/ChildsWalker. Divisional round Ravens vs. Bills/Broncos TBA TV: TBA Radio: 97.9 FM, 101.5 FM, 1090 AM View the full article

Here’s how the Ravens graded out at every position after a 28-14 AFC wild-card round win over the Steelers on Saturday at M&T Bank Stadium in Baltimore: Quarterback Lamar Jackson beat up on the Steelers with both his legs and his arm. Jackson had big runs early as the Steelers crashed down with their outside linebackers T.J. Watt and Alex Highsmith, forcing running back Derrick Henry inside. Jackson beat them to the outside with option plays off the edge. The NFL Most Valuable Player contender had 81 yards on 15 carries and also completed 16 of 21 passes for 175 yards and two touchdowns. His scrambles kept several passing plays alive, but Jackson was also sharp throwing across the middle. His timing was nearly perfect on almost every throw in the first half. Grade: A Running backs Pittsburgh had no way of containing Henry, who rushed 26 times for 186 yards and two touchdowns. Henry wore the Steelers down, and it was evident he would have a big game after the first quarter. The Ravens also got backup Justice Hill in the mix. Henry, however, was in beast mode and had good cutback runs inside the tackles early, but also nice gains on pitches around the corner. He finished with 186 yards and two scores on 26 carries as Baltimore finished with 299 yards on the ground. Grade: A Offensive line The tackles, Ronnie Stanley and rookie Roger Rosengarten, did a nice job controlling a Pittsburgh strength in outside linebackers Highsmith and Watt. Both tackles played well as far as allowing both linebackers to go inside and then sometimes they would just reverse-shoulder them down. On passing plays, both Ravens were successful in hooking the Steelers’ rushers inside and allowing Jackson to get outside. In the running game, guards Patrick Mekari and Daniel Faalele wore down the Steelers’ interior and had no problems getting into linebackers Elandon Roberts and Patrick Queen. The only disappointing plays were the presnap penalties. Stanley had two and Rosengarten had one. Grade: A Receivers The Ravens had success in almost every area of the field except outside the numbers. But they didn’t have to attack there because Jackson was successful in the intermediate area of the field. Pittsburgh adjusted its coverage in the second half, but the Ravens made enough plays to keep drives alive in the first 30 minutes. Tight end Isaiah Likely led the Ravens with 53 yards on three catches, and fellow tight end Mark Andrews had two for 27. The Ravens needed major contributions without slot receiver Zay Flowers, who was out with a knee injury, and Jackson completed passes to seven players. It was a good blend of mixing and matching and getting everyone involved. Grade: A Defensive line This group swallowed up Pittsburgh’s running game and made the Steelers one-dimensional. Pittsburgh had only 29 rushing yards and finished with 280 yards of total offense. The Ravens kept consistent pressure on Pittsburgh quarterback Russell Wilson, who is basically a statue compared with his younger self. Tackle Nnamdi Madubuike had four tackles and two sacks and looked relentless in pursuit. He didn’t play that way earlier in the season. Nose tackle Michael Pierce had one sack and one pressure but, perhaps most importantly, has been healthy for his second straight game. Grade: A Linebackers Middle man Roquan Smith led the group with five tackles and weakside linebacker Malik Harrison had four. Outside linebacker Odafe Oweh had a sack and three pressures on Wilson. The Ravens came up and tackled well and kept everything inside of them. They occasionally let Wilson get outside of the pocket, but they might have underestimated his ability or speed. Overall, though, Pittsburgh’s biggest plays came on the outside in one-on-one matchups against the cornerbacks. Grade: A Secondary The Ravens played well enough to win, but there are still questions about this secondary, especially at one cornerback position where the Ravens have used both Brandon Stephens and Tre’Davious White. Both have had problems in coverage and give up long passing plays. Pittsburgh coach Mike Tomlin has to shoulder some responsibility for not going after both earlier in the game. The Ravens seem to have several standouts in cornerback Marlon Humphrey (four tackles) and safeties Kyle Hamilton (three) and Ar’Darius Washington (seven), but this unit still seems confused at times and might have trouble against a good offensive team like Kansas City. Grade: C+ Special teams Punt returner Steven Sims is scary. Not only did he fumble one return, but he was also indecisive as to when to make a return. Whenever he is back there, he doesn’t provide a comfort level. The Ravens also had other goof-ups on special teams, such as Jordan Stout kicking a punt into the end zone even though the Steelers didn’t have a returner. How about kicking it to the 20-yard line and allowing it to bounce? Stout averaged 45.8 yards per punt. These units have to perform better in the postseason. Grade: C+ Coach John Harbaugh, left, celebrates the Ravens’ 28-14 wild-card victory over the Steelers with running back Derrick Henry on Saturday. (Kenneth K. Lam/Staff) Coaching The Ravens came out early and scored often, something they have struggled to do in the postseason under Jackson. They were physically stronger and better than Pittsburgh, and it showed. Coach John Harbaugh finally has this team playing with some toughness, and it’s been that way for the past month. Coordinator Todd Monken seems to have settled in on using the running game, and Henry doesn’t allow Monken to second-guess himself about throwing more often. Defensively, the Ravens still seem lost in coverage sometimes, and it shows on the faces of both safeties, Hamilton and Washington. Overall, the Ravens did what needed to be done and that’s advance in the postseason, but there are areas to improve. Grade: B Have a news tip? Contact Mike Preston at epreston@baltsun.com, 410-332-6467 and x.com/MikePrestonSun. View the full article

Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson strode into M&T Bank Stadium clad in all black Saturday night. It turned out to be an appropriate motif for the voodoo burial he was about to preside over. Baltimore entered its AFC wild-card game against the Steelers winners of four straight but with the annual questions it faces this time of year about whether Jackson’s regular-season brilliance would fail to carry over to the playoffs as it had so many times before. Especially without his top receiver, Zay Flowers, who was ruled out earlier in the week with a knee injury, and in particular against a Pittsburgh team that had vexed Jackson and the Ravens in recent years. The game lasted 60 minutes, but it took half of that time to get a resounding answer: There was no slowing down the NFL’s top offense no matter what time of year it was. Behind a gashing and demoralizing 299 rushing yards, led by Derrick Henry’s 186 and two touchdowns on 26 carries, and Jackson’s 175 passing yards and two touchdowns along with 81 more rushing yards, the Ravens pounded their nemesis, rolling to a 28-14 victory in front of a crowd of 70,546. “It look like a movie clip,” Jackson said of watching Henry run the Steelers out of the building, adding that the speedy and bruising back reminded him of the movie “Cars” and the character Lightning McQueen. “You know when Lightning McQueen is just flying and flashing past, and it’s like ‘[whooshing sound].’ That’s how Derrick looked when he was running past all those guys. It looked like a movie. I’m not going to lie to you, but I’d rather be watching it than be on the other side of the ball; I know that. “I could just hand the ball off and he takes off; 20 yards, 30 yards and I’m just chillin’. Now when they attacking him, then I go. I’m fresh. It’s making my job a lot easier. We just piggyback off of each other.” The victory sets up a potential divisional round showdown on the road next weekend against the Bills and quarterback Josh Allen if Buffalo beats the Denver Broncos on Sunday. If the Broncos upset the second-seeded Bills, Baltimore will host the AFC South champion Houston Texans, who eliminated Jim Harbaugh and the Los Angeles Chargers. The Steelers, meanwhile, ended their season losers of five straight — and it was obvious from the start that this one would be different than many of the previous close and weird contests between rivals. The Ravens marched 95 yards on 13 plays and chewed up nearly half of the first quarter on their opening drive. Sixty-five of those yards came on the legs of Jackson — who at one point ran five straight times — and Henry, who ripped off a 34-yard run on a wildcat direct snap that was only just installed in the playbook two days earlier, though it was a familiar play. The Tennessee Titans had run a version of it with success against the Ravens in London last season. Then the All-Pro quarterback and NFL Most Valuable Player Award candidate connected with Rashod Bateman streaking across the back of the end zone for a touchdown, capping what was the longest drive against the Steelers in the playoffs since the 2005 divisional round. “If you can run the ball, it makes the offense a lot simpler because you can just run the ball,” said tight end Charlie Kolar, who played his first game since suffering a broken forearm in a late November win over the Chargers. “It sounds cliche, but whoever controls the line of scrimmage usually wins the game.” It was the first time Baltimore had scored on an opening drive in any playoff game Jackson had started. It also set the tone. The Ravens’ second scoring drive was nearly as long, covering 85 yards, again on 13 plays, and chewed up 7:56. Henry finished it off with an 8-yard run through the left side of the line. Baltimore’s next possession lasted just nine plays, but it again nearly went the length of the field. It covered 90 yards in 1:51 with Jackson eluding trouble and eventually finding an open Justice Hill for a 5-yard touchdown pass with just two seconds left on the first-half clock. “You can’t get over how physically tough he is, how mentally tough he is,” Ravens coach John Harbaugh said of his quarterback. “He’s in there running the ball, he’s getting hit and he’s taking shots and he gets back up and he jumps up and makes a play, runs around and throws a touchdown pass. “In his head he knows what 11 seconds is. The clock was going a little faster in my mind. … All I could say is ‘wow.'” Jackson’s toughness was on display in the second quarter in particular, when he took a knee to the back that led to him wrapping his torso and right ribs in a heating pad. He said afterward that he was “good” and called it a little “nag.” Meanwhile, all the Steelers could do was try to catch their breath. The Ravens finished the first half with 308 yards, while the Steelers managed a paltry 60. Baltimore had 19 first downs in the first half, while Pittsburgh had just two. The Ravens held the ball for 20:27, the Steelers just 9:33. The Ravens’ offensive line also shut down the Steelers’ normally attacking defense, most notably keeping star edge rusher T.J. Watt to a stunning one pressure, zero sacks and no tackles on 63 snaps. Ravens defensive lineman Nnamdi Madubuike sacks Steelers quarterback Russell Wilson in the third quarter. (Kenneth K. Lam/Staff) “Lamar was seeing it,” Henry said. “He was doing a great job of pulling it and taking plays and getting the most out of a play and guys did a great job blocking for it to open up.” The same couldn’t be said for Pittsburgh. Even when there were opportunities to move the ball, it was largely a struggle, particularly against an ascending defense that was the NFL’s best over the final two months of the regular season. On a third-and-2 from their own 29-yard line early in the second quarter from their own 29, quarterback Russell Wilson (20 of 29 passing, 270 yards, two touchdowns) hit Pat Freiermuth in the right flat, but safety Ar’Darius Washington raced in and dropped the much bigger tight end for a gain of just 1 yard. Things didn’t go any better for the Steelers on their next possession, either. On third-and-8 from their own 44, Wilson’s moonball to George Pickens up the right side of the field landed perfectly in the receiver’s hands for a 49-yard gain and the offensive’s biggest play of the game to that point. Except he pushed off cornerback Marlon Humphrey, and was flagged for offensive pass interference. Two plays later, Pittsburgh punted again. Still, the Steelers showed some signs of life in the second half, albeit only momentarily. On their opening possession of the third quarter, Wilson hit Calvin Austin III for a 25-yard gain. Then, he dropped one into the hands of Mike Williams, who slipped past Tre’Davious White for 37 more. Finally, he connected with Van Jefferson, who zoomed past Brandon Stephens for an easy 30-yard touchdown catch. Then, the Steelers’ defense sacked Jackson for a 10-yard loss. Perhaps the ghosts of Steelers past were stirring. Ravens running back Justice Hill celebrates his 5-yard touchdown catch late in the first half. (Kenneth K. Lam/Staff) Before last month’s victory over Pittsburgh, Baltimore had dropped eight of nine games against the Steelers. Jackson had come into the game with just a 2-4 career record in the playoffs and a matching mark against Pittsburgh. In his six postseason starts, he’d thrown six interceptions and lost three fumbles. But that was then. He also never had a finisher like Henry. Related Articles Baltimore Ravens | The Baltimore Sun’s Ravens report card: Position-by-position grades for 28-14 playoff win over Steelers Baltimore Ravens | Instant analysis from Ravens’ 28-14 win over Steelers in wild-card round Baltimore Ravens | Police investigating after drone pauses Ravens-Steelers playoff game Baltimore Ravens | Kirk Herbstreit questions Steelers’ effort vs. Ravens in first half: ‘I don’t see any fight’ Baltimore Ravens | John Harbaugh explains Ravens’ captain patches vs. Steelers On second-and-20 midway through the third quarter, Jackson hit Tylan Wallace on a short pass that the receiver pushed to a 21-yard gain. Two plays later, the Steelers’ defense parted and Henry raced 44 yards up the middle for another touchdown. The Steelers shot right back, going 70 yards in just five plays. Wilson again launched one deep and connected with Pickens, who raced past rookie Nate Wiggins, for a 36-yard touchdown that cut the deficit to 28-14 with 3:32 left in the third quarter. But that was as close as Pittsburgh would get the rest of the night. And throughout it all chants of “MVP! MVP!” repeatedly broke out. Jackson finally played like one in the playoffs. “He is very much in control,” Harbaugh said. “He has a great handle on the game plan, but when the play starts, he’s just seeing things.” So is everyone else. Have a news tip? Contact Brian Wacker at bwacker@baltsun.com, 410-332-6200 and x.com/brianwacker1. Divisional round Ravens vs. Bills/Broncos TBA TV: TBA Radio: 97.9 FM, 101.5 FM, 1090 AM Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson, left, celebrates a touchdown run by Derrick Henry, second from right, in the third quarter. (Kenneth K. Lam/Staff) View the full article

Here’s what The Baltimore Sun sports staff had to say immediately after the Ravens’ 28-14 win over the Pittsburgh Steelers in Saturday night’s AFC wild-card game at M&T Bank Stadium. Brian Wacker, reporter: The Ravens bullied the Steelers from the start. Behind their league-leading ground game, Baltimore controlled the tempo, the clock and the game. The Ravens also broke the Steelers’ spirits with the way Lamar Jackson and Derrick Henry overpowered them. They also perhaps vanquished some ghosts of playoffs past, or at least against their biggest rival. The regular season can often be a rouge for a team’s weaknesses, but the postseason exposes warts. Pittsburgh, which had lost four in a row coming in, was badly exposed. Even with the Ravens missing Zay Flowers, the Steelers showed little ability or fight to stop the NFL’s best offense. Chants of “MVP!” broke out for Jackson throughout the night as he finally played like one in the playoffs, while an ascending defense continued its dominance. Childs Walker, reporter: Apparently, the Ravens were not nervous. They outgained their most vexing rival 308 yards to 60 before halftime as they built a three-touchdown lead. The Ravens opened with a show of strength, driving 95 yards, 68 of those on the ground, to go up 7-0. The Steelers could not figure out how to account for both Derrick Henry and Lamar Jackson. It was the most impressive half of playoff football the Ravens have played in the Jackson era. The Baltimore defense took away everything Pittsburgh wanted to do until Russell Wilson finally went over the top of cornerbacks Tre’Davious White and Brandon Stephens on a touchdown drive early in the third quarter. No problem. The Ravens answered with another display of ground force, finished by Henry’s 44-yard touchdown charge through the heart of the defense. There were tense moments with Pittsburgh down just 28-14 and driving in the fourth quarter, but the Ravens’ defense held when it needed to. This was exactly the launch the Ravens needed with more difficult competition ahead on the road to an elusive Super Bowl. Mike Preston, columnist: All you need to know is that the Ravens had 300 yards of total offense in the first half and had a 21-0 lead. Zay Flowers? Who needs him? The Ravens took apart one of the NFL’s most storied franchises Saturday night, and they made it look easy. They ran at will with quarterback Lamar Jackson and running back Derrick Henry, which opened up the passing game. Jackson easily took the Steelers apart with short passes over the middle and in the flats. Defensively, the Ravens shut down Pittsburgh’s running game and controlled the Steelers’ short passing offense. The game played out like most during the regular season. There are four good teams in the NFL: the Ravens, Kansas City Chiefs, Detroit Lions and Philadelphia Eagles. It’s like I’ve been saying since the Ravens lost the season opener to the Chiefs: It will be Baltimore against Kansas City in the AFC championship game. Then we’ll see if the Ravens are good enough to deny the Chiefs the opportunity to three-peat as Super Bowl champions for the first time in NFL history. Sam Cohn, reporter: This is why Baltimore signed Derrick Henry in the offseason. Specifically for nights like Saturday’s, in frigid conditions, in which the hulking 245-pound bell cow back could play bully ball and go win the Ravens a playoff game behind 186 yards on 26 carries and two scores. The Ravens’ second-quarter scoring drive went 85 yards because of 13 plays — all on the ground — split between Henry, Lamar Jackson and one direct snap by Mark Andrews. Of course, this quasi beat down wasn’t all Henry. Jackson had his fair share of plays that warranted “MVP” chants using all of his appendages. He spread the ball around in a manner that quickly eased any worries of an offense without Pro Bowl selection Zay Flowers. And outside of a few gaffes in the back end, the defense kept Pittsburgh’s offense quiet. The Ravens won’t get any more questions about the Steelers having their number any time soon. C.J. Doon, editor: Only the Ravens can fill a two-score playoff victory with some anxiety. When it was 21-0 at halftime, Kirk Herbstreit and Tony Gonzalez were questioning the Steelers’ fight and lack of urgency. But things flipped quickly in the second half when Brandon Stephens and Kyle Hamilton had a miscommunication on Russell Wilson’s 30-yard touchdown pass to Van Jefferson. Then, even after a brilliant 44-yard touchdown run by Derrick Henry, Wilson again marched the Steelers down the field and hit George Pickens for a 36-yard touchdown pass after he raced past rookie Nate Wiggins and shrugged off a bad tackle attempt by Ar’Darius Washington. Stephens was later beat by Pickens on a jump ball down the sideline. All of the sudden, old fears about a shoddy defense and leaky secondary started to bubble to the surface. To make matters worse, the Ravens offense that completely dominated the first half — piling up 308 total yards, including 164 on the ground — started to sputter. Henry was stuffed on third-and-short to start the second half, and then Lamar Jackson threw a bad pass behind Isaiah Likely to end a woeful three-and-out. If not for Henry’s long run, the pressure on Jackson and company would have been almost unbearable. That third-down pass to Justice Hill and Mark Andrews’ fourth-down sneak (and/or the Steelers’ 12 men on the field penalty) to keep the chains moving early in the fourth quarter were huge, if just to settle Jackson down and kill some clock. Those are the kinds of winning plays that have been missing during some of the Ravens’ most painful losses over the years. That drive ended with a punt, but time mattered more than points at that juncture. Does this game change your feelings about the Ravens’ Super Bowl chances? It doesn’t for me, at least not significantly. They still need to prove they can be consistent, not only week-to-week but over the course of a full 60 minutes. Their ceiling is still the highest in the league when Jackson and Henry are carrying the ball. The question is whether they can sustain those peaks long enough — and give Henry enough carries — to take down Buffalo and Kansas City. Maybe I’m being too negative, but this game would be a far different experience with Josh Allen or Patrick Mahomes on the opposing sideline. Tim Schwartz, editor: What a first half. That was about as dominant as the Ravens have looked with their star backfield duo of Lamar Jackson and Derrick Henry. Things got a little squirrelly in the second half, but they never lost their double-digit lead and the result never felt in doubt — and that’s all you can ask for when it’s win or go home. The Steelers looked like they were planning their vacations in the first half while the Ravens simply ran them over with ease. If Jackson can stay upright and healthy — he did have a heating wrap on the sideline and appeared to get kneed in the back in the first half — he should continue to run the ball when the defense allows him. It’s nearly impossible to stop when the other option is Henry. Defensively, Ar’Darius Washington continues his rise, and the front did its job getting in Wilson’s face. A win is a win, but this Ravens team with his recipe seems destined for several more victories this postseason. Related Articles Baltimore Ravens | The Baltimore Sun’s Ravens report card: Position-by-position grades for 28-14 playoff win over Steelers Baltimore Ravens | Ravens run over rival Steelers, 28-14, in wild-card playoff game Baltimore Ravens | Police investigating after drone pauses Ravens-Steelers playoff game Baltimore Ravens | Kirk Herbstreit questions Steelers’ effort vs. Ravens in first half: ‘I don’t see any fight’ Baltimore Ravens | John Harbaugh explains Ravens’ captain patches vs. Steelers Bennett Conlin, editor: Is Derrick Henry the missing piece for the Ravens to make a Super Bowl run? He sure looked like it Saturday, throwing a vintage stiff-arm on Baltimore’s first drive, which ended in a gorgeous touchdown pass from Jackson to Rashod Bateman. The bruising tailback finished off the Ravens’ second scoring drive — a 13-play drive with only runs — with an 8-yard run through the middle of the Steelers’ defense. Henry hit 100 rushing yards in the opening half, making Baltimore’s offense look nearly unstoppable with Jackson scrambling and throwing pinpoint passes. Even without Zay Flowers, the Ravens were explosive offensively. Jackson didn’t look like he was pressing — a concern in previous playoff games — instead playing calmly and taking what was available through the air and on the ground. The defense held up its end of the bargain, shutting out the Steelers in the first half and holding on in the final 30 minutes. Yes, the skidding Steelers aren’t the Bills or Chiefs. It’s one thing to beat a Pittsburgh team that coughed up the AFC North title down the stretch. It’s another to beat two of the best quarterbacks in the NFL on the road, which is the scenario likely facing Baltimore in the next two weeks. But the Bills and Chiefs should be equally worried about this version of the Ravens. They’ll need their best to beat the NFL’s most dynamic backfield. Have a news tip? Contact sports editor C.J. Doon at cdoon@baltsun.com, 410-332-6200 and x.com/CJDoon. View the full article

A drone flying above M&T Bank Stadium halted a Steelers’ drive in the third quarter of the Ravens’ eventual 28-14 wild-card playoff victory on Saturday night — an issue that has plagued Baltimore’s games before. “The Maryland Stadium Authority can confirm that at 10:04 p.m. an unauthorized drone flew above the seating bowl at M&T Bank Stadium prompting a stoppage of play and that law enforcement is investigating,” the MSA said. The most recent home Ravens playoff game — the AFC championship against the Kansas City Chiefs last January — was also paused when a Pennsylvania man flew a drone over the stadium leading to an “administrative timeout.” The man, Matthew Hebert, pleaded guilty to the misdemeanor, paid a $500 fine and received one year of probation. Because of that incident, the FBI issued a warning during the past week for fans to leave their drones at home. The FBI placed a Temporary Flight Restriction and deemed Baltimore’s football stadium a “No Drone Zone.” Federal law restricts unmanned aircraft systems, such as drones, from flying at or below a 3-mile radius of any stadium with a seating capacity of 30,000 or more people. The MSA invoked an increase in police presence and security personnel. That decision came in the aftermath of a terrorist attack in New Orleans earlier this month. But Saturday’s stoppage was not the first time unauthorized drone flights have disrupted Ravens game days. There were eight temporary flight restriction violations and unauthorized drone flights during five of Baltimore’s regular-season games, but most of them occurred in the early portion of the season. Incidents occurred in a pair of preseason games, as well as home games on Sept. 15 and 29, Oct. 13 and Nov. 3. M&T Bank Stadium has not had a drone incident reported since the Ravens’ “Thursday Night Football” win against the Bengals on Nov. 7. M&T Bank Stadium also dealt with drone issues last year, including in the AFC championship game and during a November meeting between the Ravens and Cincinnati. In some instances, including the pilot who violated the regulation during the 2023 Bengals-Ravens game, drone pilots are unaware of the restrictions and unknowingly violate the policy. Their lack of knowledge hasn’t prevented minor delays to Ravens’ games, as officials seek to maintain a safe stadium. The delay Saturday night did not slow down the Ravens, who advanced to the divisional round. If the Denver Broncos upset the Bills on Sunday, Baltimore would host the Houston Texans next weekend, though it would travel to Buffalo if the Bills win. This article will be updated. Have a news tip? Contact Sam Cohn at scohn@baltsun.com, 410-332-6200 and x.com/samdcohn. View the full article

Kirk Herbstreit is not impressed with the Pittsburgh Steelers. Late in the second quarter of Saturday night’s AFC wild-card game, the Prime Video and longtime “College GameDay” analyst questioned the team’s effort as they fell behind 14-0 against the archrival Ravens. “Where the hell is the fight?” Herbstreit said between plays. “This is the Pittsburgh Steelers. There’s nothing. They’re just going through the motions.” When interviewed by sideline reporter Kaylee Hartung at halftime, Tomlin did not have many answers. “It’s Lamar, man,” he said when asked how he could potentially stop the Ravens’ rushing attack. “He’s making plays. We’ve just got to be more solid. As for making a comeback? “We’ve gotta take it one snap at a time. That’s all we can do.” Have a news tip? Contact sports editor C.J. Doon at cdoon@baltsun.com, 410-332-6200 and x.com/CJDoon. View the full article

The Ravens’ uniforms will have a new look for the postseason. Quarterback Lamar Jackson was one of several players to sport a white “C” patch denoting team captains when he jogged out of the tunnel for Saturday night’s wild-card playoff game against the rival Pittsburgh Steelers. While many NFL teams have worn captain patches since they were formally introduced in 2007, the Ravens have not been one of them. Coach John Harbaugh has instead elected to have weekly captains who handle the pregame coin toss at midfield. Teams are permitted, but not required, to have players wear the patch. However, Saturday marked the beginning of a new era. Along with Jackson, tight end Mark Andrews, linebackers Roquan Smith and Chris Board, cornerback Marlon Humphrey and running back Derrick Henry wore a patch on their purple jerseys. While the Ravens have largely stuck with the same uniform for most of their nearly 30-year history in Baltimore, they did introduce an alternate purple and gold helmet this season that they wore in a “Thursday Night Football” win over the Cincinnati Bengals on Nov. 7. Have a news tip? Contact sports editor C.J. Doon at cdoon@baltsun.com, 410-332-6200 and x.com/CJDoon. View the full article

The Ravens (12-5) take on the AFC North rival Steelers (10-7) on Saturday night in a wild-card playoff game at M&T Bank Stadium in Baltimore. The game will be streamed live on Prime Video and broadcast on ABC in the Baltimore area. The winner will advance to next weekend’s AFC divisional round. Follow along here for live postgame coverage and analysis. View the full article

Canadian rapper, actor and entrepreneur Drake is betting heavily on the Ravens, but fans fear a jinx in their future. The pop icon is known to place large bets on marquee sporting events and says he is confident Lamar Jackson will glide past the Pittsburgh Steelers in an AFC wild-card game. Drake posted on Instagram that he placed a $210,000 bet on the Ravens to beat the Steelers for an estimated payout of just over $630,000. In the past, Drake has shown respect for the Ravens, and even brought Jackson onto the stage during a concert in Washington, D.C., in July. Many Ravens fans were unhappy with the betting scenario on social media, expressing worry that Drake’s bet might have jinxed the team in a scenario known as “the Drake curse.” A website called thedrakecurse.com explains that Drake’s public support for any team or player inevitably leads to a downfall. In November, Drake reportedly beat heavily on the Mike Tyson vs Jake Paul fight, sharing a screenshot of his betting slip, which showed he had risked $355,000 on Tyson. If Tyson beat his opponent, Drake would have cashed in on $1,011,750. Paul landed nearly four times as many punches as Tyson and was named the champion. In 2019, Drake became the subject of memes blaming him for Alabama’s loss after he reportedly favored them to beat Clemson in the College Football Playoff National Championship. The Tigers beat the Crimson Tide 44-16. However, Drake doesn’t always lose. When the Dallas Mavericks beat the Boston Celtics 122-84 in Game 4 of the NBA finals in June 2024, Drake won $1.3 million, according to a betting slip he posted on Instagram. He also won $1.2 millon when Alex Pereira beat Jamahal Hill in UFC 307 last April. Despite rooting for a win Saturday, some fans are not happy with Drake’s recent bet. “@Drake stay away from The Ravens, go bet on The Bills,” one fan wrote on X. The Ravens are favored by 10 points over the Steelers, according to the latest line by BetMGM. However, Pittsburgh has won eight of the last 10 meeting with the Ravens and the teams split this season’s two regular-season meetings. Have a news tip? Contact Todd Karpovich at tkarpovich@baltsun.com or on X as @ToddKarpovich. View the full article

The Broadway musical to Baltimore playoff game pipeline is strong. Orioles fans may remember the name Kayla Pecchioni. She fondly became known as “the understudy” for her role as Daisy in the Broadway musical, “The Great Gatsby.” In late September, outfielder Colton Cowser spent his day off at the theater, then homered the following evening against the New York Yankees, helping sew up a playoff berth. A gleeful Cowser shouted out Pecchioni during his postgame interview from inside a champagne-showered clubhouse. The whole interaction went viral. And days later, Pecchioni was in Baltimore to sing the national anthem for Game 2 of the American League wild-card series. With her that fall day was Pecchioni’s best friend and cast mate from Hampstead, Maryland. Samantha Pollino was the one who first showed Pecchioni Cowser’s viral moment. She tagged along to the Orioles playoff game, starstruck meeting Cal Ripken. Now, on Saturday night, she’ll sing the National Anthem before the Ravens’ AFC wild-card game against the Pittsburgh Steelers. “They messaged me,” Pollino said, “and I was kind of like, ‘This is too much of a dream for me. I’ll believe it when I see it.’” Pollino posted the announcement on social media accompanied by a picture of her as a child wearing an oversized T-shirt of Ravens legends Jamal Lewis and Ray Lewis. And a purple hat with a retro logo drowns her peanut-sized head. “It feels very full circle,” she said. “I always joke, but it’s true, I don’t know that anybody is more proud of Baltimore than I am.” Pollino went on to make her Broadway debut in 2006 in the musical “Hot Feet” — she was 11 years old. In 2016, she was an original member of the “Hamilton” Chicago cast. And before Saturday, she’s only sang the National Anthem at a few Johns Hopkins lacrosse games and one Yankees game. The grass field at M&T Bank Stadium might be her magnum opus as sports fan. After performing in “The Great Gatsby” Friday night, her and her fiancé will train to Baltimore on Saturday morning in time for an afternoon sound check then a primetime kick off with the Ravens’ season on the line. “I don’t see a world where they don’t go all the way this year,” Pollino said, after offering her own prognosis of the current team led by a “thrilling” Lamar Jackson with Derrick Henry and Mark Andrews each playing at a high level opposite Baltimore’s upswing defense. Samantha Pollino catching a glimpse of the Ravens vs. Bengals game during a Broadway performance of “Hamilton.” (Courtesy: Samantha Pollino) Pollino’s fandom is no joke. She’s been known to stream the Ravens on her iPad backstage. During shows, dressed in full costume waiting to go back out, she’ll be tuned into Jackson piloting the NFL’s best offense. She grew up going to training camp for a close-up view under the August sun. As a college student at University of Cincinnati during Super Bowl 47, Pollino requested a car full of theater kids, “who did not care about football,” turn the radio dial to hear the Ravens beat the San Francisco 49ers. Even Pollino’s first Ravens game was against their archnemesis of the AFC North. It was 2002, and her late grandfather was in the hospital. The family had Ravens tickets to a late-season game shortly after Christmas. Her mom had to stay with Pollino’s grandfather, but her father and daughter made it to M&T Bank Stadium on a frigid December night. “I’ve gone to many Ravens and Steelers games since,” she said. “So it feels kind of surreal that I’m going to be singing at one.” Have a news tip? Contact Sam Cohn at scohn@baltsun.com, 410-332-6200 and x.com/samdcohn. View the full article