NFL playoffs: Ravens, Texans cruise into divisional round with big wins

That was a costly possession for the Steelers, who took 2:30 off the clock with nothing to show for it. A false start penalty followed by a sack set Pittsburgh back too far on its last set of downs, and Russell Wilson couldn’t connect with Calvin Austin on an end zone heave on 4th-and-15.

The Ravens now have the ball on their own 43 with 6:06 left in the fourth. Baltimore leads 28-14.

The Ravens punted after a nine-play drive stalled near midfield, but the drive took over six minutes off the clock, which is a win for Baltimore.

The Steelers have the ball on their own 25 trailing 28-14 with 8:36 to go.

Normally we don’t condone punting down two scores in the fourth quarter in this space, but the Steelers were in a tough spot facing a 4th-and-16 from their own 36.

The Ravens have the ball back and a 28-14 lead. Let’s see if they try to chew clock on this drive.

The Steelers finally woke up in the third quarter, scoring two touchdowns and getting a couple stops. Pittsburgh is in the game, but will likely punt to open the fourth after Russell Wilson was sacked on third down on the last play of the third quarter.

A false start penalty set the Ravens back five yards and they couldn’t make it up, and they punted after a three-and-out for the first time tonight. The Steelers finally got the stop they’ve been desperate for tonight.

Pittsburgh trails 28-14, but a touchdown here would make it a one-score game. The Steelers will start this drive from their own 25.

Russell Wilson is starting to cook a little bit.

The Steelers now have touchdowns on back-to-back possessions after Wilson lofted a perfect pass to George Pickens down the right sideline for a 36-yard catch-and-score.

It’s now a 28-14 Ravens lead. Can Pittsburgh get some stops?

That was quick!

Four plays after the Steelers finally got on the board, the Ravens pushed their lead back to 21. After a first down sack, a 21-yard pass and a 15-yard run, Derrick Henry ended the drive with a 44-yard touchdown burst up the middle of the field.

Henry has 155 yards and two touchdowns, and Baltimore has a 28-7 lead.

It’s not over yet!

What a drive by the Steelers, who went 98 yards in nine plays for their first score of the night. Russell Wilson found Van Jefferson down the left sideline for 30 yards and a touchdown.

Pittsburgh gained more yards on this drive than it did the entire first half.

It’s now a 21-7 Ravens lead.

The Ravens, despite dominating on the ground, decided not to go for it on 4th-and-2 near midfield after a five-play, 19-yard drive to start the second half. Baltimore’s punt was a good one, at least, pinning the Steelers on their own 3-yard line.

That’s where Pittsburgh will start on offense trailing 21-0.

This is a dominant effort by the Ravens, who lead by three touchdowns at the half.

First downs: Baltimore 19, Pittsburgh 2.

Total yards: Ravens 308, Steelers 59.

Time of possession: Baltimore 20:27, Pittsburgh 9:33.

We’ll see if there’s anything the Steelers can do to stop the bleeding in the second half. The Ravens will receive the opening kickoff.

This is a complete and total domination by the Ravens so far.

Needing 90 yards to get to the end zone with only 1:53 on the clock, Lamar Jackson orchestrated a touchdown drive in a brief nine plays.

On 2nd-and-goal from the Steelers’ five, Jackson danced around in the backfield until he found Justice Hill for a walk-in touchdown.

Baltimore leads 21-0.

There are less than two minutes left in the first half and the Steelers’ offense is asleep.

Pittsburgh just punted for the fourth time tonight. Russell Wilson almost hit a deep shot to George Pickens on this most recent drive, but a blatant Pickens push-off was flagged for pass interference. The Steelers now only have two first downs on their first four possessions.

The Ravens have the ball on their own 11, two timeouts and a 14-0 lead with 1:53 to go.

Wow!

That drive felt like a capital-M Message by the Ravens. Baltimore went 85 yards in 13 plays — picking up every single yard on the ground en route to the end zone. Derrick Henry scored the touchdown on an eight-yard run.

The Ravens have 156 yards on 24 carries so far, and now a 14-0 lead.

The Steelers go three-and-out for the second straight drive.

Pittsburgh had a 4th-and-inches — real emphasis on inches — but Mike Tomlin didn’t want to go for it from his own 29-yard line. That’s also now the second time a Pat Freiermuth reception on third down ended up short of the sticks.

The Ravens have the ball back on their own 15 with a 7-0 lead.

Baltimore was unable to convert a 3rd-and-12 and punted from the Steelers’ 44 on 4th-and-6. That’s a nice stop for a Pittsburgh defense that was on its heels on the Ravens’ first possession.

The Steelers need their offense to get going, though. Baltimore still leads 7-0.

Quick first quarter, with only three full possessions so far. Baltimore’s long touchdown drive was sandwiched by two Pittsburgh punts.

The Ravens will have a 3rd-and-11 from their own 49 when the second quarter begins.

Not a clean start for the Steelers offense.

Pittsburgh goes three-and-out after the Reshod Bateman touchdown. Russell Wilson threw complete to Pat Freiermuth on third down, but he was tackled two yards short of the line to gain.

The Ravens take over on their own 15 with a 7-0 lead.

After pounding the ball on the ground for much of their first drive, the Ravens got into the end zone via the air.

Lamar Jackson found Reshod Bateman in the back of the end zone on 3rd-and-13 for a 15-yard score to cap a 13-play, 95-yard drive.

Baltimore also ran nine times for 68 yards on the drive, which took over seven minutes off the clock. The Ravens lead 7-0.

The Steelers picked up one first down on their opening drive, but punted after they were not able to convert a 3rd-and-6. Russell Wilson tried to pick up the first with his legs but only ran for two yards.

The Ravens muffed the punt but recovered, and they’ll start on offense for the first time from their own 5-yard line.

Our second game of the day is underway in Baltimore. The Steelers have the ball first, and their first play was an incomplete pass to Pat Freiermuth.

Pittsburgh has repeatedly been able to frustrate Ravens quarterback and perennial MVP candidate Lamar Jackson during his career in ways few others have. Jackson is often saddled with the criticism that he can’t win when it matters, but this year he’s become a more accurate passer than ever and is complemented by a better ground game than ever. The thought of watching Jackson at his most talented and most motivated equals entertaining TV.

Also, Chargers-Texans. Does anyone think either team has a chance to win it all this season? I didn’t think so, either. But if you were to survey NFL executives about which AFC teams have the best chance to contend in the next five years, my guess is the Chargers and Texans would be at the top of the list. This meeting, then, is a chance to see which team is prepared to take that first step. A playoff victory could serve as a springboard for the future. 

That’s all, folks.

The Texans advance to the divisional round after a thrashing of the Chargers. The defenses dominated, but especially Houston’s, which picked off Justin Herbert four times.

We’re now onto the Steelers and Ravens!

That should about do it.

Justin Herbert tried to throw deep down the right sideline but was picked off by Derek Stingley for the second time, his fourth interception overall.

The Texans need one first down to run out the clock.

That’s the dagger.

On 4th-and-1 from the Chargers’ 17, Joe Mixon took a handoff and and muscled through a couple Los Angeles defenders for a touchdown.

The Texans now lead 32-12. There are less than four minutes to go and the Chargers have no timeouts.

What a sequence of events!!!

After taking two crushing sacks back-to-back, Justin Herbert uncorked a perfect pass over the middle of the field to Ladd McConkey, who caught the ball and outran the entire Texans defense for an 86-yard touchdown.

And then the Chargers’ subsequent extra-point attempt was blocked, and Houston ran it back for two points.

It’s now a 25-12 Texans lead.

A nice hold for the Chargers defense after Justin Herbert’s third interception.

The Texans had a 2nd-and-1 from the 4-yard line but settled for three after a sack and an incomplete pass.

Houston now has a 23-6 lead. Los Angeles has 12:00 left in the fourth to make a run.

The Chargers are melting down.

Will Dissly dropped his second pass of the day — and it was very costly this time — as the ball fell right into the awaiting hands of Derek Stingley.

That’s the Texans’ third interception of the game.

It’s been an exciting game if you’re a fan of defense.

The Texans lead by two touchdowns headed into the fourth, their most recent score coming off a pick six.

The Chargers have the ball to start the final quarter, but they haven't scored since the first.

Both teams have multiple turnovers.

It should be an interesting finish.

Oh no!

On a first down throw, Justin Herbert threw too high for Ladd McConkey and right into the hands of Eric Murray, who promptly ran the ball back 38 yards for a touchdown.

The Texans now lead 20-6.

Three plays, seven yards and a Texans punt.

It’s not been the prettiest second half so far.

The Chargers now start from their own 28.

Absolutely nothing going for the Chargers offense right now, who’ve been held scoreless since the first quarter. Los Angeles just went three-and-out after Justin Herbert was sacked on 3rd-and-6.

The Texans have the ball and a 13-6 lead.

After the interception-that-wasn’t and despite at one point facing a 2nd-and-40, the Texans managed to get three points on their latest drive.

Ka'Imi Fairbairn was good from 37 yards out after a couple passes got Houston back into the red zone.

The Texans now have a 13-6 lead with 4:48 left in the third.

Wow!

What a turn of events. The Texans’ fourth turnover of the game is no more. Derwin James’s interception was ruled incomplete as he did not survive the ground on the catch.

The penalty still stands, so Houston will have a 2nd-and-30 coming out of the review.

ANOTHER turnover for the Texans, their fourth of the game.

C.J. Stroud tried to find Dalton Schultz in the end zone down the right sideline, but was picked off by Derwin James. That’s Stroud’s second INT of the day.

After a penalty on Houston, the Chargers will start with the ball on their own 35.

Does either team want to win this game?

The Chargers couldn’t pick up a 4th-and-2 from the Houston 34 and turn the ball over on downs five plays after the Tony Jefferson fumble recovery.

Justin Herbert threw complete to Quentin Johnston on fourth down, but Johnston’s route was short of the sticks and he was tackled promptly by Derek Stingley.

Los Angeles has only three points off three turnovers so far today.

One play after a 41-yard catch-and-run by Nico Collins, the Texans have turned the ball over for the third time.

Joe Mixon was stripped on a short run by Tony Jefferson, who also recovered the ball. Mixon appeared to look to throw on the play before finally taking off to run.

The Chargers have the ball trailing 10-6.

The Texans have the ball first. Their opening play from scrimmage was a five-yard run by Joe Mixon.

The Texans’ offense is now alive and well.

After a quick three-and-out by the Chargers, C.J. Stroud led a 45-yard drive in five plays to get Houston in field goal range before the end of the second quarter. Stroud made the play of the drive with a 27-yard scramble to get the offense into Los Angeles territory.

After trailing for most of the first half, Houston now has a 10-6 lead going into halftime.

The Chargers punted only three plays after the Nico Collins touchdown. Justin Herbert threw incomplete three straight times, and is now only 1 of his last 9 passing.

The Texans have three timeouts and 27 seconds to add to their lead in the first half.

What a drive by the Texans!

Houston goes 99 yards in 13 plays to take the lead late in the first half. C.J. Stroud made some incredible throws, including one on 3rd-and-16 for 34 yards that came after a fumbled snap.

Nico Collins ended the drive with a 13-yard touchdown catch.

Despite a variety of struggles for most of the half, the Texans now lead 7-6.

The defenses are dominating this game right now.

The Chargers are punting for the third time. They did manage to convert a third down on their most recent drive, the game’s first third-down conversion.

The Texans take over on their own 1-yard line looking for their first points of the game.

Bad showing by the Texans offense so far.

Houston punted only four plays after the Kamari Lassiter interception. Khalil Mack sacked C.J. Stroud on a second down to set the drive back.

The Chargers now start on their own 25 with a 6-0 lead.

Wow!

One play after C.J. Stroud was picked off, Justin Herbert returned the favor with an interception of his own. Herbert tried to throw across the field to Quentin Johnston but Kamari Lassiter came down with the ball instead.

The Texans have the ball back still trailing 6-0.

What is going on with the Texans offense today?

Houston just turned the ball over for the second time, as C.J. Stroud was picked off throwing toward John Metchie along the left sideline. Deane Leonard came away with the pick for the Chargers, tapping his feet in bounds to make the catch.

The Texans have two turnovers and two punts in their four possessions so far today. The Chargers take over on their own 40 with a 6-0 lead.

We got a little bit of a puntfest breaking out. The Chargers just punted for the second time, the fourth straight possession to end in a punt.

Let’s see if the Texans can get something going from their own 12.

The Texans decided against going for it on 4th-and-6 and instead punted to start the second quarter.

The Chargers now have the ball on their own eight with a 6-0 lead. Can Los Angeles finally get into the end zone?

The Texans will have a 4th-and-6 in Chargers territory when the second quarter begins.

Houston is lucky to be this close. The Texans turned the ball over on their first play and Los Angeles has moved the ball well on offense. But the Chargers haven’t been able to capitalize with touchdowns.

The Chargers punted after picking up one first down via penalty. The drive ended after two straight incompletions by Justin Herbert.

The Texans’ special teams got hands on the punt, but it still went 35 yards. Houston will take over on its own 28.

Well, at least they didn’t turn it over.

The Texans go three-and-out on their second drive, picking up only three yards. C.J. Stroud was nearly picked off on third down but was bailed out by a drop.

The Chargers will now take over with a 6-0 lead.

Remember this possession if we’re in a tight game in the fourth quarter.

The Chargers were gifted great field position after a Texans fumble, but settled for three on the possession. Following a first-down sack, Justin Herbert hit a wide-open Will Dissly in the hands on 2nd-and-19...but Dissly dropped what was a likely first down.

After a short pass on third down, Los Angeles settled for three.

The Chargers are now up 6-0, but it feels like it should be a bigger lead after the start they’ve had on both sides of the ball.

Wow!

The Texans’ first play could not have gone much worse. John Metchie caught a short pass and immediately fumbled, giving the ball back up to the Chargers.

Los Angeles now has the ball in Houston territory with a 3-0 lead.

The Chargers had a 3rd-and-1 from the Texans’ 14-yard line, but a J.K. Dobbins run was stuffed for a loss of two so Los Angeles decided to kick.

It was a nice drive until then, with the Chargers picking up 57 yards in 10 plays, moving the ball with relative ease.

Los Angeles now leads 3-0.

Here we go! The Texans have kicked off to the Chargers and the playoffs are underway.

Justin Herbert and the Los Angeles offense will get started from their own 27.

Look, I don’t expect any of the coaches who lose this weekend to be fired. This is a very good playoff field. But Harbaugh is getting another year of MVP-caliber play from Jackson and can’t afford to squander that with a loss to a sliding Steelers squad. Every time Lamar suits up in the playoffs between now and when he wins a Super Bowl, there are going to be questions about whether or not he can get it done in the postseason. And while those struggles (however real or ginned up) are not entirely on Harbaugh, I think he has the most to lose with an early exit. 

Football fans outside of Baltimore are probably tired of hearing it, but this might finally be the Ravens’ year. They were arguably second to only Detroit on offense this season, and tightened up significantly on defense down the stretch. Jackson could win his third MVP. Coach Harbaugh has seen everything. You do not want to play the Ravens this postseason.

Tomlin's last playoff came on Jan. 15, 2017. This isn’t to suggest that a fifth consecutive playoff loss would endanger Tomlin’s job; he is the rare institution in a league that churns through coaches. And yet, this season has been a microcosm of his 18-season career coaching the Steelers.

After making all the right moves early, it’s been a backslide as of late. This fall, the midseason switch from Justin Fields to Russell Wilson looked like a masterstroke at quarterback — until they limped into wild-card weekend with a four-game losing streak.

It’s hard not to be romantic about these two teams.

I know Pittsburgh is entering the playoffs on a four-game losing streak, but I’m all for a matchup featuring two physical, cold-weather teams that already have a built-in dislike for one another.

Add in the funkiness associated with divisional games, I believe we could get a close one even if Baltimore is the much better team on paper.

The Steelers also provide a promising beginning to the narrative arc if this is finally the year Lamar Jackson makes a Super Bowl.

Jackson could do worse than beating a formidable AFC North rival in the opening round, not to mention knocking off Russell Wilson, who even in the later part of his career deserves respect for his postseason resumé.

Whether it’s an upset or a smash-mouth game between bitter rivals, the spectrum of outcomes here is great. 

Houston defensive end Danielle Hunter has a sack in each of his past four postseason games. With a sack against the Los Angeles Chargers on Saturday, Hunter would become the seventh player since 1982 to record a sack in five consecutive postseason games.

The players with the most consecutive postseason games with a sack since 1982:

LaMarr Woodley, Pittsburgh, 7 (2007-10)

Mark Gastineau, N.Y. Jets, 6 (1982-86)

Frank Clark, Seattle, Kansas City, 5 (2016-19)

Willie McGinest, New England, 5 (2001-03)

Simeon Rice, Tampa Bay, 5 (2001-05)

Bruce Smith, Buffalo, 5 (1992-93)

Baltimore tight end Mark Andrews has a touchdown catch in each of his past six games. With a touchdown on Saturday against Pittsburgh, he would become the fourth tight end ever with a touchdown reception in seven consecutive games including the postseason:

Jimmy Graham, New Orleans Saints (eight consecutive games from 2011-12)

Rob Gronkowski, New England Patriots (eight from 2014-15)

Travis Kelce, Kansas City Chiefs (seven from 2021-22)

Baltimore running back Derrick Henry has 732 rushing yards in seven career playoff games. If he tops 68 yards on Saturday night against the Steelers, he'll become just the fifth player all-time with at least 800 rushing yards in his first eight career postseason games.

The others are all Hall of Famers: Terrell Davis (1,140), John Riggins (946), Marcus Allen (896) and Emmitt Smith (801).

Texans quarterback C.J. Stroud had a 109.3 passer rating in his first two playoffs starts last year after throwing for a combined 449 yards and three touchdowns. He was especially impressive in a wild-card win in which he recorded the highest passer rating (157.2) by a rookie in his postseason debut all-time.

If Stroud were to win on Sunday, he would become the sixth quarterback all-time to win a playoff game in each of his first two seasons.

The previous five to do so, according to the NFL:

Joe Flacco, Baltimore, 2008-09

Brock Purdy, San Francisco, 2022-23

Ben Roethlisberger, Pittsburgh, 2004-05

Mark Sanchez, New York Jets, 2009-10

Russell Wilson, Seattle, 2012-23