BALTIMORE — They instructed anybody who would pay attention that this was a unique workforce, that that they had realized from previous playoff failures, that they have been “locked in” on making a Tremendous Bowl. Then, over the primary half-hour of soccer Saturday on a frigid late afternoon in Baltimore, they seemed just like the playoff Ravens of the latest previous.
Their offense was confused and overwhelmed by the blitz. Their presumptive MVP quarterback, Lamar Jackson, seemed pissed off. Their particular groups gave up a game-changing punt return touchdown. The Houston Texans may as properly have been the 2018 Los Angeles Chargers, 2019 Tennessee Titans or 2020 Buffalo Payments. It was the identical film, only a completely different antagonist.
However the greatest distinction between these Ravens and former variations revealed itself behind closed doorways in an “edgy” locker room. That’s the place a fed-up Jackson, who teammates say has matured and grown as Baltimore’s main man, instructed the room sufficient was sufficient. They weren’t taking place like this.
“There’s one thing in him proper now,” mentioned Ravens broad receiver Nelson Agholor, who caught a 3-yard landing cross within the second quarter. “It’s been in him all 12 months, however there’s one thing actually in him proper now, and I’m with it. I’m with it.”
Lamar to Agholor! @Ravens take a 10-3 lead.
📺: #HOUvsBAL on ESPN/ABC
📱: Stream on #NFLPlus https://t.co/mOqD2jfu4M pic.twitter.com/LzW5RFrW24— NFL (@NFL) January 20, 2024
No one appeared to wish to reveal what Jackson mentioned at halftime with the rating tied and the offense coming off three consecutive three-and-outs. Just a few of the offensive linemen mentioned it wasn’t something new. They have been already aware of Jackson’s ardour for profitable. However Jackson conceded he was the one who did the crux of the halftime speaking, which isn’t typical.
“A whole lot of cursing at halftime,” Jackson acknowledged.
The Ravens got here out within the second half and ran the Texans off the sphere as a capability crowd of 71,018 morphed from antsy to jubilant. Dominating on offense and protection, the Ravens reeled off the sport’s last 24 factors to win 34-10, securing a spot within the AFC championship and solidifying M&T Financial institution Stadium as the positioning on Jan. 28.
GO DEEPER
Lamar Jackson, Ravens run away from Texans in second half
The Ravens will play the winner of Sunday evening’s matchup between the Kansas Metropolis Chiefs and Payments. It is going to be the primary time the Ravens will host an AFC Championship Recreation in workforce historical past and the primary AFC title recreation in Baltimore because the Colts hosted the Raiders in January 1971.
“This is step one,” mentioned Ravens coach John Harbaugh, whose workforce hasn’t performed for a convention title because it gained Tremendous Bowl XLVII following the 2012 common season. “The subsequent step is in entrance of us.”
Harbaugh and a few of his assistant coaches broke out the dance strikes within the locker room after the sport. It was a far completely different vibe than it was at halftime when Jackson turned up the warmth on the offense he leads.
“I used to be (edgy),” Jackson mentioned. “We had no different selection — the offense as a unit. We simply weren’t placing factors up. Properly, we scored as soon as. Our protection was enjoying lights out, however we’re not responding. So, we simply needed to dial in at halftime. Like Coach mentioned, ‘Get the ball out fast and let the protection play us sincere,’ and that’s what we did.”
The coaches bought strikes 😂😭💀 pic.twitter.com/LDDU9OftJx
— Baltimore Ravens (@Ravens) January 21, 2024
Within the second half, Jackson led three consecutive scoring drives, sandwiching a 15-yard touchdown pass to Isaiah Likely between 15- and 8-yard touchdown runs by the quarterback. It was classic Jackson, making fast choices, forcing the Texans to honor each a part of Baltimore’s offensive arsenal — together with his legs — and never forcing something.
After his final landing, which gave the Ravens a three-touchdown lead with 6:20 to play, Jackson ran straight up the tunnel. The present was mercifully over for the Texans, who gave up 229 dashing yards, 134 of which got here within the second half.
Jackson turned the primary participant in NFL historical past to have 100-plus passing yards, 100-plus dashing yards, a 100-plus passer score and two passing touchdowns and two dashing scores in the identical recreation.
“Credit score to Lamar,” Texans coach DeMeco Ryans mentioned. “He made a ton of nice performs. That’s why he’s the MVP.”
The Ravens’ first second-half landing drive coated 55 yards on six performs and lasted just below three minutes. The second was a 12-play, 93-yard drive that lasted simply over seven minutes. The third consisted of 11 performs, touring 78 yards and consuming up one other seven minutes.
It was the Ravens at their 2023 finest, with the offense controlling the ball and the road of scrimmage whereas giving Jackson myriad choices within the run and cross video games. It was Mike Macdonald’s protection not giving Texans rookie phenom quarterback C.J. Stroud something straightforward.
Stroud, who took aside the Cleveland Browns’ vaunted protection within the wild-card spherical, accomplished simply 19 of 33 passes for 175 yards and no touchdowns. Houston had simply 213 complete yards and didn’t rating any offensive factors — Steven Sims’ 67-yard punt return was its solely landing — after a late first-quarter subject aim. In two video games in opposition to the Ravens this season, the Texans, with a quarterback who will possible win Offensive Rookie of the 12 months and an offensive coordinator (Bobby Slowik) who’s garnering head-coaching interviews, didn’t rating an offensive landing.
Maybe, essentially the most spectacular factor about Baltimore’s defensive effort was it dominated the sport with out getting a single takeaway or sack.
“The protection was nearly as good because it may very well be,” Harbaugh mentioned.
Harbaugh and the Ravens teaching employees badly wanted this win. Squandering one other prime seed would have been brutal. One other divisional-round defeat as a major dwelling favourite would even have resuscitated all the previous criticism about Harbaugh and the workforce’s latest performances within the playoffs, like the house loss to the Titans after the 2019 common season. Harbaugh’s resolution to take a seat some key gamers, like Jackson, in Week 18 with the workforce already having clinched the highest seed would have been second-guessed advert nauseam.
The Ravens have been a bit off to start out the sport, at the very least offensively. However within the second half, they seemed just like the brisker and extra primed workforce. Halftime changes by offensive coordinator Todd Monken, who watched his quarterback get blitzed over and over within the first half, have been a significant distinction within the recreation.
Monken was way more aggressive on early downs firstly of the third quarter. He gave Jackson extra choices within the fast passing recreation and frightened much less about creating chunk performs. Within the second half, Baltimore had the reply to Houston’s blitz. In response to NFL Subsequent Gen Stats, Jackson was 13-of-18 in opposition to an additional rusher for 120 yards and two touchdowns. The 75 p.c blitz charge he confronted was a profession excessive.
“They have been having success within the first half with blitzing us, delicate blitz and 0,” Jackson mentioned. “They have been doing their factor, however we watched a number of movie. We have been ready; we simply made little errors defending the blitz and getting the ball out on time. By the second half, I felt like we have been doing what we have been speculated to do.”
Jackson badly wanted this win, too. The distinguished storyline getting into the sport was about how he had a 1-3 playoff document as a starter and 7 turnovers in these 4 video games. Might you think about the response had Jackson been outplayed by Stroud? It definitely would have made all of the speak over the previous few weeks about Jackson’s development and his “locked in” mantra sound like lip service.
As an alternative, the alternative occurred. Jackson mentioned his piece at halftime and challenged his teammates.
“I hear the message, not the phrases,” left sort out Ronnie Stanley mentioned. “I do know what he’s making an attempt to say. He’s a aggressive participant, wears his coronary heart on his sleeve. He’ll say a number of stuff. I do know what he’s making an attempt to get at. We all know what he desires, and that’s simply to win.”
Then, Jackson took over within the second half. On one of many decisive performs of the sport, the Ravens had a fourth-and-1 on the Texans’ 49. They led 17-10 with simply over two minutes remaining within the third quarter. Jackson faked a handoff to Gus Edwards and ran a bootleg for 14 yards. 5 performs later, he linked with Possible for the landing.
Lamar hit ’em with the total cease 😳
📺: #HOUvsBAL on ESPN/ABC
📱: Stream on #NFLPlus https://t.co/mOqD2jfu4M pic.twitter.com/kiLwTF4Mez— NFL (@NFL) January 20, 2024
“His persona — he’s the Baltimore Ravens,” Agholor mentioned. “He leads the suitable approach: by instance. But additionally, when it’s time to speak, it’s mentioned. After which he executes. … He doesn’t simply speak, speak, speak and go on the market and never do nothing. He says what must be mentioned after which goes on the market and executes.”
When it was over, Jackson was already prepared to maneuver on. And the Ravens, as they’re apt to do, have been following his lead.
“We’ve got to complete,” Jackson mentioned. “It’s nonetheless the playoffs. We’re not within the dance but, however I’m wanting ahead to subsequent week, to be sincere with you. I’m not even fascinated about the Tremendous Bowl till we deal with enterprise.”
(Picture: Patrick Smith / Getty Pictures)
