Pittsburgh Steelers 14-28 Baltimore Ravens: Lamar Jackson stars Ravens dominant start to 2025 NFL playoffs | NFL news
Lamar Jackson threw two touchdowns in a flawless first half and Derrick Henry scored twice as the Baltimore Ravens beat the Pittsburgh Steelers 28-14 on Saturday night to advance to the divisional round of the NFL playoffs.
The Ravens all but secured a win against their AFC North rivals by taking a 21-0 halftime lead before hanging on comfortably as the Steelers tried to fight back.
Baltimore had a 19-2 advantage on first downs in the first half, when they made touchdown kicks of 95, 85 and 90 yards,
Henry ran for 186 yards and Baltimore outgained the Steelers 299-29. It was the most runs Pittsburgh has allowed in a playoff game, breaking the mark of 232 set by the Oakland Raiders 51 years ago.
Jackson, a two-time MVP still looking for a postseason breakthrough, made it clear from the start that he would make Pittsburgh (10-8) defend him hand and foot. He kept the chains moving, and the Ravens (13-5) were happy to methodically pass the ball against a Steelers team that has relied heavily on forcing turnovers this season.
Pittsburgh’s season ends with five consecutive losses, two of which are in Baltimore. The ending was a familiar story for the Steelers, who had lost six straight playoff games. The last three times they were in the postseason, they fell on the road in games that showed the gap between Pittsburgh and true conference contenders.
Statistics leaders
Pittsburgh Steelers
- Passage: Russell Wilson, 20/29, 270 yards, 2 TDs
- hurry: Najee Harris, 6 carries, 17 yards
- Receiving: George Pickens, 5 catches, 87 yards, 1 TD
Baltimore Ravens
- Passage: Lamar Jackson, 16/21, 175 yards, 2 TDs
- hurry: Derrick Henry, 26 carries, 186 yards, 2 TDs
- Receiving: Isaiah Likely, 3 catches, 53 yards
The Steelers have recently made a habit of winning close games against the Ravens by capitalizing on Baltimore mistakes, but the Ravens successfully avoided that problem Saturday by taking a few bigger risks.
They got creative on the first drive, lining up Henry for a direct hit down the middle while Jackson came across and faked a sweep. Henry kept the ball for a 34-yard gain. Jackson capped the possession with a 15-yard field goal to Rashod Bateman, who was Baltimore’s top healthy receiver while Zay Flowers (knee) was out.
Henry made it 14-0 with an 8-yard run with 4:09 left in the half. After a Pittsburgh punt, the Steelers called a timeout on third-and-2 from the Baltimore 18, hoping to get the ball back, but the Ravens converted and then quickly got into scoring position.
On second down to the Pittsburgh 5 with 11 seconds left, Jackson nearly spent the remaining time scrambling, but ended up throwing the ball to an open Justice Hill, who went into the end zone with 2 seconds left.
The Steelers drove 98 yards for a touchdown on their first possession of the second half, with Russell Wilson throwing a 30-yard touchdown pass to Van Jefferson. Baltimore responded quickly when Henry burst up the middle for a 44-yard TD –
Pittsburgh defenders were caught out of position as Jackson faked a run to the left after handing off the ball.
Wilson answered with a 36-yard touchdown strike to George Pickens in the third, but that was all the scoring went. Wilson went 20 of 29 for 270 yards on a night when neither team turned the ball over.
What next?
The Ravens will now advance to the divisional round of the playoffs next weekend, where their most likely opponents are the Buffalo Bills if the seeding holds during Wild Card weekend.
Wild Card weekend continues Sunday night when the Bills host the Denver Broncos at 6 p.m., followed by the Green Bay Packers vs. the Philadelphia Eagles and the Washington Commanders vs. the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Monday night then sees Sam Darnold’s Minnesota Vikings take on the Los Angeles Rams, kicking off at 1am GMT in the early hours of Tuesday, live Sky Sports.
