The Baltimore Ravens dominated the Pittsburgh Steelers on Saturday night, with their rushing attack. As a result, the Ravens made history. Baltimore’s rushing yards set a single-game franchise record, per ESPN.
Baltimore gained 299 yards on the ground en route to a 28-14 victory over Pittsburgh. The Steelers allowed the most rushing yards in a playoff game ever for the franchise, per the outlet. Derrick Henry led the way for Baltimore with 186 yards on the ground.
The Ravens galloped out to a 21-0 halftime lead in the game, before Pittsburgh was able to make a bit more of a fight. Baltimore got a fabulous performance from quarterback Lamar Jackson, who kept the Steelers defense off-balance in the contest.
Pittsburgh’s rush defense gave up the most amount of rushing yards in a NFL playoff game since 2012, when the Green Bay Packers allowed 323 in a NFC Divisional Playoff contest.
Ravens look like a solid contender in the AFC
The Ravens looked special in every facet of the game on Saturday night, to advance in the AFC Playoffs. Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson had one of his best postseason performances for the team.
Jackson finished the game with 175 yards passing, for two touchdowns. He also rushed for 81 yards on 15 carries, eluding the Steelers pass rush with ease. It didn’t hurt that the Ravens defense pitched a shutout in the first half, completely dominating the woeful Steelers offense.
The star of the game however was Henry, who just couldn’t be denied. Henry rushed for a 44 yard touchdown early in the second half, that essentially sealed the game for Baltimore. The Ravens tailback finished the game with two touchdowns on 26 carries. He averaged more than 7 yards per carry, embarrassing the usually strong Steelers defense.
“Losing sucks,” Steelers edge rusher T.J. Watt said postgame, per ESPN. “Losing five in a row to finish the season out sucks. Felt like we had a good week of prep. Felt like we were ready for this one. We weren’t. We weren’t able to stop the run. Haven’t been able to stop the run. We weren’t able to get it fixed. So it’s been rough last month of football.”
The loss was absolutely stinging to the Steelers, who haven’t won a playoff game in several years. The once-proud franchise, who hasn’t had a losing season in coach Mike Tomlin’s long tenure, seems stuck in neutral. Some Steelers fans are so frustrated they are calling for the firing of Tomlin. The coach’s fate will certainly be decided in the coming days.
Baltimore moves on to the next round of the AFC Playoffs, where they will play either the Buffalo Bills or Houston Texans. The matchup depends on who wins the Bills-Broncos game on Sunday.
The Ravens last won a Super Bowl in 2012.
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