‘Lamar is a dog’: Jackson and Ravens roll over Texans to achieve AFC title sport | NFL

Jackson threw two landing passes and ran for 2 scores, and the Baltimore Ravens pulled away within the second half for a 34-10 win over the Houston Texans on Saturday to advance to the AFC championship sport. It was solely the second victory in 5 playoff video games for Jackson, a truth he was effectively conscious of.

“You know I heard that,” he mentioned. “I don’t even got to hear it. I see it. But it is what it is. I really don’t care about what people say. … Those guys just had our team’s number in the past, but it’s a different team.”

Jackson made some extra historical past Saturday, turning into the primary quarterback since no less than 1948 – within the common season or playoffs – with no less than two landing passes, two TD runs, 100 yards dashing and a 100 passer ranking in the identical sport.

“Credit to Lamar,” Texans coach DeMeco Ryans mentioned. “He made a ton of great plays. That’s why he’s the MVP.”

The Ravens (14-4) dominated the second half after the groups completed the second quarter tied at 10. Jackson mentioned he did a lot of the speaking at halftime.

“A lot of cursing,” he mentioned.

Jackson’s 15-yard scoring run put Baltimore forward to remain. Although CJ Stroud had a strong, composed first half for Houston, the Texans (11-8) in the end couldn’t flip sufficient promising drives into factors in opposition to a powerful Ravens protection.

Now Baltimore will host the AFC title sport for the primary time since January 1971, when the Colts beat the Oakland Raiders on their solution to a Super Bowl championship. The Ravens will play in that semi-final spherical for the fifth time since their arrival in Baltimore. They’ll tackle the winner of Sunday’s matchup between Buffalo and Kansas City.

“Our fans are going to get a chance to cheer just as loud or louder than they did in this game, and they were amazing,” Ravens coach John Harbaugh mentioned. “I thought our fans were incredible. Man, it was deafening out there.”

Harbaugh’s brother Jim was available for the sport, returning the favor after John went to look at Jim coach Michigan to varsity soccer’s nationwide title earlier this month.

Ravens followers have been haunted by what occurred within the playoffs 4 years in the past, when Baltimore went 14-2 within the common season however dropped its postseason opener to Tennessee. Houston did sufficient to create some nervousness, particularly when Steven Sims returned a punt for a landing and Jackson struggled at instances with the blitzing Texans protection.

But on the primary possession of the second half, Jackson guided Baltimore 55 yards in six performs and scored on a run up the center. Then, a 15-yard landing go to Isaiah Likely early within the fourth made it 24-10.

Jackson’s last landing got here on an eight-yard run with 6:20 to play, and the fired up quarterback stored operating proper into the tunnel in that nook of the sector.

Sims’ return was the one TD for the Texans, whose offense by no means did attain the tip zone in 120 minutes in opposition to the Ravens this season. Houston misplaced 25-9 in its season opener at Baltimore.

Jackson rushed for 821 yards throughout the common season, which is an enormous a part of the case for his second MVP award. But he surpassed 100 yards on the bottom solely as soon as. He ran for precisely 100 on Saturday on 11 makes an attempt. A 14-yard bootleg on fourth-and-1 close to midfield led to the landing by Likely that gave the Ravens some respiratory room.

Jackson additionally handed for 152 yards.

“Lamar is a dog. I’ve been a fan of his since high school,” Stroud mentioned. “It’s really an honor to share the field with a player like that.”

Stroud threw for 175 yards and didn’t take a sack in opposition to a tricky Baltimore defensive entrance, however the Texans dropped to 0-5 within the divisional spherical of the playoffs. They’re the one present franchise that hasn’t reached a convention championship sport.

The Ravens led the NFL in sacks this season, however it was Jackson who was beneath strain within the first half, when Houston received to him 3 times. Two of these sacks got here back-to-back within the last minute of the second quarter after a missed discipline aim gave Baltimore first rate discipline position.

Penalties held the Texans again all day – they ended up with 11 for 70 yards. After Justin Tucker opened the scoring for Baltimore with a 53-yard discipline aim, Houston appeared headed for factors of its personal earlier than two false begins and an intentional grounding flag pushed the Texans out of vary.

Houston did ultimately tie it on a 50-yard discipline aim by Ka’imi Fairbairn, however the Ravens answered with a 76-yard march capped by Jackson’s three-yard landing go to Nelson Agholor.

Down 10-3, the Texans struck again on particular groups. Sims, who was signed from the observe squad to the lively roster earlier within the week, broke liberate the center for a 67-yard landing.