SUMMARY
The Baltimore Ravens had a near-flawless first half en route to a 28-14 victory over the Pittsburgh Steleers on Saturday night in a first-round NFL playoff game.
If the Ravens have had disappointing playoff exits in past years, the addition this season of Derrick Henry seems to change the narrative. The star running back was one of the keys to the Ravens’ victory, posting 186 yards on the ground, as well as two touchdowns, while Baltimore totaled no less than 299 yards on the ground. .
Trailing 21-0 at halftime, Pittsburgh showed signs of life by scoring its first match points after the break, thanks to a touchdown from Van Jefferson which brought the visitors’ deficit back to 14 points.
This sequence brought a minimum of hope to a club outrageously dominated until then.
But Henry made sure the Steelers’ enthusiasm remained brief, as he scampered for 44 yards in the ensuing minutes, temporarily remaining the priority for three touchdowns.
Rather than be discouraged, Pittsburgh scored a second touchdown in the third quarter when Russell Wilson spotted George Pickens, who raced 36 yards to add six points to his tally.
Pickens bounced back nicely after not getting any yards in his last outing of the season, a performance that had earned him his share of criticism during the week.
The effectiveness of Pittsburgh’s attack, however, was not there thereafter, and Baltimore was able to pass the fourth quarter without too much trouble and without forcing the score too much, en route to the second round of the postseason schedule.
-Baltimore methodical in first half
On the Ravens’ first possession of the game, the ball methodically advanced 95 yards and Lamar Jackson fired a 15-yard pass caught by Rashod Bateman in the end zone.
While Wilson and his attack did not generate anything of value, the Ravens confirmed their control over the first half, this time through Henry.
Henry’s eight-yard touchdown run with 4:09 left in the second quarter made it 14-0. Already at this point in the game, the strong Baltimore ball carrier had 92 yards receiving for the evening.
Then with two seconds left, Jackson made a gem of a pass to Justice Hill for his second major pass of the half.
It was a third long offensive series concluded with a touchdown by John Harbaugh’s men (95, 85 and 90 yards), who surpassed the 300 yard mark without forcing too much during the first half hour of play.
The Steelers, who finished the regular season losing four games in a row, have still not had success in a playoff game since the 2016 season. They have six consecutive losses in the post-season schedule.
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