The Houston Texans, led by rookie quarterback C.J. Stroud, had all the good vibes entering Saturday. The top-seeded Baltimore Ravens lit them on fire.
The Ravens beat the Texans 34-10 to open the divisional round, turning a game that was tied 10-10 at halftime into a laugher with complete domination in the second round. Lamar Jackson finished the game 16-of-22 for 152 yards, two passing touchdowns, 100 rushing yards on 11 carries and two rushing touchdowns.
Meanwhile, the Ravens defense shut down what was looking like a dangerous Texans offense. The only Houston touchdown came via a punt return touchdown from Steven Sims. Stroud was 19-of-33 for 175 yards, while the running game mustered only 38 yards.
The Ravens will now advance to the AFC Championship Game, which they will host for the first time in franchise history. They will face the winner of the other AFC divisional game between the Buffalo Bills and Kansas City Chiefs.
Here’s how it all went down via Yahoo Sports:
Live99 updates
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Lamar Jackson produced as many TDs on Saturday as he did in his first four playoff games:
First four games: 4 total TDs
Saturday vs Texans: 4 TDs— Jamison Hensley (@jamisonhensley) January 21, 2024
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The Texans’ season is over, but it remains a huge success. Rookie head coach DeMeco Ryans and rookie quarterback C.J. Stroud are clearly keepers and now they can build around that for the foreseeable future.
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FINAL: 34-10 Ravens.
Baltimore advances and will host the AFC Championship Game for the first time in franchise history. It is also their first AFC Championship Game since the 2012-13 season, when they won the Super Bowl.
This game was tied 10-10 at halftime and the Ravens responded with near-perfect football in the second half, scoring touchdowns on their first three drives while shutting down rookie C.J. Stroud. This team made it a habit of demolishing good teams in the regular season and that remains the trend one game into the postseason.
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Texans fumble the kickoff return, but seem to recover it. This is not ending gracefully.
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Baltimore will host the AFC Championship Game vs. the Chiefs-Bills winner next Sunday, Jan. 28, at 3 p.m. ET.
Baltimore hasn’t hosted a conference championship game since January 1971.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) January 21, 2024
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Quarterbacks coach Tee Martin with a beaming smile and shoulder squeeze for Lamar Jackson after he comes off the field following another scoring drive.
— Giana Han (@giana_jade) January 21, 2024
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Ravens follow up the two-minute warning with a 43-yard field goal.
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Lamar Jackson is now just the second player in the Super Bowl era with 2+ passing TD, 2+ rushing TD and 100+ rushing yards in a single playoff game, joining Colin Kaepernick in 2013.
— Field Yates (@FieldYates) January 21, 2024
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Ravens go for it on 4th and 3 and get it. We’re just waiting for the clock to bleed out now.,
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5.2 yards per attempt for C.J. Stroud is his worst mark in a full start this entire season.
Second-worst was 5.5 … Week 1 against Baltimore.
— David Helman (@davidhelman_) January 21, 2024
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Texans OC Bobby Slowik is a top candidate for head coaching jobs this offseason. Pretty much every team is going to have to ask him what happened today against Ravens DC Mike Macdonald, who might be up against him for those jobs.
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Texans go for it on 4th-and-6 (with no urgency) and C.J. Stroud gets hammered by blitzing corner Arthur Maulet. Throw is incomplete and the Ravens will take over in Houston territory.
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Make that 11 penalties. Houston is facing 3rd and 19 with 5:41 remaining.
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Ronald Darby is shaken up. Rock Ya-Sin in teh game. Gus Edwards also came off the field on that last drive holding his arm. That led to the three Dalvin Cook carries.
— Jeff Zrebiec (@jeffzrebiec) January 21, 2024
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Texans just called for their 10th penalty, a franchise playoff record.
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Call is confirmed, Ravens lose a timeout. It’s about the only thing they’ve lost this half.
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The Ravens are now challenging that the Texans recovered their own fumble on the kick return. Returner Stephen Sims looks clearly down on replay.
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The Ravens beat the Texans 25-9 in Week 1, but actually got outgained by three yards in a quietly close game. This time, they are beating them in the face with a shovel and are currently outgaining them 344 to 177
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TOUCHDOWN RAVENS
Lamar Jackson keeps it again and runs through the end zone into the tunnel Bo Jackson-style. That should just about do it.
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Texans take a timeout. Morgan Moses tells the crowd to get loud. They oblige.
— Jonas Shaffer (@jonas_shaffer) January 21, 2024
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The Texans defense just looks broken right now. Ravens up to 213 rushing yards and are at the Houston 8.
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Dalvin Cook runs for 23 yards. His longest run for the Jets this year was 14.
— Brian Costello (@BrianCoz) January 21, 2024
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Justice Hill just posted a 14-yard gain. Clock is ticking very loudly for Houston, with 10 minutes left now.
The Ravens are up to 183 yards against one of the NFL’s best run defenses.
— Jonas Shaffer (@jonas_shaffer) January 21, 2024
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LeBron is a fan.
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Lamar Jackson keeps it for a 10-yard gain and now Texans LB Denzel Perryman is down with an injury. The Houston defense is looking gassed and shorthanded.
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That’s a great catch by the ESPN broadcast. Jackson targeted Isaiah Likely in the end zone earlier in the game, but it was nearly picked off by Jalen Pitre. Likely immediately signaled to Jackson to throw the ball higher, which Jackson acknowledged as his bad. Let’s just say the TD pass to Likely was a bit higher.
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The Ravens defense is playing like a tank of piranhas right now.
Ravens defense: 177 yards, 3 points allowed.
Baltimore has outgained Houston 143-32 in the second half.
— Albert Breer (@AlbertBreer) January 20, 2024
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Lamar Jackson & Isaiah Likely (15-yd TD) 📽️
Since 2018 (including playoffs), Lamar Jackson has thrown 14 TDs on designed rollouts without play action, fewer than only Patrick Mahomes (23). No other quarterback has more than six.#HOUvsBAL | #RavensFlock pic.twitter.com/3IYuVxNGF5
— Next Gen Stats (@NextGenStats) January 20, 2024
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Texans are neck deep in the danger zone. They go three-and-out in response to the Ravens’ second-straight TD drive. All Baltimore right now.
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Ravens Pro Bowl LB Patrick Queen is coming off the field with an apparent injury. 3rd and 5 for the Texans here.
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Keep in mind, had it not been for an epically bad punt in the second quarter, the Ravens would be up 24-3 right now. The Texans aren’t quite out of it now, but they have been nowhere near the gear they need to survive.
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Likely has scored six touchdowns in seven games since Mark Andrews got hurt. With Andrews likely coming back next week if the Ravens win, it will be very interesting to see how they split snaps or play together.
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Lamar Jackson’s second half:
8-for-10, 89 yards, 1 TD
3 carries, 32 yards, 1 TD— Jonas Shaffer (@jonas_shaffer) January 20, 2024
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The Texans blitzing had the Ravens thrown for a loop in the second quarter, but we’re beginning to see the team that was whomping every other division winner in the regular season.
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TOUCHDOWN RAVENS.
Lamar Jackson floats a pass to tight end Isaiah Likely, who makes a huge jump to win the 50/50 ball. Likely has been huge filling in for Mark Andrews and that continued there.
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Texans CB Steven Nelson is now heading to the locker room.
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Entering the fourth quarter, Lamar Jackson is 14-of-20 for 126 yards, a passing TD, 82 rushing yards and a rushing TD. C.J. Stroud is 15-of-25 for 141 yards.
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The Texans have nine penalties today. Seven of them have been before the snap.
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Ravens looked like they were going to let the clock run out on the third quarter, but they draw a neutral zone infraction from Jonathan Greenard to get a 1st and 5.
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Jackson then finds Hill for a three-yard gain. Texans CB Steven Nelson looks hurt after the play.
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Ravens RB Justice Hill looked like he got another first down, but the refs confer and rule he stepped out of bounds two yards short. 3rd and 2 coming up.
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Ravens fans chanting MVP after this. He certainly showed some value.
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Lamar Jackson fakes a handoff, keeps it, and gashes Houston for a gain of 14. Quite a play call by Ravens offensive coordinator Todd Monken.
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Ravens are keeping the offense on the field for 4th-and-1 at the 50.
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If you give Lamar Jackson 10 seconds to pass, like he just got, he will hurt you, like he just did with a 21-yard pass to Rashod Bateman.
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