BALTIMORE — Shortly after the Pittsburgh Steelers scored on a 98-yard touchdown drive in the third quarter to cut their deficit in the AFC wild-card round to 21-7, the Ravens damn near called “game.”
The Ravens ran a zone read with Lamar Jackson and Derrick Henry. As Jackson read the Steelers’ front, he handed the ball to Henry who delicately wove his way through multiple defenders before exploding through the secondary for a 44-yard touchdown like an elephant on the loose.
Not a single Steeler wanted any part of the 250-pound wrecking ball hitting full speed in the open field.
Jackson, who sprinted downfield behind his running back as he scored, likened Henry’s run and performance to a Pixar film from 2006 that Jackson said he watched as a kid.
“You ever watched the movie ‘Cars‘?” Jackson asked reporters after the game. “You know when Lightning McQueen is just flying, flashing past and it’s just like, ‘choo phew’? That’s how Derrick looked when he was running past those guys — it looks like a movie, bro. I’m not gonna lie to you. I’d rather be watching it than being on the other side of the ball — I know that!”
The Ravens’ running game, which has been one of the best in league history this season, smashed the Steelers all Saturday night in Baltimore’s 28-14 victory over their AFC North rivals. Of the Ravens’ first 32 plays of the game, 24 of them were rushing attempts, including a 13-play, 85-yard drive in the second quarter when the Ravens did not put the ball in the air a single time. They finished the evening with 50 total rushing attempts, with Henry and Jackson combining for 41 of them.
“I can’t say I anticipated that 24 out of 32 was the plan, you know,” Ravens head coach John Harbaugh said with a laugh. “There were a lot of people happy about that, though. When you can do that, you want to do that and that’s pretty awesome.”
Baltimore’s success on the ground is something it can lean on as the Ravens try to establish themselves and win a Super Bowl for the first time since the 2012 season. Henry may be the equalizer who can stabilize Baltimore’s offense and be the trump card needed when things get tight. According to TruMedia, Henry ran the ball on 100% of the first downs he played in this game and averaged a whopping 8.2 yards per carry on just first down. Eighteen of his 26 carries came on first down and he collected 148 yards and two touchdowns on those plays. He finished with 186 yards, the most he’s run for in the postseason since his Tennessee Titans shocked Jackson and the Ravens in the 2019 season’s divisional round.
The Ravens’ best brand of offense this season has been running it like a service academy (Army is where Ravens offensive coordinator Todd Monken’s cousin, Jeff, is the head coach). Rushing comes first and they’ll try to hit big chunks in the passing game. Jackson completed 16 of his 21 passing attempts for 8.3 yards per passing attempt and was sharp throughout the night. His play has been stellar all season, but the addition of Henry in the backfield next to him has raised the floor on this offense where it had no problem trampling a defense that has some stars in Pittsburgh.
“That guy is just that guy. I don’t know. I can’t find the words to say, man,” Jackson said. “I believe everyone sees it. I can just hand the ball off, [he gets] 10 yards, 20 yards, 30 yards, and I’m just chilling. Now, when they’re attacking him, I go, and it’s like I’m fresh. It’s just making my job a lot easier. We just piggyback off each other.”
That’s a fair description for a duo that ran for 267 yards with ease against the Steelers.
Even with the success against a bitter rival in the playoffs, Jackson didn’t seem to get too ahead of himself.
“It means we need to do that each and every time,” Jackson said. “Great preparation, locked in, a ‘win or go home’ mentality.”
His demeanor and sternness with his answer gave a glimpse into the cold truth of Jackson’s reign as the best quarterback in Ravens history — they haven’t done this each and every time. The last playoff game Jackson played in, the Ravens flailed and couldn’t sustain drives as they repeated mistakes against the Kansas City Chiefs in the AFC championship.
This year feels different. Henry is here, they’re in Year 2 of Monken overseeing the offense and Jackson seems to have a greater control over positive outcomes within the offense.
Things will get tighter as they get ready for a divisional round game that very well may be a rematch against the Buffalo Bills, a team the Ravens walloped in Week 4 and Henry rushed for a season-high 199 yards. You can assume they’ll have to keep leaning on Henry to make a potential three-time MVP quarterback feel like he is a child again.
When asked which character from “Cars” Jackson would be, he gave an answer that’s going to encapsulate this Ravens season — and their win against the Steelers.
“’I’m no car. I’m just chilling,” Jackson said. “I’m just watching the show.”
While Henry is the floor raiser, Jackson can blast through the ceiling. Together, it’s a duo that can get the Ravens to New Orleans for the Super Bowl, one service academy drive at a time.
