With the Ravens running all over Pittsburgh for a 28-14 victory in the wild-card round on Saturday night, I’ve offered a dozen thoughts, each in 50 words or less:
1. Derrick Henry has rushed for 381 yards and averaged 6.8 yards per carry in two career playoff games at M&T Bank Stadium. The Ravens were certainly glad to have him on their side this time around as Pittsburgh’s defense looked utterly helpless trying to stop him and Lamar Jackson.
2. You won’t see a more soul-stealing drive than 13 straight runs for 85 yards and a touchdown as the Ravens accomplished. Then again, Pittsburgh calling timeout on third-and-2 with 1:08 left in the half and Baltimore then going 82 yards for a touchdown is right up there as well.
3. Going 7-for-8 on third down in the first half was very impressive, but the work on early downs had much to do with it. Five of those conversions required two yards or less to convert. Of course, Jackson’s 15-yard touchdown pass to Rashod Bateman came on a third-and-13.
4. Though the defense was tremendous in the first half, allowing six completions of 20 or more yards after intermission reminded of the early-season woes and was something Buffalo surely noticed. That said, the Ravens allowed a total of eight pass plays of 20-plus yards over their final six regular-season games.
5. The Steelers had designs of being aggressive by receiving the opening kick, passing on three of their first four plays, and running a flea flicker to begin their second drive. That netted one first down. Their broken offense led by Russell Wilson then turtled up until after halftime. Too late.
6. Stiff arms from Henry are a weekly occurrence and he made Pittsburgh safety Minkah Fitzpatrick look bad, but Isaiah Likely absolutely abused Steelers cornerback Cam Sutton with his. That was quite a reminder of the underrated physicality with which Likely plays.
87. Likely’s situational awareness deserved an assist on Jackson’s highlight touchdown to Justice Hill to end the half. Realizing he hadn’t gotten out of bounds on his 19-yard catch, Likely ran the ball to the hash to hasten the spike. Losing those seconds easily could have altered that final play call.
8. A perceived early drawback of Ar’Darius Washington moving into the starting lineup was the question of the 5-foot-8, 180-pound safety’s tackling ability, but he made two third-down tackles short of the chains to force punts. Pro Football Focus has credited him with only one missed tackle since Week 15.
9. Todd Monken calling a Henry Wildcat run with Jackson going in motion was a thing of beauty — and also adapted from a play Henry and Tennessee ran against Baltimore last year. Monken is quick to point out the special talent with which he gets to work, but he’s been outstanding.
10. Who would have predicted journeyman Anthony Miller registering the most receptions by a Ravens wide receiver in the wild-card round? His three grabs went for just 12 yards, of course, but Nelson Agholor and Tylan Wallace each made pivotal catches on scoring drives to help fill the Zay Flowers void.
11. We’ve seen some lopsided Ravens-Steelers games before, but few showings have looked as gutless as that first half from Pittsburgh, especially considering the stakes. Two emphatic Ravens victories should silence any mention of the Steelers winning eight of nine before that. A terrible look for Mike Tomlin and his team.
12. Having refrained from naming permanent captains since the NFL introduced the initiative in 2007, Baltimore players voted Jackson, Henry, Mark Andrews, Roquan Smith, Marlon Humphrey, and special-teams standout Chris Board as postseason captains. It was a cool gesture with Henry sounding touched to be voted one as a first-year Raven.
