Another season, another Baltimore Ravens victory in the Wild Card round. They defeated the Pittsburgh Steelers, their infamous divisional opponents, 28–14 at home this season. The Ravens carried the ball 50 times for 299 yards that evening, demonstrating their superiority thanks to their rushing assault. Running back Derrick Henry spoke with Kaylee Hartung of Amazon Prime about his performance and the incredible display his quarterback, Lamar Jackson, gave during the victory.
“He is the league’s best player.” King Henry talks to @KayleeHartung about Lamar Jackson’s amazing performance, which is to be expected,” NFL said on Prime Video’s account on X, formerly Twitter.
Jackson is a strong contender to win MVP this season. The signal caller for the Ravens would earn MVP for the third time in his career if he did. Although it’s a well-earned accolade, it highlights the gaps in Jackson’s career thus far. Throughout the regular season, he has been outstanding—at moments, transcendent. But in the postseason, he hasn’t lived up to those expectations. Although it wasn’t his greatest, his effort in the victory over Pittsburgh today was good. Against whoever they play in the Divisional round, can Jackson and the Baltimore offense advance?
The Ravens have a difficult Divisional battle coming up.
Next weekend, the Ravens have two possible games. First up, a trip to Buffalo to take on the Bills, who are ranked second. Given that Buffalo will meet the seventh-seeded Denver Broncos in the opening game on Sunday afternoon, this is the more plausible of the two possibilities. The alternative situation? In the first of Saturday’s Wild Card games, the Houston Texans defeated the Los Angeles Chargers 32–12, and they would host them. Each game would have a unique set of difficulties.
It would probably be more difficult to get to Buffalo because the Bills have Josh Allen, the second MVP front-runner, at quarterback. They have defeated several playoff teams this season, including the top-seeded Kansas City Chiefs, because to their strong defense. The second possible game would be a rematch of the Divisional clash that the Ravens easily won last season, which would take place at home against Houston. They would also have a comparable advantage in a showdown this year.
There are obstacles on both routes. Who desires it more depends on the season. Who is prepared to outperform and provide more? John Harbaugh, the head coach of Baltimore, and his staff have had success in this area before. They must be capable of doing so once more. Will Henry, Jackson, and the rest of the offensive line be able to maintain their supremacy on the ground? If so, there may be a path to the AFC Championship game and beyond.
