Biggest risers after Ravens dominant Wild Card victory
The Baltimore Ravens dominated the rival Pittsburgh Steelers 28-14 in their Wild Card game to advance to the next round of the playoffs where they will travel to Orchard Park to take on the No. 2 seeded Buffalo Bills. The Ravens put together one of the most dominant first halves of playoff football in recent memory, running it right down Pittsburgh’s throat to the tune of 308 total yards and 21 points, finishing with 464 total yards. For reference, the Ravens offense had averaged just 357 yards per game in the playoffs dating back to 2018. Baltimore’s performance should give fans confidence heading into Buffalo as it was the most complete playoff game the team has played in the Jackson era and should lay the groundwork for how they can win in the playoffs moving forward.
Stock up
Lamar Jackson, QB
Lamar Jackson killed two birds with one stone on Saturday night. Can’t beat the Steelers? Check. Can’t play well in the playoffs? Check again. While RB Derrick Henry had another dominant game, it was Jackson who was in complete command, making good reads, keeping the ball out of harm’s way, and converting timely plays to put the Ravens in the end zone. Jackson was nearly perfect in the first half, going 13/15 for 144 yards and two touchdowns with his two incompletions being a spike and a throw away. Jackson finished with another elite PFF grade of 92.9 and will hope to continue his MVP level of play in a pivotal showdown with Bills QB Josh Allen.
Derrick Henry, RB
Derrick Henry has been on a roll as of late, totaling over 150 yards in each of his last four games with his hot streak continuing into Saturday night’s game. For the second straight matchup, the Steelers simply couldn’t contain the future Hall of Famer as the Ravens’ standout RB finished with 186 yards and two touchdowns, including multiple highlight-reel runs. Despite the Steelers’ clear effort to key in on Henry in the option game, he still ended averaging over 7 YPC. Henry will continue to be the engine that will hopefully propel the Ravens deep into the playoffs.
Offensive line
While the rushing combo of Jackson and Henry puts enormous pressure on defenses, the offensive line still needs to execute, open running lanes, and make second-level blocks. On Saturday, the Ravens offensive line did that and more. C Tyler Linderbaum and company executed a number of different blocking schemes, making the Steelers highly regarded front seven look like nothing more than a junior-varsity unit. If the O-line can do their job, Jackson and Henry will do the rest and continue to haunt opponents.
Fast starts
The Ravens’ previous postseason shortcomings have all featured a common theme: slow starts. Even in playoff victories against Tennessee in 2020, or Houston last year, the Ravens looked sluggish coming out of the gates, waiting until the second half to turn it on. On Saturday, starting fast was a clear priority for Baltimore and they certainly succeeded, jumping out to a 21-0 lead at the half. As has been the case for the entirety of the Jackson era, the Ravens play much better when they can run the ball, use play action, and drain the clock. Starting fast will take even more precedent next week as both Buffalo and Baltimore feature elite run games. The winner could ultimately be decided by who can get out to a lead quickly and make the opposition more one-dimensional.
Offensive coordinator Todd Monken
Ravens OC Todd Monken threw the kitchen sink at the Pittsburgh defense in the run game. In their previous matchup, Baltimore used trap concepts to run all over the Steelers defense. On Saturday, Monken used even more variety to keep the Steelers off-balance with motion, read options, and other deception. In the first quarter, Derrick Henry lined up in the wildcat, faked an end-around to Jackson, and rumbled for 34 yards, a wrinkle Baltimore hadn’t used all year. It will be interesting to see how Monken is able to take advantage of a weak Bills run defense in Buffalo next week.
Run defense
The Ravens have sported the best run defense in the NFL all season, holding opponents to just 3.6 YPC. That trend continued on Saturday night as the Ravens held the Steelers to just 29 rushing yards on 2.6 YPC. Early in the year, it was difficult to accurately gauge just how good Baltimore’s run defense was as opponents were eager to attack them through the air. With the improvement on the back end, it’s clear that Baltimore boats a truly elite run defense that will need to have its best performance of the year against the Bills.
Roger Rosengarten, OT
On last week’s edition of HBO’s Hard Knocks, rookie RT Roger Rosengarten went viral for asking for Myles Garrett’s jersey, claiming he “knew he was a nobody” but wanted the jersey anyway. After Saturday’s game, it’s safe to say Rosengarten is far from a nobody as the rookie held DPOY candidate T.J. Watt to a goose egg on the stat sheet. Rosengarten has seemingly improved every week this year and will hope to carry his momentum into a matchup against Von Miller and the Bills pass rush.
Stock down
Brandon Stephens, CB
Although the Ravens mostly shut down the reeling Steelers offense, Pittsburgh was able generate some explosive plays in the second half. In the third quarter, CB Brandon Stephens gave up a long touchdown to WR Mike Williams which cut the lead to 14. After the play, S Kyle Hamilton seemed angry with Stephens, suggesting the error was a miscommunication. The Baltimore secondary has been sensational over the back half of the season, but Stephens continues to be a weak link and has surrendered more yards than any CB in the NFL this season.