If the Baltimore Ravens want to win their first Super Bowl since 2012, Lamar Jackson and Derrick Henry will likely be involved.
The Lombardi Trophy is still a long way off, but the offensive duo held up their end of the bargain well enough, at least through the first round.
The Ravens had two of their most powerful hitters, Jackson and Henry, rushing for 267 yards and four touchdowns on Saturday night against the Pittsburgh Steelers in an AFC wild-card game in Baltimore. We won against 14.
The tandem set the tone early, scoring touchdowns on three of their four drives in the first half, entering the locker room with a 21-0 lead.
And while the Steelers allowed two scores in the second half, head coach Mike Tomlin and the team couldn't find an answer to the Ravens' relentless ground game.
Baltimore improved its scoring while cutting down on playing time and punched its ticket to the regional round for the second consecutive season.
The game plan became clear from the first drive. It was a methodical 13-play, 95-yard effort capped off by a 15-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Rashod Bateman.
The biggest play of the drive came a few snaps earlier when Henry took a direct snap to the Steelers' 12-yard line for a 34-yard gain.
The Ravens' second drive lasted only six plays, but Baltimore couldn't be held back for long and bounced back with a third and fourth drive that looked almost identical to the first.
Henry scored the Ravens' second touchdown (an 8-yard run after a 13-play, 85-yard drive), and Jackson connected with running back Justice Hill on the fourth drive for his third of the night. Scored a touchdown.
The latter drive (9 plays, 90 yards) took just 1 minute, 51 seconds.
Through the first two quarters of the game, Jackson completed 13 of 15 passes for 144 yards. Baltimore's advantage was all-encompassing, with the Steelers mustering just 59 total yards in the first half compared to the Ravens' 308 yards.
And the same thing continued in the second half.
Pittsburgh reached the end zone on its first drive of the third quarter to bring the game within 14 points, but Henry nearly iced it, breaking away with a 44-yard touchdown run to extend the lead to 21 points.
The starback finished the night with 26 carries for 186 yards and two scores.
Jackson's final performance was even more impressive. He was 16-of-21 through the air for 175 yards (plus 81 on the ground), two passing touchdowns, and a passer rating of 132.0.
The Ravens' 299 rushing yards were the most Pittsburgh had ever allowed in a playoff game.
Baltimore will next face either the Buffalo Bills or the Houston Texans, who are coming off an upset victory over the Los Angeles Chargers, in the divisional round.
