BALTIMORE – Ravens fans could be seen shaking their heads at halftime of Saturday's playoff game against the Texans.
Baltimore had just finished the first half with three punts. Lamar Jackson struggled against Houston's strong defense, and the score was tied at 10-10.
Never again.
That was the atmosphere inside M&T Stadium. Ever since Jackson became the Ravens' starting quarterback in 2018, Charm City fans have been treated to great individual play. The moment Jackson bursts out of the pocket and slices through the middle of the defense can be mesmerizing. Jackson won league MVP in 2019. He is expected to win his second MVP award in the coming weeks.
But for all his brilliance from September to December, his time with the Ravens continued to suffer in January. He was 1-3 with five interceptions in the playoffs before Saturday's game. He lost to the Chargers after the 2018 season. And after his 2019 MVP season, in which the Ravens entered as a No. 1 seed, he was blown out by the Titans. A year later, the Bills defeated Jackson and the Ravens in the divisional round.
So you can understand the feeling of fear in the stadium, as well as the sub-zero temperatures.
Jackson then turned that fear into joy.
The Ravens quarterback ran for two touchdowns and scored another on the Ravens' first three possessions of the second half, leading the Ravens to a 34-10 victory over the upstart Texans.
Suddenly, the Baltimore faithful, who had been standing on their hands for the first half, started shouting “MVP” and singing along to “Livin' on a Prayer.”
Jackson exorcised the ghosts of 2019 and silenced any doubters who questioned whether he could make the playoffs. The Ravens will play here again next week, hosting the city's first AFC Championship Game since Jan. 3, 1971, when the Colts defeated the Raiders to advance to Super Bowl V.
Jackson will face either Patrick Mahomes or Josh Allen depending on Sunday's playoff game in Buffalo, but the heavyweight quarterback battle will be dissected next week.
Questions will remain about how Jackson will match up, but no one can question his playoff eligibility anymore.
Jackson was helped by a solid defense that didn't allow a touchdown, but there was no question who did the heavy lifting in getting the Ravens one game away from the Super Bowl.
That's why the Ravens didn't honor his trade request last March and instead signed him to a five-year, $260 million contract in April. Jackson gained 252 of the Ravens' 352 yards and scored all four touchdowns in the game. He rushed for 100 yards and two touchdowns and threw for 152 yards and two touchdowns.
Things got tense for the Ravens late in the first half when Steven Sims returned a punt 67 yards for a touchdown, tying the game at 10-10. The Ravens ended the first half with two three-and-outs, including two sacks of Jackson on the Texans' final possession. That led to some grumbling and shaking of heads at half-time.
In the second half, you could immediately feel the difference in Jackson. He hit Nelson Aghoroa for 9 yards for a first down, then Isaiah Likely for 19 yards, then Rashod Batemen for 9 yards, then ran up the middle for a 15-yard touchdown in frigid Baltimore. Everyone in the stadium was allowed to hold their breath again. night.
On the next drive, he threw a 15-yard touchdown to Riley and then ran 8 yards for his third touchdown of the half.jackson I kept running down the tunnel like Bo Jackson After the final touchdown, a memorable night came to an end.
When the Ravens used the franchise tag on Jackson last winter, teams in need of a quarterback could have tried to sign him. Instead, they let each team know they weren't interested.
The Ravens should send a letter of thanks to those teams. After some tense moments early Saturday, Jackson helped the Ravens in the second half.
The doubts of January have disappeared. The February Super Bowl dream is still alive.
