Steelers-Ravens takeaways: Lamar Jackson has MVP showing in rout

The Baltimore Ravens are moving on to the divisional round of the AFC playoffs after a convincing 28-14 win over the Pittsburgh Steelers on Saturday night. 

While the final score might make it look like this game was somewhat competitive, it really was not.

The Ravens were the best team on the field by a decisive margin and this game was never, ever in doubt. 

The Ravens will now await the result of Sunday’s Buffalo Bills vs. Denver Broncos game and will either host Houston or travel to Buffalo. 

As for the Steelers, it completes an astonishing second-half collapse that saw them lose five consecutive games to end the season and get dominated in yet another playoff game.

Here are some takeaways from the Ravens’ win. 

Knee-jerk reaction: Lamar Jackson played like an MVP

The big individual debate in the NFL this season has been whether or not Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen or Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson should be the league MVP.

While the voting has already been completed, Jackson showed on Saturday night why he has a convincing case to win his third MVP award. 

He was magical in every possible way. He made plays with his feet, rushing for 81 yards on 15 carries. He was efficient with his arm, completing 16-of-21 passes for 175 yards and two touchdowns. It was not just the numbers, either. It was the way he made plays and when he made them.

He converted third downs with ease and led three first-half scoring drives of 95, 85 and 90 yards. He ended the first half with a highlight touchdown pass to Justice Hill just before time ran out, and narrowly avoiding a sack that would have ended the half without the Ravens adding to their lead. 

While his final numbers might not be jaw-dropping, the Ravens simply did not need him to be. They were in such control of this game it was easy for them to take their foot off the gas. If they needed more from him, they could have easily gotten it. 

Game MVP: Derrick Henry, running back, Baltimore Ravens

Jackson was great on Saturday. He might be the league MVP.

But Henry gets the honor of game MVP on Saturday because of the overall impact he made. It was not just his 186 yards on 26 carries, either. 

He changed the way the Steelers had to defend Jackson, and that opened up the offense in a way the Ravens have never really had in these games. When the Steelers have had success against Jackson in the past, their focus has always been to send a player at Jackson on every snap and on every read-option run, no matter where the ball was going. Their goal was to not let Jackson beat them with his legs.

On Saturday? That all changed. The Steelers had to respect Henry and put all of their focus on him. That not only opened up Jackson to make plays with his feet, but they also still had no answer for Henry and he still ran like a Hall of Famer.

That is the impact he has on the Ravens. He is not only a great player on his own merits, but he also opens up the field for everybody else. 

Play of the game: Justice Hill’s touchdown just before halftime

With less than 10 seconds to play in the first half and the Ravens out of timeouts, John Harbaugh kept his offense on the field to take one more shot at the end zone. It could have gone poorly if Jackson had been sacked. He nearly was.

Nearly.