'Hungry' Lamar powers Ravens' second-half surge

BALTIMORE — In Saturday’s 34-10 divisional round win over the Houston Texans, quarterback Lamar Jackson did more than lead the Baltimore Ravens with his legs and arm. The NFL MVP favorite did so with his words, including some four-letter ones.

After Baltimore scored 10 points in the first half, Jackson lit into his struggling offense with an expletive-filled talk in the locker room. The result? The Ravens produced 24 points and 234 yards after halftime, advancing to host the first AFC Championship Game in their 28-year history.

“There’s something in him, right now,” Ravens wide receiver Nelson Agholor said of Jackson. “It’s been in him all year, but there’s something really in him, right now, and I’m with it. I’m with it.”

The Ravens will play the winner of Sunday’s Kansas City Chiefs–Buffalo Bills game on Jan. 28.

But Baltimore didn’t look like the AFC’s top seed in the first two quarters on Saturday and instead resembled those previous Ravens teams that got off to slow starts with Jackson in the postseason. The Ravens had problems with Houston’s blitzes, ending the first half with three straight three-and-outs and totaling 23 net passing yards, their fewest in any half this season.

Jackson was livid that the Ravens’ defense was dominating and their offense wasn’t holding up its end of the bargain.

Asked who did most of the talking at halftime, Jackson said, “I did. A lot of cursing.”

What exactly did he say?

“It’d be inappropriate if I said it right here,” Jackson replied.

Some of the Ravens’ adjustments on offense focused on quicker throws and not pushing the ball downfield quite as much. Jackson was then pressured once on 11 dropbacks (and was not sacked) in the second half after taking pressure on 61% of his dropbacks in the first half.

“Lamar did a great job,” Ravens coach John Harbaugh said. “A lot of that was his thinking, as well. He was all over it — what we felt we needed to do in the second half.”

This is a critical postseason for Jackson, who had a 1-3 playoff record entering Saturday and had failed to score more than 20 points in any of those games. Jackson responded by scoring four touchdowns against the Texans, which matched his total in his first four playoff games combined.

Making an impact with his legs as much as his arm, Jackson completed 16 of 22 passes for 152 yards and ran for 100 yards. He became the fifth player in NFL history to record two touchdown passes and two rushing TDs in the same playoff game.

Jackson threw a 3-yard touchdown pass to Agholor in the second quarter and a 15-yard scoring strike to tight end Isaiah Likely in the fourth. The signal-caller also ran for scores of 15 yards and 8 yards.

“He’s a very competitive player,” Ravens offensive tackle Ronnie Stanley said of Jackson. “He wears his heart on his sleeve, and he’ll say a lot of stuff. But I know what he’s trying to get at, and we all know what he wants — and that’s just a win.”

Teammates have talked all season about how Jackson constantly mentions winning a Super Bowl. They’ve noticed how Jackson has been more vocal since signing his five-year, $260 million contract in April.

Now, in winning his first home playoff game, Jackson advanced to his first AFC Championship Game and moved to within one victory of reaching the Super Bowl.

“That’s why he’s so hungry,” Ravens linebacker Patrick Queen said of Jackson. “You can see it in his eyes, you can see the way he talks, the way he’s acting right now. He’s got a lot to prove, and he wants to prove that.”