Another season, another Wild Card round triumph for the Baltimore Ravens. This year, they beat their hated divisional rivals, the Pittsburgh Steelers at home, 28-14. The Ravens' rushing attack was a source of dominance on the night, as they ran the ball 50 times for 299 yards on the night. Running back Derrick Henry discussed his performance, along with the stellar showcase his quarterback, Lamar Jackson, put on during the win, to Amazon Prime's Kaylee Hartung.
“‘He's the best player in the league. That's what's expected,' King Henry speaks to @KayleeHartung about Lamar Jackson's incredible performance,” posted NFL on Prime Video's account on X, formerly Twitter.
Jackson is one of the front runners for this season's MVP award. If the Ravens' signal caller did win, it would be the third MVP victory of his career. A well-deserved honor indeed, but it underlines the divide in Jackson's career up to this point. He's been excellent, even transcendent at times, during the regular season. However, he hasn't played up to those standards in the postseason. Today's performance in the victory over Pittsburgh was solid, but not his best. Can Jackson and the Baltimore offense take the next step against whomever they face in the Divisional round?
Ravens face tough upcoming Divisional matchup

Two potential matchups await the Ravens next weekend. First off, a trip to Buffalo to play the second-seeded Bills. This is the more likely of the two scenarios, since Buffalo is hosting the seventh-seeded Denver Broncos in the first game Sunday afternoon. The other scenario? They would host the Houston Texans, who defeated the Los Angeles Chargers 32-12 in the opener of Saturday's Wild Card matchups. Both games would bring their own host of challenges.
Going to Buffalo would likely be tougher, as the Bills have the other MVP front runner at quarterback: Josh Allen. Their defense has risen to the occasion, and they've beaten multiple playoff teams this season, including the top ranked Kansas City Chiefs. The other potential matchup, at home against Houston, would be a repeat of last season's Divisional matchup which was handily won by the Ravens. They would be similarly favored in a matchup this year too.
Either path is filled with challenges. This time of season determines who wants it more. Who is willing to give more and out execute. This is an area where Baltimore head coach John Harbaugh and his staff have succeeded in the past. They need to be able to do so again. Can Jackson, Henry and the rest of the offense continue their dominance on the ground? If so, a lane right to the AFC Championship game, and possibly more, is in sight.